Global health education: a pilot in trans-disciplinary, digital instruction

Background: The development of new global health academic programs provides unique opportunities to create innovative educational approaches within and across universities. Recent evidence suggests that digital media technologies may provide feasible and cost-effective alternatives to traditional classroom instruction; yet, many emerging global health academic programs lag behind in the utilization of modern technologies. Objective: We created an inter-departmental University of Southern California (USC) collaboration to develop and implement a course focused on digital media and global health. Design: Course curriculum was based on core tenants of modern education: multi-disciplinary, technologically advanced, learner-centered, and professional application of knowledge. Student and university evaluations were reviewed to qualitatively assess course satisfaction and educational outcomes. Results: ‘New Media for Global Health’ ran for 18 weeks in the Spring 2012 semester with N=41 students (56.1% global health and 43.9% digital studies students). The course resulted in a number of high quality global health-related digital media products available at http://iml420.wordpress.com/. Challenges confronted at USC included administrative challenges related to co-teaching and frustration from students conditioned to a rigid system of teacher-led learning within a specific discipline. Quantitative and qualitative course evaluations reflected positive feedback for the course instructors and mixed reviews for the organization of the course. Conclusion: The development of innovative educational programs in global health requires on-going experimentation and information sharing across departments and universities. Digital media technologies may have implications for future efforts to improve global health education

Sublittoral seaweed communities on natural and artificial substrata in a high-latitude coral community in South Africa

Coral mortality may result in macroalgal proliferation or a phase shift into an alga dominated state. Subtidal, high-latitude western Indian Ocean coral communities at Sodwana Bay on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa, have experienced some mortality because of warm water anomalies, storms and other causes, but the response of the macroalgae is unknown. We investigated the abundance and diversity of benthic algae on different hard natural substrata (dead digitate, brain and plate corals and beach rock) on Two-Mile Reef, Sodwana Bay. We also compared algal communities colonising ceramic, marble and pretreated ceramic tiles placed on the reef for six months. We identified 95 algae (14 Chlorophyta, 11 Phaeophyceae, 69 Rhodophyta and one cyanobacterium). Assemblages on natural and artificial substrata were dominated by the brown alga Lobophora variegata (Lamouroux) Womersley ex Oliveira and non-geniculate corallines (Rhodophyta, Corallinaceae). Cluster and ordination analyses revealed that the algae showed no affinity for particular substrata, whether natural or artificial. Algal cover was occasionally higher on rougher tiles and crustose corallines were significantly more abundant on marble than ceramic tiles. Two-Mile Reef had 23.1% dead and 48.4% live scleractinian coral cover, where dead corals were colonised indiscriminately by many small algal species, but there was no evidence of algal proliferation. The results provide a baseline for monitoring this high-latitude reef system.DHE

Summer and winter differences in zooplankton biomass, distribution and size composition in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight, South Africa

Zooplankton biomass and distribution in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight were investigated in relation to environmental parameters during summer (January–February 2010) and winter (July–August 2010). Mean zooplankton biomass was significantly higher in winter (17.1 mg dry weight [DW] m–3) than in summer (9.5 mg DW m−3). In summer, total biomass was evenly distributed within the central bight, low off the Thukela River mouth and peaked near Durban. In winter, highest biomass was found offshore between Richards Bay and Cape St Lucia. Zooplankton biomass in each size class was significantly, negatively related to sea surface temperature and integrated nitrate, but positively related to surface chlorophyll a and dissolved oxygen. Zooplankton biomass was significantly related to bottom depth, with greatest total biomass located inshore (<50 m). Distribution across the shelf varied with zooplankton size. Seasonal differences in copepod size composition suggest that a smaller, younger community occupied the cool, chlorophyll-rich waters offshore from the St Lucia upwelling cell in winter, and a larger, older community occurred within the relatively warm and chlorophyll-poor central bight in summer. Nutrient enrichment from quasi-permanent upwelling off Durban and Richards Bay appears to have a greater influence on zooplankton biomass and distribution in the bight than the strongly seasonal nutrient input from the Thukela River.DHE

The artisanal fishery for East Coast rock lobsters Panulirus homarus along the Wild Coast, South Africa

