Seagrasses between Cape York and Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia

The area of seagrasses in waters adjacent to the Queensland coast between Cape York and Hervey Bay is approximately 4000 km2. Seagrasses were found near estuaries, in coastal bays and associated with islands, at sites that provided shelter from the south-easterly trade winds and Pacific Ocean swells. Of the seagrass meadows mapped, 37% had a bottom vegetation cover greater than 50%. Two large continuous areas (total of approximately 2500 km2) of seagrass of predominantly Halophila species were found in deep water in Hervey Bay and between Barrow Point and Lookout Point and may be part of a much larger area of deep-water seagrass habitat not yet surveyed in the Great Barrier Reef province. Fourteen seagrass species were found in the surveyed region, and most were typical of the northern Australian and Indo-West Pacific region. The opportunistic Halophila and Halodule species were most common, with Halophila ovalis (R. Br.) Hook. f. and Halodule uninervis (Forsk.) Aschers. each being found in more than 15% of samples. High species richness occurred at depths of less than 6 m, predominantly in sheltered bays at coastal and island locations. Low species richness at estuary- associated sites may be due to stresses caused by low salinity during monsoonal runoff periods or exposure at low tides. Zostera capricorni Aschers. was restricted to these areas and may have a competitive advantage over other species with lesser tolerance to varying salinity. Species richness decreased with an increase in both latitude and depth. The latitudinal limits of recorded distributions for some of these tropical seagrasses were confirmed. Seagrass biomass decreased with increasing depth, but parameters of seagrass abundance showed no correlation with latitude, being dependent on a complex of site-related factors. High seagrass biomass occurred at sheltered sites, including estuary-associated, coastal-bay and island-associated sites. The maximum recorded above-ground biomass was 102.9 g m-2 for Zostera capricorni at Upstart Bay. Shoot densities reached 13 806 shoots m-2 for Halophila ovalis at Escape River, and the highest leaf area index was 1.81 for Zostera capricorni at Upstart Bay

Predictors of Virologic Failure in HIV/AIDS Patients Treated with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in Brasília, Brazil During 2002–2008

Little data exists concerning the efficacy of the antiretroviral therapy in the Federal District in Brazil, therefore in order to improve HIV/AIDS patients’ therapy and to pinpoint hot spots in the treatment, this research work was conducted. Of 139 HIV/AIDS patients submitted to the highly active antiretroviral therapy, 12.2% failed virologically. The significant associated factors related to unresponsiveness to the lentiviral treatment were: patients’ place of origin (OR = 3.28; IC95% = 1.0–9.73; P = 0.032) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (RR = 2.90; IC95% = 1.19–7.02; P = 0.019). In the logistic regression analysis, the remaining variables in the model were: patients’ birthplace (OR = 3.28; IC95% = 1.10–9.73; P = 0.032) and tuberculosis comorbidity (OR = 3.82; IC95% = 1.19–12.22; P = 0.024). The patients enrolled in this survey had an 88.0% therapeutic success rate for the maximum period of one year of treatment, predicting that T CD4+ low values and elevated viral loads at pretreatment should be particularly considered in tuberculosis coinfection, besides the availability of new antiretroviral drugs displaying optimal activity both in viral suppression and immunological reconstitution

Track A Basic Science

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138319/1/jia218438.pd

Seagrass-Watch: Engaging Torres Strait Islanders in marine habitat monitoring

Involvement in scientifically structured habitat monitoring is a relatively new concept to the peoples of Torres Strait. The approach we used was to focus on awareness, and to build the capacity of groups to participate using Seagrass-Watch as the vehicle to provide education and training in monitoring marine ecosystems. The project successfully delivered quality scientifically rigorous baseline information on the seasonality of seagrasses in the Torres Strait-a first for this region. Eight seagrass species were identified across the monitoring sites. Seagrass cover varied within and between years. Preliminary evidence indicated that drivers for seagrass variability were climate related. Generally, seagrass abundance increased during the north-west monsoon (Kuki), possibly a consequence of elevated nutrients, lower tidal exposure times, less wind, and higher air temperatures. Low seagrass abundance coincided with the presence of greater winds and longer periods of exposure at low tides during the south-east trade wind season (Sager). No seasonal patterns were apparent when frequency of disturbance from high sedimentation and human impacts was high. Seagrass-Watch has been incorporated in to the Thursday Island High School's Marine Studies Unit ensuring continuity of monitoring. The students, teachers, and other interested individuals involved in Seagrass-Watch have mastered the necessary scientific procedures to monitor seagrass meadows, and developed skills in coordinating a monitoring program and skills in mentoring younger students. This has increased the participants' self-esteem and confidence, and given them an insight into how they may participate in the future management of their sea country

