International Society for Reef Studies
(ISRS)
European Meeting
4 th – 7 th September 2002
Abstracts Volume
Hosted by:
Cambridge Coastal Research Unit
Department of Geography
University of Cambridge.International Society For Reef Studies (ISRS)
ISRS European Meeting
Robinson College, Cambridge
4 th – 7 th September 2002
Host:
Cambridge Coastal Research Unit
Department of Geography
University of Cambridge
Abstracts Volume
Editors: S. Brooks, T. Spencer, K. Teleki and M.
Taylor
Local Organising Committee Scientific Committee
Sue Brooks, Birkbeck College University of London Colin
Braithwaite, University of Glasgow
Annelise Hagan, University of Cambridge Sue Brooks,
Birkbeck College University of London
Tom Spencer, University of Cambridge John Bythell,
University of Newcastle
Michelle Taylor, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring
Centre Christian Dullo, GEOMAR
Kristian Teleki, University of Cambridge Marcos
Gektidis, University of Frankfurt
Edmund Green, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
Jason Hall-Spencer, University of Glasgow
Jane Hawkridge, Mote Marine Laboratory
Piers Larcombe, James Cook University
Martin Le Tissier, University of Newcastle
Lucien Montaggioni, Universite de Provence
Chris Perry, Manchester Metropolitan University
Brian Rosen, Natural History Museum
Tom Spencer, University of Cambridge
Kristian Teleki, University of Cambridge
Sandy Tudhope, University of Edinburgh
Helge Vogt, Independent Consultant
Elizabeth Wood, Marine Conservation Society
Rachel Wood, Schlumberger Cambridge Research
Additional
support provided by the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN).i
Table of Contents
Page
Abstracts: Plenary Addresses 1
Abstracts: Oral Presentations 5
Abstracts: Poster Presentations 113
Index of Authors 157.ii
Abstracts
Abstracts are presented in the order: plenary
addresses, oral
presentations and poster presentations. Abstracts for
both oral and
poster presentations are arranged by first author.
In most cases abstracts are printed as they have been
received and have
not been edited for content. Some ‘light editing’ of
titles and
affiliations has been carried out to ensure uniformity
of presentation.
Neither the Cambridge Coastal Research Unit, nor the
Organising/Scientific Committee of the ISRS European
Meeting accept
responsibility for content..Plenary Addresses..Plenary Address 1
Wednesday 4 th
September, 2002
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
1
REEFS
IN TURBID AND POLLUTED WATERS: WHY THE FUSS?
KATHARINA
FABRICIUS
Australian
Institute of Marine Science and Reef CRC
PMB
3, Townsville Qld 4810, Australia
k.fabricius@aims.gov.au
Great
beauty, high diversity and healthy recolonisation characterise the few turbid
inshore coral reefs
of
the Great Barrier Reef that remain in near-pristine condition. By contrast,
other inshore reefs are
severely
degraded, and some consider pollution, in the form of increased supply of
land-derived
nutrients,
sediments and pesticides, to be a major cause of their degradation. At local
scales, pollution
impacts
are well documented and accepted, however, at regional scales, pollution is
frequently
denied
to be a cause of reef degradation, and indeed causal links have been difficult
to demonstrate.
This
is due to factors such as (a) a lack of historic data, (b) high spatial and
temporal variability in
pollutants,
(c) the background of other forms of disturbances, and (d) non- linear
responses of
organisms
to pollution. Overall, pollution appears to be a lesser threat for coral reefs
than coral
bleaching
or destructive fishing. However, unlike many other forms of disturbances, many
pollutants
accumulate
and are stored in the system, thus system responses may become chronic once the
system’s
buffering capacity is exhausted.
Here,
I will examine various links between inshore reef degradation and pollution.
This will comprise
a
review of field and laboratory data from many parts of the world, followed by
presentation of new
experimental
and reef ecological studies. It will include the characterisation of the
ecological
properties
of near-pristine inshore reefs, and will contrast these with reefs frequently
exposed to river
plumes
from agricultural areas. I will then identify the two most likely mechanisms
for reef
degradation
in regions exposed to pollution. Additionally, potential secondary mechanisms
of
pollution
will be discussed, such as the enhanced survival of crown-of-thorns larvae,
which may have
profound
effects on the wider ecosystem.
Pollution
and reef degradation is a complex issue and there are many threads of evidence
of varying
strengths
to be considered, e.g. field studies with notoriously imperfect controls and
laboratory
experiments
that oversimplify natural systems. It is not surprising that simple hypothesis
tests are
unable
to resolve such complex questions. After all, it took decades of extensive and
expensive
research
until epidemiologists established sufficient weight of evidence linking
cigarette smoking
with
lung cancer– a link that is obvious in hindsight. As scientists, we need to
synthesize multiple
and
complex sources of information, weigh the evidence, quantify effect sizes, and
predict the
ecological
consequences and socio-economic costs of alternative actions. It is then up to
a better
informed
society to decide how much ecological change is acceptable..Plenary Address 2
Thursday 5 th
September, 2002
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
2
UNNATURAL
REEFS
JEREMY
B. C. JACKSON
Scripps
Institution of Oceanography
University
of California, San Diego
La
Jolla, California 92093-0244 USA
jbcj@ucsd.edu
Basic
ecological understanding of coral reefs is based on an unnatural mix of mostly
small species
whose
trophic relations are greatly distorted by overfishing. Large megafauna,
including fishes,
sharks,
sea turtles, crocodiles, sea cows, and seals have disappeared from entire reef
systems
worldwide.
Vertebrates in general are greatly reduced and comprise less than 2% of the total
free-living
animal
biomass on most reefs where the structure of food webs is dominated by very
small
fishes
and invertebrates. The habitat complexity of reefs and seagrass beds is also
greatly reduced
over
wide areas. Historical analyses demonstrate that virtually all reefs are
affected by overfishing
including
partially protected areas like the Great Barrier Reef. Historical trajectories
of the decline in
reef
ecosystems in the Indo-Pacific have the same slope as those from the tropical
western Atlantic.
The
only difference is the initial starting date of intense exploitation that was
much earlier in the
Atlantic.
Successful restoration and management require a more realistic and historically
informed
understanding
of the ecology of pristine coral reefs that can only be obtained by a
combination of
retrospective
analyses, modeling, and intensive studies of ecosystem structure and function
of the
very
few isolated reefs that have escaped intensive exploitation..Plenary Address 3
Friday 6 th
September, 2002
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
3
LINKING
ZOOXANTHELLA FUNCTION TO REEF HEALTH
ANGELA
E. DOUGLAS
Department
of Biology
University
of York,
York
YO10 5YW UK
It is
accepted that zooxanthella function, especially photosynthate release to the
coral, underpins
shallow
water coral reefs, and that the breakdown of the zooxanthella-coral symbiosis
at coral
bleaching
is a response to anthropogenic factors. A key development in recent years has
been the
appreciation
that zooxanthellae are not functionally uniform. The purpose of my talk is
twofold.
First,
the extent to which molecularly-distinct zooxanthellae vary in ecologically-
important traits,
including
photosynthetic parameters, susceptibility to bleaching and acclimatory
capabilities, will be
addressed.
Second, the ecological consequences of this variation at scales from the
individual colony
to
the reef will be explored, especially in the context of anthropogenic factors..Plenary Address 4
Saturday 7 th
September, 2002
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
4
ENVIRONMENTAL
VARIABILITY AND CHANGE:
HIGH
RESOLUTION RECORDS FROM CORALS AND CORAL REEFS
SANDY
TUDHOPE
Department
of Geology & Geophysics
Edinburgh
University
West
Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW,
Scotland,
UK
As
they grow, massive reef-building corals record environmental information in the
physical
structure
and chemical composition of their aragonitic skeletons. This attribute,
combined with
annual
skeletal growth bands, rapid growth rates, and colony longevity, makes corals
valuable
palaeo-environmental
archives, capable of yielding records with a temporal resolution of ± a few
months
over several centuries. In addition, since the aragonitic skeletons are
suitable for high-precision
U-series
and 14 C dating, analysis of ‘fossil’
corals provides an opportunity to extend the
records
back into the late Quaternary. These palaeoenvironmental records serve two
purposes.
Firstly,
corals may be used to extend beyond the instrumental record of environmental
change,
thereby
yielding crucial new insights into the coupled processes that control climatic
and
oceanographic
variability and change on decadal to millennial timescales. Secondly, the
records
provide
an essential context against which to view the current status and predicted
decline of modern
reefs.
A
major research effort has been directed towards reconstructing variability in
temperature, salinity
and
terrestrial run-off from analysis of annually-banded massive corals. In most
cases, chemical
tracers
in the skeleton are used as a proxy for the environmental parameter of
interest. These records
are
particularly powerful for investigating interannual variability. For example,
coral data has shown
that
the El Niño Southern Oscillation climatic phenomenon has varied significantly
in its strength
over
time, with modern ENSO probably stronger than at any other time over the past
130,000 years.
Coral
geochemistry is also used to reconstruct variations in ‘mean’ conditions (e.g.,
change in mean
temperature,
salinity, rainfall etc.). This has proven to be more difficult, due to
uncertainties in
assumptions
about individual tracers. Nonetheless, significant progress is being made
through the use
of
replication of records and use of multiple and new proxies. For example,
combined trace metal
and
stable isotope measurements are producing consistent patterns of temperature
change on decadal
to
glacial- interglacial timescales; there is exciting new work on the use of
barium as a proxy for
suspended
sediment input to the coastal zone over the past few centuries (McCulloch et
al, this
meeting);
and coral growth rates are being successfully used to reconstruct SST change
over the past
few
centuries. Analysis of the structure, age and elevation of corals and coral
reefs also continues to
yield
new insights into the magnitude, timing, rates and mechanisms of sea- level
change on decadal
to 10
5 year timescales.
These
coral data are contributing to a picture of tropical environments that have
varied substantially,
and
rapidly, over much of the past few hundred thousand years. In many ways, the
last few thousand
years
appear anomalous, having relatively stable (warm) mean climate and sea- level,
but relatively
large
interannual (ENSO) variability. These data provide a crucial testing- ground
for models that
attempt
to predict future climate, and the impact of natural and anthropogenic
environmental change
on
coral reefs..Oral Presentations..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
7
SR/CA
IN CORAL ARAGONITE: IS NIGHT CARBONATE A GOOD INDICATOR OF SEA
SURFACE
TEMPERATURES?
Nicola
Allison, Adrian Finch
School
of Geography and Geosciences,
University
of St Andrews, Irvine Building, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AL, UK
na9@st-and.ac.uk
Sr/Ca
in coral skeletons has potential as an indicator of past seawater conditions
but exhibits
geochemical
heterogeneity on a small spatial scale (<100 µm) that does not reflect
variations in sea
surface
temperature (SST) or chemistry. Skeletal Sr/Ca is affected by variations in
skeletal
calcification
rate which may be dependent on the photosynthetic activity of the zooxanthellae
in coral
tissue.
The skeleton deposited at night may be unaffected by these variations and may
be a more
reliable
indicator of SST (Cohen et al. 2001).
We
used secondary ion mass spectrometry with a 10 µm diameter analysis spot to
construct records
of
Sr/Ca in a Porites lobata specimen from Lanakai, Oahu, Hawaii. Analyses
were performed on
sections
cut perpendicular to the growth surface of the coral skeleton, spanning annual
bands. Parallel
tracks
were analysed following fasciculi (material deposited during the day) and
centres of
calcification
(deposited at night).
