Assessment and monitoring of marine debris in Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary

Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) is located 32.4 km offshore of Sapelo Island, Georgia. The ecological importance of this area is related to the transition between tropical and temperate waters, and the existence of a topographically complex system of ledges. Due to its central location, GRNMS can be used as a focal site to study the accumulation and impacts of marine debris on the Atlantic continental shelf offshore of the Southeast United States. Previously, researchers characterized marine debris in GRNMS and reported that incidence of the debris at the limited densely colonized ledge sites was significantly greater than at sand or sparsely colonized live bottom, and is further influenced by the level of boating activity and physiographic characteristics (e.g., ledge height). Information gleaned from the initial marine debris characterization was used to devise a strategy for prioritizing cleanup and monitoring efforts. However, a significant gap in knowledge was the rate of debris accumulation. The primary objective of this study was to select, mark, and perform initial marine debris surveys at permanent monitoring sites within GRNMS to quantify long-term trends in types, abundance, impacts, and accumulation rates of debris. Ledge sites were selected to compare types, abundance, and accumulation rates of marine debris between a) areas of high and low use and b) short and tall ledges. Nine permanent monitoring sites were marked and initially surveyed in 2007/2008. Surveys were conducted within a 50 x 4 m transect for a total survey area of 200 square meters. All debris was removed and detailed information was taken on the types of debris, quantity, and associations with benthic fauna. Information on associations with benthic fauna included degree of entanglement, type of organism with which it is entangled or resting on, degree of fouling, and visible impacts such as tissue abrasions. Sites were re-surveyed approximately one year later to quantify new accumulation. During the initial survey, a total of ten debris items, totaling 16.3 kg in weight, were removed from two monitoring stations, both “tall” sites within the area of high boat use. Year-one accumulation totaled five items and approximately 7 kg in weight. Similar to the initial survey, all debris was found at sites in the area of high boat use. However, in contrast to the initial survey, two of these items were found on medium-height ledges. Removed items included fishing line, leaders, rope, plastic, and fabric. Although items were often encrusted in benthic biota or entangled on the ledge, impacts such as abrasions or other injuries were not observed. During the 2009 monitoring efforts, volunteer divers were trained to conduct the survey. Monitoring protocols were documented for GRNMS staff and included as an appendix of this report to enable long-term monitoring of sites. Additionally, national reconnaissance data (e.g. satellite, radar, aerial surveys) and other information on known fishing locations were examined for patterns of resource use and correlations with debris occurrence patterns. A previous model predicting the density of marine debris based on ledge features and boat use was refined and the results were used to generate a map of predicted debris density for all ledges

New Records of Commercially Valuable Black Corals (Cnidaria: Antipatharia) from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands at Mesophotic Depths.

v. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyMesophotic coral reef ecosystems are notoriously undersurveyed worldwide and particularly in remote locations like the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands ( NWHI). A total of 37 mixed-gas technical dives were performed to depths of 80 m across the NWHI to survey for the presence of the invasive octocoral Carijoa sp., the invasive red alga Acanthophora spicifera, and conspicuous megabenthic fauna such as black corals. The two invasive species were not recorded from any of the surveys, but two commercially valuable black coral species, Antipathes griggi and Myriopathes ulex, were found, representing substantial range expansions for these species. Antipathes griggi was recorded from the islands of Necker and Laysan in 58 – 70 m, and Myriopathes ulex was recorded from Necker Island and Pearl and Hermes Atoll in 58 – 70 m. Despite over 30 yr of research in the NWHI, these black coral species had remained undetected. The new records of these conspicuous marine species highlight the utility of deepdiving technologies in surveying the largest part of the depth range of coral reef ecosystems (40 – 150 m), which remains largely unexplored