East coast rock lobsters Panulirus homarus are collected by the indigenous people of the Wild Coast, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and are sold to coastal hotels and holidaymakers. The South African government has proposed a small-scale commercial fishery based on P. homarus to improve socio-economic conditions in that region. Catch data and information on fishery operations were collected for the artisanal fishery from Coffee Bay, Presley Bay, Port St Johns and Mbotyi, as well as from a commercial buying station near the Mdumbi Estuary, between March 2003 and October 2005. The catch per unit effort of rock lobster poling varied from 13.5 ± 7.7 fisher–1 outing–1 at Port St Johns to 5.9 ± 3.1 fisher–1 outing–1 at Coffee Bay, but the number of fishers or fishing frequency could not be verified. About two-thirds of the lobsters caught (69%) were smaller than the minimum legal size. Hotels and the buying station complied with size limits, but cottages and campers often bought undersized lobsters. Smaller lobsters (females) are caught by poling than by diving. Geographical variations in poling effort and lobster mean sizes could be indicators of heavy fishing pressure on shallow, inshore reefs. The implications of commercialising the fishery and its associated management are discussed. Keywords: artisanal fishery; catch-and-effort survey; fishery management; Panulirus homarus; Wild CoastAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2008, 30(3): 497–50

Short CommunicationEstimation of size at first maturity in two South African coral species

The corals Acropora austera and Platygyra daedalea have been the subject of extensive reproductive and population genetic studies in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (iSimangaliso), on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, eastern South Africa. Despite this, estimates of size at first maturity in these two species are lacking. This information could be used to provide a baseline to differentiate juveniles from adult sizes of corals, an important factor for assessing the condition of scleractinian communities in reefs. Here, we present the methods followed to provide such estimates for these two hard corals. Using generalised linear models and assuming knife-edge maturity (50% probability), it was estimated that A. austera from iSimangaliso matures at c. 15 cm mean colony diameter (MCD) (95% CI: 9.25–20.75 cm MCD) and P. daedalea matures at c. 7 cm MCD (95% CI: 4.55–8.39 cm MCD). These estimates were comparable to those for tropical species which is remarkable considering the high-latitude nature of the sampled reefs. It is expected that the findings from this study will assist in the assessment of reproduction, recruitment, survival and genetic variation in clonal organisms such as corals, and will provide a baseline to assess the effects of climate change on coral communities in the region.Keywords: coral demographics, high-latitude reefs, maturity stage, reproductive size, Two-mile Reef, Western Indian OceanAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2014, 36(4): 513–51

A benthic survey of the rocky reefs off Pondoland, South Africa

A subtidal marine biodiversity survey was carried out on shallow reefs (–1m to –30m) in the proclaimed Pondoland Marine Protected Area between Port Edward and Port St Johns, South Africa. A total of 26 benthic reef transects was undertaken involving the capture and processing of 1 042 photographic images of the reef benthos. Results of the benthic survey showed a shift from algal-dominated reefs in the north to suspensionfeeder-dominated reefs in the south, probably on account of turbidity (reduced sunlight penetration) and high nutrient levels from riverine input. A similar shift was found with increasing reef depth with algae dominating shallower reefs and suspension-feeding communities dominating deeper reefs. Non-exhaustive inventories were compiled of dominant organisms, including algae, sponges, other invertebrates and fish. The results of this survey confirm that the Pondoland region has a rich marine biodiversity and is situated within a unique transition zone between subtropical and warm temperate waters. It is imperative that this rich biodiversity, coupled with the aesthetic beauty of the Pondoland coastline, be adequately zoned for protection within the proclaimed marine protected area. Keywords: benthic fauna and flora; biodiversity survey; marine geographic information system (GIS); marine protected area (MPA); Pondoland coast; subtropical reef communitiesAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2007, 29(1): 65–7

Baseline assessment of high-latitude coral reef fish communities in southern Africa

The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) is a region where detailed coral reef fish research has been relatively limited. This study constitutes an assessment of the fish communities of seven southern African high-latitude coral reefs. The aim was to provide ichthyological baseline data consisting of species abundance and diversity, and family and trophic composition. Sampling techniques consisted of underwater visual censuses, using SCUBA on reefs at a depth of 12&ndash;15 m. A total of 284 species belonging to 50 families was recorded. The fish communities are comprised of 80% Indo-Pacific species and the species diversity was comparable to many other reefs in the WIO region. Six families contributed more than 50% towards the overall community composition: Labridae, Acanthuridae, Chaetodontidae, Lutjanidae, Pomacentridae and Serranidae. Five fish species contributed more than 40% to the overall fish abundance: Chromis dimidiata, C. weberi, Pseudanthias squamipinnis, Parapriacanthus ransonneti and Nemanthias carberryi. Planktivores and invertivores dominated the trophic structure on all reefs. The taxonomic overlap in fish species and functional groups between these reefs and other WIO reefs may be owing to population connectivity and warrants further investigation. Keywords: high-latitude coral reefs, monitoring, Western Indian OceanAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2012, 34(1): 55&ndash;6