The
Sr contents of the day and night material follow similar seasonal trends but
are offset with night
carbonate
typically enriched by 350-400 ppm Sr. The day carbonate profile is
characterised by large
spiky
Sr fluctuations, which are deposited approximately days apart and are
superimposed on the
general
Sr seasonal trend. These fluctuations may relate to daily variations in coral
calcification rate
which
is in turn affected by light intensity and water temperature. The Sr range
observed in day
carbonate
(~900 ppm) is equivalent to ~5ºC on the Sr palaeothermometer for Porites day
carbonate
(Cohen
et al. 2001) which is in good agreement with the observed seasonal
temperature range.
The
Sr range the in night carbonate profile (~600 ppm) is much larger than that
reported previously
and
is equivalent to ~16ºC on the Sr palaeothermometer for night carbonate (Cohen et
al. 2001).
Calcification
at night is slower than in the day and previous studies suggest that the slope
of the Sr-SST
relationship
in night carbonate approximates to that seen in inorganic aragonite
precipitates.
This
is inconsistent with our data. While the Sr range in the night carbonate is
reduced compared to
that
of day material, some short term Sr spikes are still present. Sr varies by up
to 300 ppm over
distances
of <100 µm, which is nominally equivalent to <1 week skeletal growth. These
spikes do
not
reflect variations in SST. We suggest that while biological effects on Sr
incorporation are
minimised
in night carbonate, significant biological effects may still occur in this
material.
Cohen
AL et al., Kinetic control of skeletal Sr/Ca in a symbiotic coral: implications
for the
palaeotemperature
proxy, Paleoceanography, 16, 20-26, 2001..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
8
LONG
TERM CHANGES IN MALDIVIAN CORAL REEF COMMUNITIES
William
R. Allison
Coral
Reef Research and Management
Rangas
First Floor, Violet Magu, Henveyru, Male, MALDIVES
The
author has studied community change in Maldivian coral reefs since 1990. Rasdu
and Addu
Atolls
were repeatedly surveyed during the period 1991 to 2001. Included in the survey
sites at those
atolls
are sites surveyed during the Xarifa (1958) and Indian Ocean (1964)
expeditions. Survey
methods
included line intercept and point transects, video transects, photo-quadrats
and visual
surveys.
The different quantitative methods were tested to assure comparable results.
COADS SST
data
was obtained for the period 1980 – 2000.
Comparison
of 1991 survey data with the data obtained some three decades earlier showed
that large
declines
in coral cover had occurred at most of the Xarifa and IOE survey sites.
Acroporidae and
Pocilloporidae
had declined the most. Large areas of dead branching corals in growth position
were
also
observed in many other parts of Maldives. During the period 1991 – 1998 coral
cover generally
increased
in Rasdu and Addu although there was little change at most of the IOE sites in
Addu and
one
site in Rasdu. In April – May 1998 a large proportion of the corals in both
atolls and the
Maldives
died during a severe bleaching event. Hardest hit were Acroporidae,
Pocilloporidae, soft
corals
(except dendronepthids) and Millepora. Although mortality was very high,
"extirpations" were
not
observed. At a few locations coral cover and dominant type seemed to change
little in 1998, but
one
large patch of coral that had apparently survived since 1958 died in 1998.
Large massive coral
colonies,
especially Porites, declined significantly in abundance over the entire period.
Reef
bleaching and mortality in 1998 were highly correlated with elevated SST's in
April and May of
that
year. It seems probable that the elevated SST's and bleaching observed in 1988
contributed to the
state
of reef communities documented in 1991. Anthropogenic effects were also
involved in some
locations,
most clearly at Gan in Addu and probably at Veligandu in Rasdu..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
9
ALLOCTHONOUS
STORM GENERATES DISPLACED DAMAGE ON DEEP REEFS IN
BONAIRE
(N.A.)
Rolf
P.M. Bak, Gerard Nieuwland
Netherlands
Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ),
P.O.
Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
Shallow
reefs were destroyed and deep reefs suffered high coral mortality by displaced
hurricane
effects.
Hurricane Lenny never came near the island of Bonaire (N.A.) but waves
generated by the
storm
hit the leeward coast of the island. There were three main effects on the
fringing reefs: 1 where
westerly
waves hit the reefs frontally all living organisms were cleaned off the reef at
depths from 0
to 6
m. 2 Dislodged corals, debris and coarse sediment was deposited between 6 to 20
m on the reef
slope.
3 Fine sediment (diam 100 µm) was transported to the reef at greater depth
(> 30 m). This
sediment
accumulated at the deep reef in front of the damaged shallow reefs and, through
deep lateral
transport
along the reef slope, also at locations that were unharmed in the shallow reef.
Sediment was
efficiently
cleared off living surfaces by most corals at the reef slope shallower than 25
m but not at
greater
depths. Surveys (random quadrats) at 35 m depth showed the impact of fine
sediment to
depend
on coral species, and high mortality of dominant species such as Agaricia
lamarcki. The deep
reef
may be a stable habitat in terms of wave movement but rare events such as
sedimentation will
cause
catastrophic damage..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
10
SYMBIONT
COMMUNITIES IN REEF CORALS FOLLOWING THE 1997-98 EL NIÑO:
WILL
RECOVERING REEFS BE MORE RESISTANT TO A SUBSEQUENT BLEACHING
EVENT?
Andrew
C. Baker, Craig J. Starger, Tim R. McClanahan, Peter W. Glynn
Wildlife
Conservation Society
Center
for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University, MC 5557, 1200
Amsterdam
Avenue, New York, New York 10027, USA
Coral
bleaching as a result of sustained seawater warming is a major threat to coral
reef ecosystems
worldwide.
The long-term capacity of reef corals to survive these episodes is likely to be
dependent,
at
least initially, on the diversity and specific identities of the symbiotic
dinoflagellates
(“zooxanthellae”)
they contain. Because different algal symbionts appear to vary significantly in
their
susceptibility
to bleaching, we hypothesized that the symbiont community structure of coral
reefs
following
a severe bleaching event: (1) differs from that of the same reefs prior to
bleaching; (2)
more
closely resembles the community structure of reefs found at higher
temperatures; and (3) has a
higher
bleaching threshold than before and is consequently more likely to survive
future temperature
anomalies
of similar magnitude. We tested the first two of these hypotheses by using
Restriction
Fragment
Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs) in large subunit ribosomal RNA genes to identify
the
symbionts
of reef corals from Kenya (Indian Ocean), Panama (far eastern Pacific) and
Saudi Arabia
(Arabian
Gulf and Red Sea) after the 1997-98 El Niño event. We found that scleractinian
corals in
Kenya,
Panama and the Arabian Gulf contained symbionts in two clades of Symbiodinium
(C and D).
The
high relative abundance of one of these clades (Symbiodinium D) in Kenya
and Panama,
combined
with its virtual dominance in high-temperature Arabian Gulf reefs and
comparative
scarcity
in Panama prior to the El Niño, suggest this symbiont lineage may have global
importance in
determining
the response of reef corals to future thermal bleaching events. Red Sea reefs
that were
relatively
unaffected by bleaching contained relatively little Symbiodinium D but
also contained
significant
numbers of a third Symbiodinium clade (A), perhaps due to their
high latitude location.
These
results indicate that, although an absolute upper limit must exist, we should
not assume that
bleaching
temperature thresholds remain constant over time. Recent bleaching history,
regional
symbiont
diversity and time between bleaching events may be important factors in
determining the
long-term
response of coral reefs to global climate change..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
11
BLEACHING
AND LYSIS OF THE CORAL POCILLOPORA DAMICORNIS BY THE
NOVEL
PATHOGEN VIBRIO CORALLILYTICUS
Yael
Ben-Haim, Eugene Rosenberg
Department
of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life
Science,
Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978 Israel
yaelbh@post.tau.ac.il
Coral
bleaching and other diseases of corals have increased dramatically during the
last few decades.
A
high correlation has been reported between increased sea temperature and the
incidence of coral
diseases.
A new coral pathogen was isolated from diseased Pocillopora damicornis corals
near
Zanzibar
in the Indian Ocean. Based on its 16S rDNA sequence, genomic DNA fingerprinting
analyses,
and phenotypic characteristics, the pathogen was classified as a novel species
of Vibrio,
named
Vibrio corallilyticus. Infection of corals in controlled aquaria at 26-29°C, with a pure culture
of V.
corallilyticus caused tissue lysis of P. damicornis fragments. At 29°C, lysis began as small
white
spots after 3-5 days, rapidly spreading so that by 2 weeks the entire tissue was
destroyed,
leaving
only the intact bare skeleton. When an infected diseased coral was placed in
direct contact
with
a healthy one, the healthy coral lysed in 2-4 days, further indicating that the
disease was
contagious.
Inoculation with as few as 30 bacteria per ml was sufficient to infect and lyse
corals.
Seawater
temperature was a critical environmental parameter for the infectious process:
infection and
lysis
occurred rapidly at 27-29°C, slowly at
26°C but tissue lysis was not observed
at 25°C. At 24-25°
C,
pure cultures of V. corallilyticus caused bleaching of all 16 corals
infected within 2-4 weeks.
The
pathogen was reisolated from the diseased tissues of the infected corals.
Uninoculated control
corals
at 24-25°C showed no bleaching. The bacterial bleached corals contained less
than 12%
zooxanthellae
concentration compared to healthy corals.
During
the summer of 2001 when seawater temperature in the Red Sea (Eilat, Israel)
reached over
27°C,
there was considerable diseased corals. High numbers of V. corallilyticus were
found in
diseased
tissues, whereas it was not detected in healthy corals. V. corallilyticus was
found to be
geographically
distributed. Five additional strains of V. corallilyticus have been
isolated, three from
diseased
P. damicornis in the Red Sea, and aditional two strains from bivalve
larvae, from the
Atlantic
Ocean (Brazil) and Europe (Kent Region). These five strains showed high
genotypic and
phenotypic
similarities to V. corallilyticus type strain, and all were also
pathogenic to P. damicornis.
These
findings support the bacterial hypothesis of coral bleaching, and indicate a
relationship
between
temperature and the outcome of bacterial infection of corals..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
12
DETERIORATION
INDEX: A NEW APPROACH TO CORAL REEF MONITORING
O.
Ben-Tzvi, Y. Loya, A. Abelson
The
Institute for Nature Conservation Research,
Tel-Aviv
University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
bentz@post.tau.ac.il
Coral
reefs are deteriorating globally. Concern to the future of coral reefs drove
governments, NGOs
and
scientists to enhance reef monitoring worldwide. Monitoring would be valuable
if it can point to
changes
in the state of the examined coral community. The value of this indication can
be especially
high
when deterioration begins, since at early stages of deterioration the chance of
reversing the
process
is higher. Some widely used monitoring methods compare coral community
parameters such
as
live cover, mortality rate, size-frequency distribution, species richness and
diversity. Coral
communities
differ naturally from each other due to their depth, location, exposure to
water flow and
their
history of disturbances. It is expected to find significant differences in all
of the above-mentioned
parameters
when comparing different coral communities. In many cases however, these
differences
are not indicative of the state of the coral community, do it remains stable or
is it
changing.
Only repetitive monitoring exactly at the same site can accurately and
objectively point out
if
the examined reef state is changing.
Here,
we suggest a practical approach that offers a solution to the above problem by
providing an
indication
of the relative state of the community in addition to an indication of the
trend of reef health
(developing
or deteriorating). This approach is based on an index (Deterioration Index; DI)
that
compares
community parameters (i.e. mortality and recruitment rates) within the community
as
opposed
to comparing the same parameter between different reefs.