Metabolitos de esponjas marinas en interés farmacológico

IP 1101-09-129-95Incluye anexos.v.1. Informe final / Carmenza Duque B. -- v.2. Anexos Metabolitos de esponjas marinas de interes quimico, quimiotaxonomico y farmacologico / Carmenza Duque B.PONENCIA(S) EN CONGRESO: Productos naturales marinos. Metabolitos de esponjas marinas del genero Ircina y su;Fitoquimica. -- editado por Fernando Echeverri L., WinstonQuiñones F. --Production of bioactive;furanosesterterpene tetronic acids as possible internal chemicaldefense mechanism in the sponge Ircinia felix;(Porifera: Demospongiae) / Sea, Sven ... [et.al]. -- p. 92--En: Origin and Outlook : international sponge;symposium (5 : 1998 : Australia) -- Exudation of low molecularweight compounss (thiosbismethanem methyl;importancia biologica / Carmenza Duque B. -- p. 91-107. --En:Topicos enproductos Naturales : la;biodiversidad como fuente de moleculas activas : Conferenciasselectas delV Congreso Colombiano de;felix / Carmenza Duque ... [et.al]. -- En: International Symposium on Capillary Cromatography (22 : 1999 Nov.;8-12 : Gifu, Japon) -- Sterol composition of Halichondrida(Porifera: Demospongiae) order caribbean sponges;and tis significance as chemotaxonomic character / L. Castellanos ... [et.al]. -- En: 2000 Years of Natural;Products Research : paste present and futura (1999 Jul. 26-30:Amsterdam)'-- Phospholipid fatty acid;composition of the Halichondrida order (Porifera, Demospongiae)caribbeansponges and its significance as;chemotaxonomic character / W. Rodriguez ... [et.al]. -- En: 200Years ofNatural Products Research : paste;present and futura (1999 Jul. 26-30 : Amsterdam) -- Estudio porCGAR-EM yCLAE de a-noresteroles en la esponja;marina Axinella corrugata del caribe Colombiano / L. Castellanos... [et.al]. -- En: Congreso Colombiano de;(2 : 1999 jun. 17-19 : Santafe de Bogotá) -- Aislamiento eidentificacionde 4-en-3,6-diceto, 4-en3-ceto;esteroides y monohidroxisteroles de la esponja marina Spirastrella coccinea (Spirastrellidae, Hadromerida) /;G.J. Calderon, C. Duque y S. Zea. -- En: Congreso Colombiano deCromatografia (2 : 1999 jun. 17-19 : Santafe;de Bogotá) -- Cromatografia acoplada a espectroscopia (CGAR-EM,CLAE-EM, CLAE-RMN) herramienta esencial en el;microanalisis de compuestos de origen natural / Carmenza Duque.'-- en: congreso Colombiano de Cromatografia (2;: 1999 jun. 17-19 : Santafe de Bogotá) -- delta6,delta6,9(11)-5alfa-8alfa-epidioxiesteroles de la esponja;marina Axinyssa ambrosia / Natalia Petrichtcheva y Carmenza Duque. -- En:Congreso Latinoamericano y Congreso;Peruano de Quimica (24, 21 : 2000 oct. 15-19 : Lima, Peru)--ARTICULO(S)EN REVISTA: Busqueda de compuestos;bioactivos a partir de organismos marinos del caribe colombiano/ CarmenzaDuque Beltran. -- En: Revista de la;Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales.--Vol. 22,no. 85 (dic. 1998); p. 528-537. --;ISSN 01230654 -- Production of bioactive furanosesterterpene tetronic acids as possible internal chemical;defense mechanism in the sponge Ircinia felix (Poriferera;Demospongiae) /Sven Zea .. [et.al]. -- En: Memoirs;of Queensland Museum. -- Vol. 44 (1999); p. 687-696. -- ISSN 0798835. --Exudation of low molecular weight;compounss (thiosbismethanem methyl isocyanide, and methylisothiocyanate)as a posible chemecal defense;mechanism in the marine sponge Ircina felix / Carmenza Duque ...[et.al].'-- en: Biochemical systematics and e;3051978;Halichondrida (Porifera: Demospongiae) / W. Rodriguez ...[et.al]. -- En: Congreso Colombiano de Cromatografia;Cromatografia (2 : 1999 jun. 17-19 : Santafe de Bogotá) --Aplicacion de tecnicas cromatograficas en la;determinacion de la composicion esterolica de la esponja marinaAxiyssa ambrosia / N.V. Petricheva, C. Duque,;S. Zea. -- En: Congreso Colombiano de Cromatografia (2 : 1999jun. 17-19 :Santafe de Bogotá) -- Estudio;comparativo de la composicion de acidos grasos ligados a fosfolipidos en esponjas marinas del orden;isocyanide, and methyl isothiocyanate) as a posible chemecal defense mechanism in the marine sponge Ircin