Torres Strait Seagrass 2018 Report Card

Seagrass meadows show measurable responses to changes in environmental condition, so are ideal sensitive receptors for monitoring marine environmental health. Torres Strait contains some of the most extensive seagrass meadows of northern Australia. Torres Strait Island communities rely on coastal marine habitats for subsistence, and have strong cultural and spiritual links to these environments. This report provides the first integrated condition assessment of Torres Strait seagrass using a report card approach. Seagrass was graded from A (very good) to E (very poor) relative to baseline conditions, and scored on a 0–1 scale. Data used in this report card comes from the Torres Strait Seagrass Monitoring Program (TSSMP), which incorporates the Torres Strait Seagrass Observers Program, Ranger Subtidal Monitoring Program, Queensland Ports Seagrass Monitoring Program, and Reef-top Monitoring Program. Thirty-one sites/meadows were classified for this report card across four Torres Strait Island Clusters. Seagrass condition in all clusters was good. The majority of individual sites/meadows were in good condition. Only one monitoring site in the entire Torres Strait monitoring network received a poor score in 2018, site MR2 (Lei) at Mer Island, which was likely a reflection of a localised change in condition at that particular site. No condition indicators or overall grades were very poor in 2018. The program will be substantially improved as it matures and more sites/meadows build 10 years of baseline information. We recommend: (1) establishing monitoring in the Top-Western Cluster where no monitoring currently occurs, (2) expanding meadow-scale monitoring and subtidal block monitoring to include examples in all island clusters, (3) establishing additional intertidal transect monitoring in the central island cluster, and (4) establishing monitoring meadows in the inner cluster away from anthropogenic impacts at Thursday Island. These additions would vastly improve the mix of information and provide a more reliable assessment of seagrass condition and change in the region

Seagrass-Watch: Engaging Torres Strait Islanders in marine habitat monitoring

Involvement in scientifically structured habitat monitoring is a relatively new concept to the peoples of Torres Strait. The approach we used was to focus on awareness, and to build the capacity of groups to participate using Seagrass-Watch as the vehicle to provide education and training in monitoring marine ecosystems. The project successfully delivered quality scientifically rigorous baseline information on the seasonality of seagrasses in the Torres Strait-a first for this region. Eight seagrass species were identified across the monitoring sites. Seagrass cover varied within and between years. Preliminary evidence indicated that drivers for seagrass variability were climate related. Generally, seagrass abundance increased during the north-west monsoon (Kuki), possibly a consequence of elevated nutrients, lower tidal exposure times, less wind, and higher air temperatures. Low seagrass abundance coincided with the presence of greater winds and longer periods of exposure at low tides during the south-east trade wind season (Sager). No seasonal patterns were apparent when frequency of disturbance from high sedimentation and human impacts was high. Seagrass-Watch has been incorporated in to the Thursday Island High School's Marine Studies Unit ensuring continuity of monitoring. The students, teachers, and other interested individuals involved in Seagrass-Watch have mastered the necessary scientific procedures to monitor seagrass meadows, and developed skills in coordinating a monitoring program and skills in mentoring younger students. This has increased the participants' self-esteem and confidence, and given them an insight into how they may participate in the future management of their sea country

Torres Strait Seagrass 2019 Report Card

Torres Strait contains some of the most extensive seagrass meadows of northern Australia. Seagrass is a critical habitat in Torres Strait, supporting populations of dugong, green turtle, and important fishery species. Torres Strait Island communities have strong cultural and spiritual links to these species and environments. This report provides the second integrated condition assessment of Torres Strait seagrass using a report card approach. Seagrass was graded from A (very good) to E (very poor) relative to baseline conditions, and scored on a 0–1 scale. Data used in this report card was collected from mid-2018 to mid-2019 for the Torres Strait Seagrass Monitoring Program (TSSMP). The TSSMP incorporates the Torres Strait Seagrass Observers Program, Ranger Subtidal Monitoring Program, Queensland Ports Seagrass Monitoring Program, and Reef-top Monitoring Program. Twenty-seven sites/meadows were classified for the 2019 report card across four Torres Strait Island Clusters. Seagrass condition was good in the Western, Central and Eastern Clusters, and satisfactory in the Inner Cluster. The majority of individual sites/meadows were in good condition. Only two monitoring meadows in the entire Torres Strait monitoring network received a poor score; these were the deeper meadows along the southern side of Thursday Island and suggests a localised reduction in light there. No condition indicators or overall grades were very poor in 2019. The program will be substantially improved as it matures and more sites/meadows build 10 years of baseline information. This report highlights areas where information is lacking and suggests a pathway for improving representativeness and reliability of condition scores for seagrass in Torres Strait Island Clusters. We recommend: (1) establishing monitoring in the Top-Western Cluster where no monitoring currently occurs, (2) expanding meadow-scale and subtidal block monitoring to include examples in all island clusters, (3) establishing additional intertidal transect monitoring in the Central Cluster, and (4) establishing monitoring meadows in the Inner Cluster away from anthropogenic impacts at Thursday Island. These additions would vastly improve our assessment of seagrass condition and change in the region