The
DI was developed during a study of young coral communities developed on
artificially laid rocks
in
shallow water along the coast of Eilat (Gulf of Aqaba), where it was relatively
straightforward to
identify
the disturbed communities.
Subsequently,
we examined this method on natural coral reefs at Eilat and the Seychelles. The
DI
values
obtained at Eilat clearly indicate that some of the examined reefs are
experiencing
deterioration
while others are in a relatively reasonable shape. High DI values were
calculated for the
southern
part of Eilat’s Nature reserve (i.e. the Japanese Gardens) indicating a
declining community.
This
part of the Nature Reserve reef is of high species diversity and live cover.
However, the
recruitment
rate is very low and the mortality rate is relatively high. The DI, therefore,
indicates a
problem
despite the illusive image of a well-preserved reef community, as may be
misinterpreted
from
the high live cover and species diversity. This indication acquired from the DI
during a single
monitoring
occasion shows the same results obtained by the reserve management team, after
a long
term
monitoring.
Results
from the Seychelles surveys demonstrate that most reefs were severely damaged
during the
last
bleaching event. The DIs obtained there, show that most of these reefs are
rehabilitating.
However,
at some sites the DI values were quite high. Among them are sites that were
bleached and
now
have a high algal cover, and sites where the bleaching rate was relatively low
but now
experience
low recruitment. The results show that the DI approach can serve as an
efficient tool for
MPA
selection and management. This is due to the low-cost, fast-yielding and reliable
data, which
can
be obtained by inexperienced surveyors within a short-time (one hour)
training..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
13
CORAL
COMMUNITIES OF THE HADRAMAUT AND SHABWA PROVINCES, YEMEN
Francesca
Benzoni, Carlo Nike Bianchi, Carla Morri
Acquario
Civico e Stazione Idrobiologica di Milano
Viale
G. B. Gadio 2, I-20121 Milano, Italy
The
coral communities of the Gulf of Aden have been traditionally believed to be
sparse and poorly
developed
due to the effects of the cold, nutrient-rich water of the Arabian Sea
upwelling. Recent
studies,
however, have shown that they are actually significant and diverse. A survey of
the coasts of
Hadramaut
and Shabwa provinces, Republic of Yemen, in early 1998, found extensive coral
communities
at all hard-bottom sites examined along a 130 km stretch of coast, from Al
Mukalla
(14 o 31’N 49 o 9’E)
westwards to Belhaf (13 o 58’N 48 o 11’E). Due to the lack of detailed cartography
of
the
region, hard bottom sites were located within the study area by means of spot
check surveys.
Coral
communities were assessed using line intercept transects carried out at sites
with high coral
cover
at different depths. Coral life- form categories were recorded, while dominant
hard and soft
corals
were identified to genus level. A diverse array of coral communities was found
through the
study
area. The main type, particularly at depths greater than 4 m, was a high cover Porites
community,
typically composed of very large massive and sub- massive colonies. Large
monospecific
areas
of branching corals, especially Pocillopora damicornis, were common on
shallower hard
substrates,
a feature these coral communities share with those of Oman to the east.
Islands, both near-shore
and
offshore, tended to have better developed and more diverse coral communities
than were
found
fringing the mainland shore. The main factors influencing the presence,
structure and
composition
of coral communities in the study area seem to be the presence of available
substrate,
depth
and distance from the Arabian Sea upwelling. At the time of the 1998 survey the
Hadramaut
and
Shabwa coral communities were in excellent general health conditions, with no
sign of bleaching
mortality
in the recent past. True coral reefs have been reported to be very rare in the
northern Gulf
of
Aden, and this applies to our study area as well. Nonetheless, unexpected
extensive and high-cover
coral
carpets have been found in Hadramout and Shabwa. These surprising features of
coral
communities
in Yemen, as well as the striking patterns revealed in recent years in other
sites of the
Gulf
of Aden claim for further investigation in the whole area..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
14
PATTERNS
OF CORAL MORTALITY, SURVIVAL AND RECRUITMENT IN
MALDIVIAN
CORAL REEFS, FOLLOWING THE 1998 BLEACHING EVENT
Bianchi
C.N., Pichon M., Morri C., Colantoni P., Bernardini G., Benzoni F., Baldelli G.
Marine
Environment Research Centre, ENEA Santa Teresa
P
O Box 224, I-19100 La Spezia, Italy
The
1998 bleaching event, which followed abnormally high sea surface temperatures
(up to 34 °C),
caused
widespread mortality in the reefs of the Maldives. Mortality rates were highest
(approaching
100 %
in certain sites) for branching and tabular species of the genus Acropora, for
the
Pocilloporidae
and for the hydrocoral Millepora, particularly in shallow water.
Mortality rates were
lower
below 20 m and in general for massive species, for which colonies affected by
bleaching
mostly
displayed only partial discoloration of the tissues and death. No mortality at
all was observed
on
the octocoral Heliopora caerulea. A recent (April 2002) survey of coral
populations in 12 sites
(reef
slopes in inner and outer locations as well as within passes) has shown that a
majority of
colonies,
for nearly 140 species belonging to virtually all reef coral families and especially
Poritiidae,
Agaricidae,
Fungiidae, Mussidae and Faviidae, presented adult sizes and minor or no sign of
mortality
- an observation which suggests that most of them had survived the bleaching
event. Very
large
colonies of Porites sp.p. and Diploastrea heliopora have managed
to survive although only in
relatively
small patches over the whole colony, with average patch size ranging from 5 to
15 cm in
diameter.
Patterns of recruitment were followed through yearly surveys. As early as April
1999, two
different
size classes of Acropora had settled on the reefs. Largest recruits were
up to 14 cm tall,
suggesting
that the first wave of recolonization arrived soon after the mortality event.
No Pocillopora
recruits
were observed until 2000. In 2001, Pocillopora recruits were recorded
mostly above 5 m
depth
on the outer slopes and in the passes, with densities up to 5 recruits m -2 . The density of recruits
was
similar for Acropora, but the recruits were spread over a larger depth
range, and were also
observed
in other types of reef environment than outer slopes and passes. In 2002, the
abundance of
Acropora
recruits did not change, while a relative lower number of Pocillopora recruits
were
recorded.
Small- sized colonies (< 5 cm in diameter) were the most represented in both
years,
suggesting
renewed recruitment waves. A relative higher proportion of comparatively
large-size
colonies
(up to 25 cm in diameter for Acropora) would indicate rapid growth.
Faviidae, Poritidae and
Agariciidae
were the most abundant recruiters other than Acropora and Pocillopora,
and the genera
Pachyseris
and Leptoseris, in particular, showed the highest number of
non-branching recruits. No
Millepora
recruits have been observed to date. Overall, the se data allow for
cautious optimism with
respect
to the recovery capacity of Maldivian coral reefs following a major bleaching
event..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
15
SEA
-LEVEL CONTROL ON REEF ACCRETION:
THE
HISTORY OF RIBBON REEF 5, GREAT BARRIER REEF
C.
J. R. Braithwaite, H. Dalmasso , L. F. Montaggioni
Division
of Earth Sciences, Glasgow University, Glasgow G12 8QQ
A new
deep borehole, drilled to a depth of 210 mbsf (metres below sea floor), on
Ribbon Reef 5 on
the
Great Barrier Reef off Cooktown, NE Australia, reveals a shallowing- upwards
succession
punctuated
towards the top by a series of erosion surfaces. Reef accretion has been
controlled by the
response
of the system to changing sea level.
Carbonate
deposition began about 770 ka ago, during isotope stage 16, with a series of
debris flows.
These
reflect deposition on a relatively deep slope or ramp rather than a shallow
platform and are
represented
in the core from 210 to around 180 mbsf. Lithoclasts indicate that carbonate
deposition
began
in the area before the period represented by the cored succession, and was
followed by a
period
of lower sea-level that resulted in erosion. However, the cored succession shows
no evidence
of
erosion at these depths.
Overlying
carbonates, from 178- mbsf to 155 mbsf are fine-grained grainstones with few
relatively
large
coral fragments and rhodoliths dominated by melobesioids. These originated in
water less than
about
60 m deep but deposition was probably at greater depth. From 155 mbsf the
succession is
dominated
by locally coarse grainstones and wackestones, again with intervals of
rhodoliths. An
upward
transition from melobesioids to lithophylloids implies a progressive warming
and shallowing
of
waters, reflecting progradation of the platform margin. Downslope sediment
movement may have
resulted
from local oversteepening or storm activity on the shallower platform. The
corals present
from
120-95 mbsf imply derivation from shallower water, but steeply inclined laminae
suggest
continuing
downslope transport. Rhodoliths, Halimeda and symbiont-bearing benthic
foraminifera
indicate
derivation from waters less than 60 m depth.
Typical
reef assemblages were probably not established until about 100 mbsf depth in
the core,
isotope
stage 11. Grainstones are typical of the succession from 100-74 mbsf. Coral
fragments in
these
are predominantly of massive forms with bored surfaces and crusts of coralline
algae. They
suggest
derivation from quiet and/or relatively deep (15-30 m) water.
An
upwards transition to an assemblage of robust branching corals, is paralleled
by a change in the
dominant
algae, from melobesioids and lithophylloids to mastophoroids. These changes imply
a
progressive
shallowing, and deposits probably reflect reworking on a shallow slope. More
coral-bearing
limestones
were deposited during isotope stages 11 and 9. The lack of evidence of a
progressive
shallowing to emergence implies that the upper part of the succession has been
removed
by
erosion. The apparently unbroken succession to 36 mbsf and the lack of evidence
of emergence
below
this indicates a progressive accretion in which changes in sea level in the
vicinity of the
borehole
did not fall below the depositional surface..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
16
CHLOROPHYLL
AS AN INDICATOR OF NUTRIENT STRESS ON REEFS OF THE
GREAT
BARRIER REEF
Jon
Brodie, Michelle Devlin, Glenn De’ath
Australian
Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research
James
Cook University, Townsville, Australia
Phytoplankton
chlorophyll a has been monitored monthly since 1992 at 86 stations in
the Great
Barrier
Reef (GBR) lagoon. The stations are located on eight transects across the shelf
from 13 0 S to
23 0 S. A primary objective of the monitoring
program is to detect changes in the inshore environment
of
the GBR resulting from the rapidly increasing loads of nutrients being exported
from the
catchment
of the GBR. Data were analysed using generalized additive models and accounted
for
spatial
and temporal effects. In the analyses stations were grouped by ‘inshore’ (<
25 km from the
coast),
likely to be influenced by terrestrial runoff, and ‘offshore’ (> 25 km),
unlikely to be strongly
influenced,
and by five latitudinal regions of the GBR.
Strong
differences in chlorophyll a exist across the shelf with inshore
stations mean concentrations in
most
transects significantly greater than offshore except in the north. In northern
transects mean
chlorophyll
concentrations are low ( ~ 0.25 mg/L) both inshore and offshore. Mean
concentrations in
offshore
stations in the rest of the GBR are similar (0.15 – 0.27 mg/L) except in the
Capricorn region
in
the far south where offshore mean chlorophyll is 0.55 mg/L. In contrast to
northern transects
inshore
mean chlorophyll concentrations from Port Douglas south fall in the range 0.45
– 0.75 mg/L.
Strong
seasonal effects are evident with mean summer/wet season (December – April)
values ~ 50%
greater
than those in winter/dry season (May – November). Significant temporal patterns
in the data
over
the ten year period in each transect were observed and these may be correlated
with the
influence
of ENSO on river discharge but analysis of this possibility is not complete.
Mean
chlorophyll concentrations in inshore areas adjacent to catchments highly
developed for
agricultural
and urban uses are more than double mean concentrations in inshore areas
adjacent to
Cape
York catchments in the north which are largely undeveloped. Discharge of
nitrogen and
phosphorus
from developed catchments has increased approximately fourfold over the last
150 years,
with
the largest increase occurring in the last 50 years. Phytoplankton appears to
be responding to
this
enrichment. This signal of nutrient enrichment is of significance to the
ecosystem health of inner-shelf
reefs
of the GBR. In addition mean concentrations of chlorophyll above 0.6 mg/L in
the inshore
Townsville
to Port Douglas region of the GBR are relevant to theories which link the
initiation of
crown-of-thorns
starfish outbreaks to nutrient enrichment..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
17
FLORIDA’S
DEEP-WATER CORAL REEFS: PROTECTION, RESEARCH AND
RESTORATION
S.
D. Brooke, C. Koenig, C. M. Young
Harbor
Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, Florida 34946
The
Ivory Tree Coral Oculina varicosa, forms extensive bioherms or “banks”
of azooxanthellate
colonies
at depths of 70-100m along the edge of the Florida Hatteras slope. Healthy
reefs support
invertebrate
and fish communities as diverse as those of tropical coral reefs, and are a
critical
spawning
habitat for a number of commercial fisheries species. In 1984 the Oculina Banks
were
declared
a Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) and were protected from damaging
benthic
activity.
During the 1990’s it became apparent that despite protected status, large areas
of the banks
had
been physically damaged and fisheries were in decline. In 1994, the OHAPC
status was changed
to
Experimental Oculina Research Reserve to protect snapper and grouper
fisheries, and a coral
restoration
effort was initiated. Several types and configurations of concrete structure
were deployed
over
several years along damaged reef tract using large concrete structures. These
structures were
intended
to promote coral settlement in areas of denuded substrate, but after several
years, most
showed
no signs of coral recruitment. In 1998, study of reproduction and larval
development was
initiated
in order to assess natural re-colonisation potential and optimise restoration
efforts. Research
revealed
that O. varicosa is a gonochoristic broadcast spawning species, with
small eggs (~100mm)
and
an average fecundity of 850 (sd: 478) eggs per polyp. The gametogenic cycle
begins in the early
summer
and spawning occurs during late summer and fall, with no obvious relationship
to lunar or
tidal
phase. Planulae are small, approximately 160mm
in length, and settle approximately 21 days
after
spawning. Larval planktonic duration was integrated with hydrodynamic
information to
estimate
larval dispersal potential. It appears that larvae not only have the potential
to be transported
between
the deep reef tracts, but may also contribute larvae to near-shore
zooxanthellate populations
during
summer upwelling events. Preliminary genetic research supported ecological
evidence that
gene
exchange occurs between deep reefs and shallow water populations of O.
varicosa.
Unfortunately,
despite the protected status of the Oculina banks, and reproductive criteria
conducive
to
re-colonisation, the Banks have not recovered, and the healthy reef tracts have
been reduced to two
small
areas at the southern extent of the range. Possible explanations for the
continued demise and
lack
of regeneration of the Oculina reefs include illegal trawling, unknown
natural causes and very
low
coral recruitment rate.Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
18
STUDIES
ON THE ASSOCIATED COMMUNITIES OF SERPULA VERMICULARIS (L.)
REEFS
(POLYCHAETA: SERPULIDAE)
Nicola
Chapman, Colin Moore
Heriot
Watt University,
Riccarton,
Edinburgh, EH14 4AS
The
serpulid polychaete, Serpula vermicularis, is a common member of the
marine encrusting
community
in Europe. Throughout most of its range S. vermicularis occurs in the
form of individual
tubes
or occasionally as intertwining bundles of a few tubes, cemented to hard
substrata, such as rock
and
mollusc shells. However, at just three sites in northwest Europe massive reefs,
often exceeding a
height
of 50 cm and a width of 60 cm, they develop in shallow, sheltered waters.
The
greatest development of these serpulid reefs is found in Loch Creran, Scotland,
where their
presence
has been instrumental in the designation of Loch Creran as a Special Area of
Conservation
(cSAC)
under the EC Habitats Directive. This will necessitate the development of a
programme to
monitor
the status of the reef habitat, which is under potential threat from fishing,
aquaculture and
mooring
activities.
From
previous observations by divers it is believed that serpulid reefs provide a
habitat for a diverse
associated
community, although no detailed studies of the community have been published.
The aim
of
this study is to characterise the community, to provide a monitoring baseline
and to provide
information
to underpin the development of a monitoring strategy. The conservation
importance of
the
habitat will also be assessed by comparisons with the associated community of
other biogenic
reef
habitats.
Ten
entire serpulid reefs were removed by diver from Loch Creran, selected to
represent a broad
spectrum
of reef size. Reef size was measured in situ by determination of height
and width and in the
laboratory
by measurement of weight. Sessile and motile fauna and flora retained on a 0.5
mm screen
were
identified and counted.
The
presentation will describe the nature of the reef community and will illustrate
the relationship
between
reef size and community diversity and species richness. By employment of
multivariate
statistical
techniques the relationship between species composition of the community and
reef size
will
be examined. The conservation importance of the habitat will be discussed and
the implications
of
the work for future monitoring programmes established..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
19
TOWARD
CHARACTERIZATION OF MITOCHONDRIAL HEAT SHOCK PROTEINS IN
THE
SEA ANEMONE ANEMONIA VIRIDIS
Omer
Choresh 1 , Abdussalam Azem 2 , Yossi Loya 1
1 Department of Zoology, 2 Department of Biochemistry, George S. Wise
Faculty of Life
Sciences,
Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
omerch@post.tau.ac.il
Organisms
respond to stress, which causes damage to cellular proteins, by inducing
synthesis of Heat
Shock
Proteins (HSPs). Induction of HSPs is one of the most familiar mechanisms of
reaction to
various
stressful environmental conditions (e.g. adverse temperatures, increased UV
irradiation,
osmotic
stress and xenobiotics). These proteins play a major role in modulating protein
folding,
transport
and repair during normal conditions, with higher levels of their expression
being induced
under
stress. The relationship between environmental tolerance of organisms and the
expression of
HSPs
has been studied in diverse aquatic and terrestrial organisms. However, in some
groups of
organisms,
such as sessile marine invertebrates, some HSPs are not well characterized and
their
function
and significance to adaptation are not well understood. As a major step towards
characterizing
the stress response of marine invertebrates, we set out to develop general
protocols for
purifying
the mitochondrial (mt) HSP60 and HSP70 of the sea anemone Anemonia viridis. We
also
examined
the role of mt-HSP60 and mt-HSP70 in adaptation of marine invertebrates to
thermal stress
through
a study of the influence of changes in seawater temperature on the expression
of these
proteins
in A. viridis. Laboratory and field experiments reveal for the first time the existence
of mt-HSP60
and
mt-HSP70 in sea anemones; and furthermore, that their expression varies with
changes in
temperature.
A. viridis displayed high levels of both proteins when extreme temperature
conditions
(31°C) prevailed in stressful habitats, such as
tide pools. Further, we have developed purification
methods,
based on several chromatography columns and western blot analysis, fo r both
mt-HSP60
and
mt-HSP70. These methods allow purification of large amounts of the proteins for
further
sequence
analysis. We also found new antibodies that indicate changes in the expression
levels of mt-HSP60
and
mt-HSP70. Partial sequence data were obtained for the purified mt-HSPs. The
amino acid
sequences
for both proteins are homologous to amino acid residues of the mt-HSPs of
several
organisms,
including Drosophila and mammals, which show the proteins to be highly
conserved
between
organisms. However, these fragments showed less similarity when compared to
plastid
HSPs
from plants and to bacterial HSPs. We further found mt-HSP60 expression for the
first time in
various
marine invertebrates, including scleractinian corals. These results may be
particularly
significant
for coral reefs, which constitute one of the most spectacular and diverse
ecosystems on the
planet.
Our study may offer a useful tool for detecting mt-HSP60 and mt-HSP70 in marine
invertebrates,
and contributes to the understanding of the role of HSPs in the adaptation of
organisms
to
stressful environments. Identification of new HSPs of marine invertebrates is
expected to enable
rapid
and accurate quantitative monitoring of short-term and long-term fluctuations
in marine
ecosystems.
The importance of such research lies in using the expression of specific stress
proteins as
an
early warning system for changes in community structure in disturbed marine
habitats, and in
assessing
the ability of reef ecosystem to withstand global changes..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
20
CHARACTERISATION
OF THE BACTERIAL CONSORTIUM ASSOCIATED WITH
BLACK
BAND DISEASE IN CORAL USING MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGICAL
TECHNIQUES
Rory
P. Cooney, Olga Pantos, Martin D.A. Le Tissier, John C. Bythell
Department
of Marine Sciences & Coastal Management,
Ridley
Building, University of Newcastle upon Tyne,
Newcastle
upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
An
increasing number of reports have documented dramatic changes and continuing
declines in coral
reef
communities which have been attributed to both natural and anthropogenic
factors. It is widely
accepted
that diseases of reef corals are an important factor in determining coral reef
community
structure,
and that diseases may make a significant contribution to the observed coral
reef
degradation.
Although these diseases are a major ecological problem, their aetiology and
pathogenesis
is poorly understood. In fact, the overall knowledge of the microbial
communities
associated
with diseased and non-diseased corals remains poor, as most studies to date
were
constrained
by the limitations of traditional microbiological techniques based on
microscopy and
cultivation.
The
bacterial community associated with black band disease (BBD) of the
scleractinian corals
Diploria
strigosa, Montastrea annularis and Colpophyllia natans was
examined using culture-independent
techniques.
Two complementary molecular screening techniques of 16S rDNA genes
(Amplified
16S Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis [ARDRA] of clone libraries and
Denaturing
Gradient
Gel Electrophoresis [DGGE]) were used to give a comprehensive characterisation
of the
community.
Findings support previous studies indicating a low bacterial abundance and
diversity
associated
with healthy corals. A single cyanobacterial ribotype was present in all the
diseased
samples,
but this was not the same as that identified from Phormidium corallyticum culture
isolated
from
BBD. The study confirms the presence of Desulfovibrio spp. and
sulfate-reducing bacteria that
have
previously been associated with the BBD consortium. However, the species varied
between
diseased
coral samples. We found no evidence of bacteria from terrestrial, freshwater or
human
sources
in any of the samples. We report the presence of a previously unrecognised
potential
pathogen
(an a-proteobacterium identified as the etiological agent of Juvenile Oyster
Disease [JOD])
which
was consistently present in all the diseased coral samples. The molecular
biological approach
described
here gives an increasingly comprehensive and more precise picture of the
bacterial
population
associated with BBD..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
21
CONTRASTING
EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON THE REPRODUCTION OF A
BROODING
SCLERACTINIAN AND BROADCASTING GORGONIAN FROM THE SUB-TROPICAL
CORAL
REEFS OF BERMUDA
Samantha
de Putron
Bermuda
Biological Station for Research
Ferry
Reach, St. Georges, GE 01, Bermuda
This
study examined the sexual reproduction of the brooding Scleractinian Porites
astreoides and the
broadcasting
Gorgonian Pseudoplexaura porosa in Bermuda. Variations in seawater
temperature at
the
study sites and across the years are related to a contrasting pattern of
temporal and spatial
reproductive
effort between the species. The lagoon of the Bermuda pseudo-atoll can be
divided into
three
physiographic reef zones that have different annual temperature profiles. The
temperature at
the
inshore reefs fell to 15.5 °C during winter and rose to 30.5 °C in the summer.
Oceanic waters
buffer
the outer rim reefs, which moderated the temperature range to 19-29 °C.
Inter-annual
variability
of seawater temperature profiles occurred over the study period, with summer
temperatures
in 1998 being relatively warm, those in 1999 being moderate and those in 2000
being
relatively
cool. P. astreoides released planulae in July and August of 1999 and
2000 from all three
reef
zones, extending into September both years at the cooler offshore reefs.
Overall, planulae
production
was greatest at the Rim Reef each year and an inclined temperature gradient is
shown
across
the reef zones to the Inner Lagoon with a corresponding decrease in
reproductive effort. There
is a
significant negative relationship between reproductive effort and the average
temperature for the
proceeding
month. There was no inter-zone difference detectable in P. porosa reproductive
effort;
however,
there was inter-annual variation. In 1998, when the temperature was slower to
rise and
remained
high throughout the summer, spawning occurred only during September and
October. In
1999
and 2000, when the temperature rose earlier in the year and remained high for a
short period,
spawning
was restricted to July and August. Reproductive effort was lowest in the cool
summer of
2000.
In contrast to P. astreoides, there is a positive relationship between
reproductive effort and the
average
temperature for the preceding month over the study years, although the
correlation is only
significant
for spermary production at the rim reef. The study of the reproductive biology
of corals in
Bermuda
is of particular interest because these reefs are the most northerly in the
Atlantic (32N
65W),
a distribution extreme for many species. The control of temperature on
reproductive cycles is
important
in the context of changing global conditions, increasing the need for a greater
understanding
of the effects of temperature on this sensitive part of the coral life cycle..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
22
CORAL
AND CORAL COMMUNITIES OF HONG KONG, CHINA 2001-2002:
ECOLOGICAL
VALUE, STATUS AND MANAGEMENT
Lyndon
M. DeVantier, Denise M c Corry
Australian
Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia
We
undertook an ecological assessment of coral communities of Hong Kong in 2001-02
to assess
their
distribution, community structure and status, and to identify sites of high
conservation value.
Here,
corals and coral communities occur near the physico-chemical tolerance limits
for their
survival
and for reef growth. The communities exhibit strong gradients in distribution,
species
diversity
and abundance, all being highest in northeastern waters - more oceanic, being
further away
from
the estuarine influence of the Pearl River Delta. Hong Kong waters do not
support major reef
development,
rather the best developed coral communities form incipient reefs, but with
substantial
biogenic
accretion. Some of the coral communities are characterized by high coral cover
(> 50 %),
and
are comprised of a much richer coral fauna than known previously: 88 species in
30 genera of 12
families
of the Scleractinia, including approximately 45 new distribution records and an
undescribed
species
of the astrocoeniid Stylocoeniella. The corals form five major community
types with strong
geographic
and environmental affinities and key indicator species. Approximately one
quarter of
species
are ubiquitous, occurring in moderate - high abundance in more than one-third
of survey sites
and
across several of the community types. By contrast, over one third of species
have locally
restricted
distributions (occurring in < 10 % of sites) and low relative abundances,
and thus are
particularly
prone to local extinction following disturbance. Hong Kong’s naturally marginal
conditions
for coral and reef growth are exacerbated by turbidity, salinity and
temperature
fluctuations
(bleaching), predation, bio-erosion and further compounded by trawling
activity, fishing
traps
and nets, anchoring, sewage, dredging, dumping and land- fills. Minimizing the
controllable
local
impacts (trawling, netting, anchoring, run-off, pollution from local sources,
land- fills, dredging
and
dumping) through continued proactive management will help to sustain these
communities and
increase
their resilience to larger scale climatic impacts beyond local control. The
study demonstrated
that
the present marine parks were well selected in terms of conserving high quality
examples of two
coral-dominated
community types. Management recommendations include continued expansion of
the
established marine parks, development of additional marine parks encompassing a
coral-dominated
community
type not well represented in the park system at present, improved surveillance
and
policing of designated marine parks, continued implementation of ‘no anchor’
areas, raising of
community
awareness and other measures to help minimize human impacts at key sites..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
23
ASSESSING
PATCHINESS IN CORAL SURVIVAL FOLLOWING BLEACHING ON THE
GREAT
BARRIER REEF AND MODELING ITS IMPLICATIONS
Terry
Done 1 , Ray Berkelmans 1 , Roger Jones 2, Peter Whetton 2, Scott
Wooldridge 1
1 Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB#3,
Townsville MC, Qld, 4810, Australia 2 Climate
Risk and Integrated Assessment Project, Climate Impact Group, CSIRO Atmospheric
Research,
Private Bag No.1, Aspendale, Victoria 3195 Australia
Impacts
of coral bleaching and patterns of survival of corals are patchy at spatial
scales from oceans
to a
single patch of reef. Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef are mostly several
kilometers in length and
breadth.
Following a bleaching event, their appearance and ecological structure in the
short term are
affected
by the relative abundance of coral species that are more and less
bleaching-prone. Coral
species
composition is also likely to affect each habitat’s future attractiveness and
productivity under
regimes
of increased frequency and severity of heat and light stress predicted to occur
with global
climate
change. We are exploring the likely appearance of the Great Barrier Reef in
coming decades
by
combining temperature monitoring, ecological assessments, a climate impact
model and an
ecological
disturbance and recovery model. Daily sea temperatures recorded at two AIMS
reef
weather
stations for a decade combined with Berkelmans’ bleaching threshold curves were
used in
the
CSIRO weather simulator ‘ReefClim’ to simulate various bleaching indices for
the years 2010,
2030
and 2050. Post-2002 ecological assessments of coral survival were used to
define six levels of
bleaching
impact, (from cosmetic to catastrophic) in terms of ‘set-back’ of the coral
community, and
to
link these to the bleaching thresholds predicted for the future. The future
scenarios generated for
coral
communities near the two AIMS weather stations will be presented, and the
sensitivities of the
modeling
approach discussed..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
24
DOES
COLOUR REALLY MATTER: HOST PIGMENTS AND BLEACHING?
Sophie
Dove
Centre
for Marine Studies, University of Queensland,
St
Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
Recently
it has been suggested that host pigments may reduce the susceptibility of
reef-building
corals
to bleaching by offering their symbiotic dinoflagellates shade. Whilst elevated
temperature is
the
primary cause of bleaching, the rate at which corals bleach has been shown to
be faster under
higher
levels of irradiance. In an experimental study with three colour morphs of Acropora
aspera
collected
from adjacent positions on the reef flat of Heron Island GBR, we demonstrated
that a
heavily
pigmented coral morph whilst offering greater shade to their symbionts,
bleached at a faster
rate
than less pigmented morph and underwent significantly higher mortality if left
to recover for a
month
after heat is withdrawn. The experimental data suggests that the response to
temperature of
these
three colour morphs was highly variable with differential rates of
zooxanthellae and/ or tissue
loss.
Cytochrome b analysis of host failed to discriminate colour morphs and gross
cladistic analysis
of
symbionts revealed no distinctions. The properties of bacterially expressed
host pigments suggest
a
novel shading mechanism for these pigments that could be significantly affected
by elevated
temperature..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
25
PREDATOR
REMOVAL CAUSES PHASE SHIFTS
Nicholas
K. Dulvy, R. E. Mitchell, N.V.C. Polunin
Department
of Marine Sciences & Technology
University
of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
NE1 7RU, UK
The
search for ecosystem features and processes that maintain resilience remains
the Holy Grail of
ecology.
The traditional view is that 'bottom up' factors such as recruitment, nutrients
and disturbance
drive
the structure and functioning of producer communities, e.g. corals and algae.
More recently,
theory
suggests ecosystem resilience is maintained by numerous weak trophic links
among species.
But
in reality a few strong links between predators and producers (known as trophic
cascades) may
also
exist. On reefs, the fulcra linking predators and producers are either
herbivorous urchins, or the
coral-
feeding starfish Acanthaster planci. These relatively strong trophic
cascade interactions have
the
potential to short circuit energy flow throughout ecosystems resulting in a
phase shift and
therefore
reducing resilience. While the importance of 'top down' predatory control for
ecosystem
resilience
has been suspected for a long time, the evidence has been elusive. We
demonstrate
increasing
densities of Acanthaster along a gradient of increasing fishing
pressure, consisting of 13
Fijian
islands. At the two most heavily fished islands, with lowest predator
densities, the benthic
communities
had phase shifted from domination by calcifying organisms to domination by non-calcifying
organisms,
e.g. algae, sponges, soft corals. We theoretically demonstrate how fishing
reduces
coral reef resilience by removing predatory controls of starfish populations..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
26
CHANGES
IN DIFFERENT FORMS OF CELL DEATH ACTIVITY OVER TIME IN
RESPONSE
TO DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF HYPERTHERMIC STRESS DURING
EXPERIMENTALLY
INDUCED BLEACHING OF THE SYMBIOTIC SEA ANEMONE
AIPTASIA
SP.
Simon
R Dunn 1 , Jeremy C Thomason 2 , Martin D A LeTissier 2 , John C Bythell 2
1 School of Biological Sciences, University of
Liverpool, Life Sciences Building, Crown Street,
Liverpool,
L69 7ZB, UK
sidunn@liv.ac.uk
2 Centre for Coastal Management and Marine
Sciences, School of Biological Sciences,
University
of Newcastle upon Tyne, Claremont Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
Changes
in activity of different forms of cell death in the symbiotic sea anemone Aiptasia
sp. were
measured
in response to different amounts of hyperthermic stress over time. Programmed
cell death
(PCD)
and cell necrosis activity within the host and zooxanthellae were identified
using established
techniques
(Dunn et al. 2002). The results indicated the amount of cells undergoing
PCD within
anemone
host tissue increased from an underlying cell turnover rate within hours of
treatment. The
increase
in PCD activity was temperature dependent and correlated to the onset of
zooxanthellae
release
from degraded endoderm. As different temperature treatments continued, the
level of PCD
declined
and the amount of cell necrosis increased indicating a thermal threshold for
PCD activity.
Both
PCD and cell necrosis of zooxanthellae increased exponentially, from an
underlying cell
turnover
rate, with time in all temperature treatments. Host cell degradation,
zooxanthellae release
and
degradation was correlated to bleaching in response to different amounts of
hyperthermic stress.
Changes
in activity of programmed cell death pathways within host cells and
zooxanthellae is
important
to the understanding of bleaching events, raising interesting questions
regarding the
evolution
of this process and the activation of the cellular trigger mechanisms involved.
S.R.
Dunn, J.C. Bythell, M.D.A. Le Tissier, W.J. Burnett, J.C. Thomason (2002)
Programmed cell
death
and cell necrosis activity during hyperthermic stress- induced bleaching of the
symbiotic sea
anemone
Aiptasia sp. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 272 (1) 29-53..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
27
RESULTS
OF THE “CONTRAST” PROJECT:
TRANSPLANTATION
OF CORAL FRAGMENTS FROM SHIP GROUNDINGS ON
ELECTROCHEMICALLY
FORMED REEF STRUCTURES - TOOLS FOR REEF
REHABILITATION?
Eisinger,
M., Paster, M., van Treeck, P., Schuhmacher, H.
Institute
of Ecology, Dpt. Hydrobiology
University
of Essen
45117
Essen
Germany
We
report here on a research project aiming to develop rehabilitation measures for
mechanically
degraded
reef areas with a minimum of environmental harm and interference with living
resources.
The
CONTRAST project (COral Nubbin TRAnsplantation STudy) –
jointly run with the Egyptian
Environmental
Affairs Agency (EEAA) and the Ras Mohammed National Park authorities – mainly
focuses
on the application and further development of an environmentally friendly
technology for
reef
rehabilitation including trials to select suitable coral species for
transplantation.
We
used the ERCON (Electrochemical Reef CONstruction) technology to
build the substrate for
coral
transplantation. Through electrolysis, minerals from the seawater, mainly
calcium carbonate,
can
be precipitated onto a given matrix (preferably made of steel mesh) by
connecting the mesh as
cathode;
a titanium grid serves as anode. Installations with various designs were
applied to follow the
development
of the coral transplants.
Coral
fragments (“nubbins”) were derived from ship groundings and other damaged reef
sites. In
total,
597 nubbins were transplanted: 506 acroporids (Acropora hemprichii, A.
digitifera, A.
eurystoma,
A. granulosa, A. squarrosa, A. valida, A. hyacynthus, A. cytherea, A.clathrata)
and 91
milleporids.
Despite heavy grazing by the coralivorous snail Drupella cornus and
strong algal
blooms
during spring time 65% of all nubbins survived the first year. The lowest
mortality rates were
observed
in Millepora dichotoma (2%), Acropora hemprichii (19%) and A.
eurystoma (18%). Axial
growth
rates significantly varied between species. Among the acroporids, A.
hemprichii exhibited the
highest
values (19,4 mm/year), Millepora dichotoma grew 14,2 mm/year. All
nubbins developed a
strong
holdfast at their bases by overgrowing the grid and were hereby fixed in
addition to the
electrochemical
accretion process itself. Some nubbins extended their bases over more than 25
cm².
The
promising results could be the base for the creation of “stepping stones”
characterized by stable,
spaciously
heterogeneous substrates carrying donor colonies transplanted onto these small
“protoreefs”.
These protoreefs are intended to serve as receiver and provider of coral
recruits. In this
way,
the dispersal of sexual propagules could be enhanced over a large area. Apart
from the
application
of completely new structures in degraded reef areas (as demonstrated in this
study) single
units
could be inserted as “reef prostheses” in partially impoverished reefs..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
28
FACULTATIVE
CORALLIVORY BY THE CUSHION STARFISH PENTACERASTER
CUMINGI,
GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS, ECUADOR
J.
S. Feingold
National
Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, 8000
North
Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL, 33004, USA
joshua@nova.edu
The
cushion starfish Pentaceraster cumingi was observed feeding within a
free- living coral
community
located adjacent to Devil’s Crown, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Here, numerous
individuals
of the fungiid coral Diaseris distorta and unattached branching colonies
of Psammocora
stellata
occur in 15m depth on calcareous sand and coral rubble substrata. Of 440 Pentaceraster
seen
within
the coral community during 13 different observation periods 58.2% were feeding
(cardiac
stomach
everted onto substratum and/or coral) and 41.8% were not feeding. During 4
observation
periods
39 Pentaceraster displayed strong avoidance of Diaseris individuals
and preferentially
consumed
colonies of Psammocora. Although Diaseris composed 29% of the
bottom cover around
these
feeding Pentaceraster, it was a food item 5% of the time. In contrast, Psammocora
composed
36%
of the bottom cover, but was a food item 64% of the time. No preference was
shown for feeding
on Psammocora
skeletons that commonly supported growths of macroalgae, bryozoans and
other
encrusting
macro-invertebrates. Dead Psammocora composed 32% of the bottom cover
and was a
food
item 31% of the time. The relative importance of Pentaceraster corallivory
in this community
will
be assessed with special reference to coral population dynamics following
disturbances
associated
with El Niño-Southern Oscillation..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
29
SIGNATURES
OF LARGE-SCALE ATMOSPHERIC TELECONNECTIONS IN MIDDLE
EAST
CORAL RECORDS
Thomas
Felis 1 , Jürgen Pätzold 1 , Henning Kuhnert 1 , Saber A. Al-Rousan 1,2 , Salim M. Al-Moghrabi
2 , Gerold Wefer 1
1 Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Universität
Bremen,
Klagenfurter
Str., 28359 Bremen, Germany 2 Marine
Science Station, P.O. Box 195, Aqaba 77110, Jordan
The
northern Red Sea is one of the rare locations where massive annually banded
corals grow at 28-29°
N. A
coral oxygen isotope record from this subtropical region revealed the strong
influence of
mid-
to high- latitude climatic modes on Middle East climate variability during the
past 250 years. An
oscillation
with a period of 5-6 years in the coral record reflects atmospheric
teleconnections
associated
with the Arctic Oscillation/North Atlantic Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal
Oscillation, but
also
with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation.
Fossil
corals from the northern Red Sea provide the opportunity to investigate whether
these
teleconnections
where active during selected time windows throughout the late Quaternary. A
5-6-year
periodicity
is detected in a 44- year coral oxygen isotope record from the last
interglacial period.
This
could indicate Arctic Oscillation- like atmospheric variability during Marine
Isotope Stage 5e.
With
respect to late Holocene climate variability a new 100-year coral oxygen
isotope record from
about
3000 calendar years BP will be presented.
The
application of the coral Sr/Ca paleothermometer in conjunction with oxygen
isotopes indicates
cooler
and fresher mean conditions in the northern Red Sea during the last
interglacial, with a higher
sea
surface temperature seasonality of about 50%. Coral records for time windows
during the mid-Holocene
indicate
an increased seasonality in the hydrologic balance between 6000 and 4500
calendar
years BP.
Felis
et al. (2000), Paleoceanography 15, 679-694.
Rimbu
et al. (2001), Geophysical Research Letters 28, 2959-2962..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
30
EXCESSIVE
SEDIMENTATION AND REEF DEGRADATION, MOLOKA’I, HAWAI’I
Michael
E. Field, M. Bothner, E. Brown, S. Cochran, P. Jokiel, A. Ogston, C. Storlazzi,
US
Geological Survey, Pacific Science Center,
1156
High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
Terrigenous
sediment run-off and deposition on coral reefs is recognized to potentially
have
significant
impact on coral condition in Hawai’i and other high islands in the tropical
Pacific and
Caribbean.
Human habitation of these islands has resulted in significant changes in the
drainage
basins
and to coastal areas, and these changes have in turn influenced the volume of
terrigenous and
carbonate
sediment released to the reefs. Within the past century, significant changes in
land use have
accelerated
the amount of sediment transported to and stored on the reef off south
Moloka’i.
Deforestation,
agriculture, domestic and feral grazers, hillside housing construction, and
coastal
development
have exacerbated historical run-off of sediment.
The
south coast of Moloka’i contains an extensive fringing reef nearly 50 km in
length, the longest
and
most extensive reef tract in the Hawaiian Islands. The reef exhibits a richness
and density of live
coral
that are amongst the highest in the islands; many areas of the reef exhibit
more than 80 % live
coral
cover. A contributing factor to the success of corals in constructing a major
reef structure on
south
Moloka’i is its setting. The reef is protected from damaging northerly storms,
from persistent
northeast
trade winds, and from most southerly swell events by its south- facing exposure
and
shielding
by neighbor islands.
Our
approach to understanding sedimentation and its impact on the Moloka’i coral
reef system
includes
three primary efforts: mapping terrigenous deposits and their sedimentologic
and
geochemical
characteristics; measuring relevant processes that inject and redistribute
sediment to the
reef
system; and real- time monitoring of sedimentation “events” on the reef.
The
inner most reef flat (within 50 m of the shoreline) is characterized by a 10-
to 30-cm thick
muddy
sand layer. Farther seaward (>500 m) sediment thickness over the hard
substrate is highly
variable
(0 to 50 cm, and in places > 1.0 m) owing to the variation in relief of the
ancestral reef
platform.
Areas of exposed limestone and exposed old coral ridges are barren of sediment
and
intervening
low areas and small reef holes are sites of accumulation. Mud, mostly
terrigenous in
origin,
dominates in the nearshore zone; elsewhere on the reef flat sediment is mostly
carbonate sand
with
minor amounts of admixed terrigenous-carbonate mud.
Terrigenous
mud is transported to the coast during major rain events that occur on annual
to decadal
time
scales. Fine sediment deposited on the reef flat is trapped in a ~200- m wide
belt where it resides
for
periods of years to decades. Measurements of waves, currents, turbidity show
that a portion of the
fine
sediment stored on the reef flat is resuspended daily by trade wind waves
occurring during high
tides.
Thus fine sediment is effectively recycled and small additions have repeated
effects in blocking
light,
abrading and mantling live coral, and decreasing recruitment sites. An added
impact from
hillside
erosion is an apparent increase in nutrients associated with sediment
particles, which leads to
rapid
growth of fleshy algae. Some impacted areas of the reef during the last century
now appear to
be
recovering, while others are not..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
31
COLONY
INTEGRATION AND RESOURCE TRANSLOCATION DURING CORAL
BLEACHING
Maoz
Fine, Yossi Loya
Department
of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978 Israel
Bleaching
of corals results in the loss of their symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) and/or
their pigments.
Coral
bleaching is often linked to global climate change, especially elevated
seawater temperature and
high
solar irradiance. When the coral loses its zooxanthellae, it loses its main
energy resource, putting at
risk
its essential biological functions. Certain coral species survive severe
bleaching events better than
others,
leading to major structural shifts in some coral communities. One of the most
intriguing
questions
consequently being asked by coral reef researchers is why are some coral
species more
resilient
to bleaching events and better survive them than others?
Integration
within hermatypic corals has long been the focus of scientific interest.
Resource integration
is a
basic life-preserving ability and one of the most important advantages of
clonal and colonial
organisms.
Nevertheless, this ability has never been investigated in corals undergoing
bleaching. In the
present
study, we focused on resource integration and translocation of 14 C-labeled photoassimilates in
the
temperate Mediterranean stony coral Oculina patagonica during and
between bleaching events.
Using
point labeling ( 14 C) techniques, we
labeled healthy parts of the colony and examined oriented
translocation
of photoassimilates towards regions of high demand, such as regions of the
colony that
undergo
lesion repair and regions interacting with competing neighboring organisms. In
each
experiment,
we labeled colonies at different bleaching stages. Lesion recovery rate,
competitive abilities
with
neighboring organisms and translocation of photoassimilates during these
processes were studied at
different
bleaching stages. We have showed that lesion recovery and competitive
superiority are coupled
with
oriented resource translocation. We also found the existence of a bleaching
threshold that
postpones
intra-colonial integration in O. patagonica at bleaching percentage
greater than 40%.
Bleached
colonies of O. patagonica with >40% bleached surface area showed low
resource integration
and
low translocation rates of photosynthetic products. This is reflected in low
lesion recovery rates of
bleached
colonies and competitive inferiority (with neighboring organisms) of bleached
colonies
compared
with non-bleached colonies. At the same time, it is possible that such
disintegration between
the
healthy sections of the colony and the bleached ones contributes to overall
colony survival by
preserving
the resources within the section with greatest chances of recovery after the
bleaching event.
Indeed,
over 90% of bleached O. patagonica colonies survive and recover from
bleaching during winter.
We
suggest that coral species with low bleaching threshold are better survivo rs
of bleaching events as
they
cease translocation of resources at earlier stages of bleaching, maintaining a
reservoir of resources
for
survival and recovery..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
32
CORAL
CHROMOSOME NUMBERS: TESTING THE RETICULATE EVOLUTION
HYPOTHESIS
Jean-François
Flot, Makoto Tsuchiya
Department
of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus
Senbaru
1, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
Human
cells contain 23 pairs of homologous chromosomes; this chromosome number is an
invariant
of
our species. Much information regarding our biology can be read directly by
looking at our
chromosomes:
for instance, biological gender depends in most case on the presence or absence
of
sexual
chromosomes, recognizable by their shape. The origin of our species can be
inferred from the
morphological
comparison of our chromosomes with the ones from apes and monkeys. In plants
such
as
wheat, loss and gain of chromosomes and hybridization lead to network- like
(and not tree-like)
phylogenies.
In
spite of the huge interest on chromosomes numbers and morphologies in other
groups of living
organisms,
there is little information available concerning scleractinian coral
chromosomes. Up to
now,
chromosome numbers in tropical reef corals have only been published for 29
species out of
about
800, which represents less than 4%. These researches have addressed so far only
6 genera (out
of
about 110), in 3 families (out of 18) (Heyward 1985; Kenyon 1997).
Existing
protocols all make the task of determining chromosome numbers very cumbersome
and
time-consuming,
as the starting material is living coral embryos and the method yields only a
small
fraction
of exploitable chromosome preparations. In this research, we have been trying
to improve
existing
protocols and to find new methods to quickly produce accurate and reliable
chromosome
preparations
that may allow us not only to determine chromosome numbers but also to study
their
morphologies.
Coral
embryos were collected at James Cook University’s Orpheus Island Research
Station, in the
central
section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (North Queensland, Australia),
from December
1 st to 12 th ,
2001; at the Akajima Marine Science Laboratory, Japan from May 26 th to June 2 nd ,
2002;
and
at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at Coconut Island, Oahu, from June 16
th to August 14 th ,
2002.
10-11 hours embryos were put in seawater containing 3% colchicine for two
hours, which was
followed
by a 30- minute osmotic shock treatment in a mix of 65% seawater and 35% tap
water.
Embryos
were then fixed and their chromosomes observed using a wide array of different
methods.
Heyward,
A. (1985). Proc. 5th Int. Coral Reef Congress, Tahiti, 1985, vol.6: 47-51
Kenyon,
J.C. (1997). Evolution 51(3): 756-767
Acknowledgments:
J.-F.F's
research was supported by a scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education
(Monbusho)
and by a research grant from the PADI Project Aware Foundation...Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
33
EXPERIMENTAL
ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF SETTLEMENT STRATEGY
ON
PREDATION ON CORAL REEF FISH
Galzin
René, Lecchini David
Ecole
Pratique des Hautes Etudes – UMR CNRS 8046
Université
de Perpignan
66860
Perpignan cedex – France
lecchini@univ-perp.fr
The
settlement stage of coral reef fish, period during which larvae coming from the
ocean take up
residence
in a particular population, represents a relatively short time (just a few
weeks) in the life
cycle.
But it has been proposed as the crucial stage of the life cycle, because it can
determine the
dynamic
and structure of the adult communities. This stage is characterised by the high
mortality of
coral
reef fish new settlers (80 to 95 % of the population decrease by predation
within one to two
months)
and by a specific settlement strategy (selective choice of suitable habitat).
In the present
work,
we investigate the influence of specific factors of settlement strategy
(shelter availability,
interaction
with conspecifics or competitors, and density of new settlers colonising the
lagoon) on
predation
on coral reef fish new settlers. We choose to use Chromis viridis of 10
mm (fish just
settled)
and 20 mm long (fish already adapted in the reef) as study model. Our results
demonstrated a
significant
variation in the mortality of 10 and 20 mm new settlers according to
substratum. This
influence
may be due to the characteristics of shelter: adaptability of shelter to the
size of the new
settlers,
quality of shelter which corresponds to the possibility of access to the
habitat for the fish, and
acclimatization
of fish to an artificial habitat, identical to their natural habitat.
Alternatively,
predation
could inhibit interaction between conspecifics and competitors during the
settlement stage,
when
predation pressure is strong on the new settlers. Finally, the density of new
settlers could
influence
predation (density-dependent mortality) whe n the density is high. But when the
density
becomes
low, this mortality does not seem to be influenced by the density of new
settlers (density-independent
mortality).
This means that, according to the larval supply, either the density-dependent
mortality
(pattern of competition) or the density- independent mortality (pattern of
recruitment
limitation)
determines the juvenile population stock. This study, then, shows this high
mortality by
predation
and the determinant factors of settlement strategy influence each other, and
thus determines
the
dynamic and structure of the adult communities. This conclusion also finds a
field of application
in
projects of coral reef replenishment..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
34
INSTITUTIONAL
EVALUATION OF CARIBBEAN MPA’S AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR
PRO-POOR
MANAGEMENT
Caroline
Garaway, Nicole Esteban, Vicki Cowan
Marine
Resources Assessment Group Ltd
47
Princes Gate, London, SW7 2QA, UK
In
the Caribbean, MPA’s are seen as a prominent means of addressing coastal
resource management.
Ecological
impacts of MPA's have been well researched and are usually shown to be positive
for
biodiversity
(Dixon et al., 1993) and fisheries management (Roberts and Polunin,
1993; Wantiez et
al.,
1997). Amongst advocates of MPA’s there has been a tendency to extol their
potential value in
socio-economic
terms. In reality, the establishment of protected areas often generates deep
resentment
in communities that find themselves excluded from resources to which they have
traditionally
had access, undermining the viability of those protected areas (Horrill et
al., 1996).
Over
the last ten years, management of MPA’s has evolved from being a preservation
tool to
integrating
considerations of development, sustainable use of resources and stakeholder
participation
(Meffe
et al., 1997). With this focus, it is believed that they can play a key
role in conserving natural
ecosystems
and contribute substantially to sustainable development (IUCN, 1997).
The
purpose of this research is to identify current institutional constraints to,
and development
options
for, successfully implementing MPA’s in a way that leads to a sustained
improvement in the
livelihoods
of poor people in the Caribbean. A key premise of this work is that successful
implementation
and beneficial stakeholder outcomes, inc luding outcomes for the poor, are
inextricably
linked and priority will be given to understanding the dynamic relationship
between
processes
and outcomes. Particular attention has been paid to systems that include
community
participation
in decision- making to see what benefits this brings to the poorer groups and
to
understand
the structures and processes needed to achieve it.
An
initial review of institutional and ecosystem characteristics of 80 MPA’s in
the Central and
Antillean
biogeographic zones of the Caribbean took place mid 2001 (Geoghegan et al.,
2001) and
was
succeeded by an analysis of operational and non-operational MPA case studies in
Belize,
Jamaica,
Turks & Caicos Islands and Dominica to investigate factors contributing to
successful and
unsuccessful
outcomes of MPA management. The participatory basis to all methods of enquiry
and
series
of facilitated workshops has brought researchers and a range of stakeholders
together to
address
key issues and explore solutions. Research at the operational MPA case studies
involved
evaluation
of the impacts of successfully implemented MPA management on poor people’s
livelihoods
and included PA (participatory appraisal) exercises (e.g. wealth and well
being; trends in
capital
assets; changes in livelihood opportunities; ease of access to local institutions
to improve
livelihood
options) to understand poorer groups’ perceptions of MPA impacts. A series of
biophysical
studies were undertaken by the University of the West Indies (UWI) to assess
the
environmental
sustainability of MPA’s. A legal review was also conducted to understand how
the
external
policy environment influences MPA management.
This
presentation will explore research findings, including the overall review of
institutional and
ecosystem
characteristics of Caribbean MPA’s and a more in-depth evaluation of the
factors
contributing
to successful and unsuccessful outcomes of MPA management and evaluation of the
impacts
of successfully implemented MPA management..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
35
GLOBAL
DISTRIBUTION OF MICROBIOERODERS AND THEIR NORTHERNMOST
TROPICAL
REEF COMMUNITY AT 30 O N – EILAT,
ISRAEL
Gektidis,
M.1 , Chadwick-Furman, N. E.2 , Goffredo, S.3 , Dubinsky, Z. 2
1 Geologisch Paläontologisches Institut, J.W.
Goethe Universität, Senckenberganlage 32-34,
60054
Frankfurt am Main, Germany, science@gektidis.de 2 Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900,
Israel, and Interuniversity
Institute
for Marine Science, P. O. Box 469, Eilat 88103, Israel. 3 Department of Evolutionary and Experimental
Biology, University of Bologna, via F. Selmi 3,
I-40126
Bologna, Italy
The
distribution and abundance of carbonate-eroding microorganisms was investigated
along a
bathymetrical
gradient in waters of the Red Sea adjacent to Eilat, Israel. Experimental
carbonate
substrates
were deployed in depths of 0m, 6m, 15m and 30m, placed in clear and shaded
habitats for
a
period of 6 months. The community of microendoliths that had colonised the
substrates by then was
taxonomically
analysed. It shows a large correspondence with microendolithic communities from
Atlantic,
Caribbean and Pacific marine environments. The same array of species of
Cyanobacteria,
Chlorophyta,
Rhodophyta and Fungi was found to colonise comparable water-depths in Eilat.
This
study
concludes and summarizes a series of investigations on the impact of
microendoliths in marine
tropical
environments..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
36
IS
IT CURTAINS FOR CORAL REEFS IN THE SOUTHERN ARABIAN GULF?
J.
David George, David M. John
The
Natural History Museum
Cromwell
Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
Most
coral reefs in the southern Arabian Gulf are shallower than 10m and normally
are subject to
very
high summer seawater temperatures and year-round high salinities. In fact the
southern Gulf
has
the highest global summer seawater temperatures and the corals (or their
symbiotic
zooxanthellae)
are probably surviving near their upper physiological tolerance limits. These
reefs are
composed
primarily of the branching coral Acropora or of colonies of
mound-forming Porites. In
many
cases inshore reefs fringe the outer edge of shallow-water limestone platforms
that often extend
seaward
for many kilometres from a landmass, be it the mainland or an island. Offshore
patch reefs
form
a cap on a base of limestone, sandstone or fasht.
In
the summer through to the autumn of 1996 we observed that approximately 98% of
the Acropora
bleached
and subsequently died along the coast of Abu Dhabi and adjacent Dubai, although
the non-branching
corals
were largely unaffected. The death of the Acropora coincided precisely
with a
prolonged
period of higher-than-normal seawater temperatures. Later a similar mass
mortality of
Acropora
was reported by divers in Qatar and Bahrain where summer seawater
temperatures were
also
abnormally high for an extended period. An even more prolonged incidence of
abnormally high
seawater
temperatures occurred in the summer of 1998 and this resulted in the majority
of the
remaining
reef- forming corals in Abu Dhabi being severely affected; an estimated 50-80%
mortality
being
observed in the western and central regions of the Emirate.
A
consequence of the coral death has been a dramatic increase in cover of the
once relatively
inconspicuous
non- geniculate red coralline algae and mat or turf forms that have now
colonise the
dead
coral skeletons. The most abundant and conspicuous coralline alga overgrowing
the dead coral
(Lithophyllum
kotschyanum) is slowing the disintegration of the branching Acropora skeletons
in
particular,
by providing them with a coating of limestone. Nevertheless, the relentless
activities of
boring
clionid sponges and bivalve molluscs along with the grazing of greatly
increased numbers of
the
sea urchin Echinometra mathaei are gradually reducing the Acropora thickets
to rubble and in
some
places are significantly reducing the volume of the dead Porites mounds.
Some
coral regeneration and recruitment has taken place since the 1998 incident.
However, the
gradual
increase in average seawater temperatures in the region over the last 30 years
and the more
frequent
occurrence of prolonged higher-than-normal summer seawater temperatures leads
us to
believe
that the future of coral reefs in the southern Arabian Gulf is bleak. We
speculate that in the
next
few decades the once coral-dominated reefs will become transformed into ones composed
essentially
of coralline and turf- forming algae with shallower areas becoming overgrown
during the
cooler
winter months by dense forests dominated by fleshy brown macroalgae..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
37
HIGHER
LATITUDE CORAL REEF COMMUNITIES OFF DENSELY POPULATED
SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA, USA
David
S. Gilliam 1 , Susan L. Thornton 1 , Louis E. Fisher 2 , and Kenneth Banks 2
1 National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI)
Nova
Southeastern University Oceanographic Center (NSU OC)
8000
North Ocean Drive
Dania
Beach, Florida 33004 USA
2 Broward County Department of Planning and
Environmental Protection (BC DPEP)
218
S.W. 1 st Ave
Fort
Lauderdale, Florida 33301 USA
Significant
coral reef community development along the eastern shelf of the United States
is often
described
as stopping north of the Florida Keys (Latitude 25°
30’N). Nevertheless, a coral reef
ecosystem
continues northward (160+ km) of the Keys, through Miami- Dade, Broward, and
into
Palm
Beach Counties, Florida (Latitude 27° N).
The coral communities associated with this high
latitude
reef system have approximately 30 species of stony corals with a coverage of
2-3% and
includes
a diverse assemblage of soft corals, sponges and fishes. NSU OC and NCRI are
working
with
local resource mangers (BC DPEP) on a reef monitoring program that collects
information on
stony
(species richness, cover, mortality and disease) and soft corals (abundance),
sponges
(abundance),
fishes (abundance and species) and sedimentation (rate and grain size). The
reef system
of
Southeast Florida is typically described as having three reef ridges/terraces
that run parallel to
shore
in sequentially deeper water. The general depth of the crest of the inshore (or
first) reef is 5 m;
the
middle (or second) reef is 10 m; and the offshore (or third) reef is 17 m.
Water temperatures were
measured
in 2000 and 2001 and ranged from a minimum of 19.5 °C in the winter months
(December
–
February) to a maximum of 31.0 °C in the summer months (July – September). This
reef system
occurs
near a highly urbanized area (the population of Broward County exceeds 1.6
million people,
two
inlets discharge offshore, and the reefs are within 3 km of the coast). As
such, commercial and
recreational
fishing and diving, major shipping ports, ship groundings and dredging
activities
influence
the system. The unique features of this reef system, and its proximity and
value to the urban
community
of Southeast Florida, demand continued monitoring and increased investigation
into the
processes
that affect it..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
38
POPULATION
DYNAMICS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SOLITARY CORAL
BALANOPHYLLIA
EUROPAEA (SCLERACTINIA, DENDROPHYLLIIDAE)
Goffredo
S., Mattioli G., Zaccanti F.
Department
of Evolutionary and Experimental Biology,
University
of Bologna, via F. Selmi 3, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
Studies
performed to date on the population dynamics in scleractinian corals refer,
mainly, to tropical
species.
Although scleractinian corals are common to the Mediterranean benthic fauna,
data
concerning
demography in species of this area are rare. Balanophyllia europaea is a
solitary
zooxanthellate
coral living off the rocky Mediterranean coast at depths ranging from 0 to 50m.
Its
reproductive
biology is characterized by simultaneous hermaphroditism and brooding. We
studied
individual
growth rates and the structure of the population living off the coast of
Leghorn at Calafuria
(eastern
Ligurian Sea). B. europaea individuals living in this area were found at
depths ranging from
1 to
13 meters with an average population density of 16 individuals m -2 (SE = 3); maximum density
was
reached at 6 m depth with a peak of 113 individuals m -2 (SE = 33). At this depth, we studied the
growth
patterns in 62 individuals for a two-year period. The linear growth rate was
found to be
inversely
correlated to the individual size of the polyps. As the polyps length increased
(= major
diameter
of the polyp’s oral disc) growth rate decreased. This correlation held true to
a maximum
length
of 21 mm at which point growth rate became practically zero. Von Bertalanffy’s
theoretical
growth
function obtained on the basis of measurements taken in the field was confirmed
by counting
the
annual skeletal growth bands on specimens scanned using CT (computed
tomography). From
growth
data, we estimated the ages of 1814 individuals. The resulting survival curve
showed that
average
age of individuals in this population was 4 years with a maximum longevity of
20 years.
Compared
to populations of B. elegans living off the north American Pacific
coast, the other
congeneric
species for which data on population dynamics and reproductive bio logy are
known,
individuals
of B. europaea achieve greater lengths and longevity (about two and
three times,
respectively)
and a lower population density (about 35 times lower). The difference in
existing
demographic
features pertaining to the two species summed to the actual differences in
their ecology
(B.
europaea is zooxanthellate and B. elegans is azooxanthellate) and in
their reproductive biology
(hermaphroditism
in B. europaea and gonochorism in B. elegans; and an elevated
fecundity, short
incubation
period with small planktonic planulae in B. europaea and the exact
opposite in B. elegans)
point
to the fact that in the two species exist two opposite life strategies..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
39
POPULATION
STRUCTURE OF DEEP-SEA CORAL LOPHELIA PERTUSA IN THE
NORTH
EAST ATLANTIC SEEN THROUGH MICROSATELLITES
Marie
Le Goff-Vitry, Alex Rogers
School
of Ocean and Earth Science
University
of Southampton
Southampton
Oceanography Centre
European
Way
Southampton
SO14 3ZH, UK
The
azooxanthellate scleractinian coral, Lophelia pertusa, is distributed
globally on continental
slopes,
mid-oceanic ridges and in fjords. In the North East Atlantic, it is the main
reef constructing
species
in the upper bathyal zone on continental margins and offshore banks. These
cold, deep coral
reefs
are associated with a highly diverse animal community. These ecosystems are
still poorly
understood,
but under increasing threat from the expanding human activities beyond the
continental
shelf,
and notably bottom-trawling. Recommendations are needed to monitor Europe’s
deep-water
coral
margin. In order to understand the capacities of the coral to withstand human
impacts and to
recover
from them subsequently, data concerning the population genetic variability,
mode of
reproduction
and dispersal must be gathered.
Efficient
molecular tools can be used to address such population genetic structure
issues.
Microsatellites
are non-coding DNA sequences constituted by short tandemly repeated motifs
dispersed
throughout the genome. Because they are inherited in a Mendelian manner,
selectively
neutral
and very variable among individuals, they can be used as high-resolution
molecular markers
for
investigating population substructure. For this purpose, a genomic library
enriched for
microsatellites
was constituted for Lophelia pertusa and ten specific microsatellite
markers were
developed
to screen a set of individuals sampled at different sites distributed along the
European
margin.
Comparison with a model population, described by Hardy-Weinberg principle as
panmictic
and
under no selection force, showed a marked departure from this state of
equilibrium. This reveals
the
substantial contribution of asexual reproduction to the maintenance of the
population and
suggests
the existence of local, isolated sub-populations in the considered geographic
area.
In
order to check these preliminary hypotheses, a more detailed analysis,
involving inter-site
comparisons
and using bigger sample sizes, was performed. As a result, North East Atlantic Lophelia
population
appeared highly structured, suggesting a very low gene flow between areas. The
relative
contribution
of sexual versus asexual reproduction to the maintenance of populations showed
considerable
variation among sites. These results have strong implications for the recovery
of the
reefs
following human impact; recolonisation of a disturbed area is likely to be
slow. Moreover, the
observed
heterogeneous distribution of the genetic diversity across the margin means
that the loss of
a
specific population can affect the overall genetic diversity for the species
across the entire area.
Further
statistical analysis is to be performed on the existing data and the
microsatellite approach will
be
combined with other molecular methods to check the validity of these
conclusions and to get a
broader
view of the genetic history of Lophelia populations along the European
margin..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
40
GLOBAL
PROTECTION OF CORAL REEFS
Ed
Green, Mark Spalding, Corinna Ravillious, Jamie Oliver
UNEP-World
Conservation Monitoring Centre,
219
Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, UK
With
increasing global environmental degradation calls for ‘protection targets’ are
being made more
frequently.
For example the 4 th World Congress on
National Parks and Protected Areas in 1993
advised
that 10% of each biome receive protection. Likewise, the 1 st Symposium on Marine
Conservation
Biology in 1997 called for an increase in the number and effectiveness of MPAs
so that
20%
of all nations’ Exclusive Economic Zones and the High Seas be protected by the
year 2020. One
problem
with such recommendations for marine ecosystems is that the data have not been
available
to
calculate the quantity protected and to estimate when targets for protection
have been reached.
Increases
in the accuracy and resolution of global coral reef maps have recently been
possible
through
the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) and the research behind the
World
Atlas
of Coral Reefs. Considerable improvement to global information on those marine
protected
areas
(MPAs) which contain coral reefs has been made through the same initiatives.
Consequently
our
understanding of the global distribution of coral reefs and the efforts being
made to manage them
through
the use of protected areas has never been better. New estimates of global coral
reef area have
been
produced and the inventory of data on coral reef MPAs – location, size,
boundaries - is more
complete.
The
results of ongoing analysis which has combined coral reef maps and MPA data
will be presented.
The
amount of coral reef presently being managed within MPAs will be estimated, and
variations by
region
and management regime will be calculated. A comparison will be made between
protection
offered
by nationally and internationally designated MPAs. The utility of global
‘protection targets’
for
coral reefs will be discussed in relation to management effectiveness, which
for most MPAs
remains
unknown..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
41
CORAL
REPRODUCTIVE SYNCHRONY ON SINGAPORE’S REEFS
Guest
JR, Baird AH, Goh BPL, Chou LM
Department
of Biological Sciences
National
University of Singapore
Blk
S2 14 Science Drive 4
Singapore
117543
There
are very few reports of multispecific, synchronous coral spawning from reefs in
Southeast
Asia.
It has been suggested that on low latitude reefs the ‘mass spawning’ phenomenon
may be
absent,
or significantly reduced. Singapore is a small, industrialized and heavily
populated Southeast
Asian
country, located approximately 1° north
of the equator. Despite there being high levels of
sedimentation
and turbidity in the coastal waters, reasonably diverse coral communities can
be found
around
some of the islands to the south of the mainland. Histological analysis of
selected coral
species
sampled between September 1999 and October 2000 showed the presence of mature
gametes
at
two times of the year (Feb – April and Sept – Nov). Sampling of Acropora species
to determine
the
extent of reproductive synchrony within the population was conducted at
Singapore’s southern
most
reef (Raffles Lighthouse, 1° 10’N 103° 45’E). Sampling was carried out by
breaking off a
branch
from the middle of the colony and noting the presence or absence of mature eggs
(which are
pigmented)
or immature eggs (which are white). In March 2002, a few days prior to the full
moon,
48.5%
of the Acropora population had mature eggs, 10% had immature eggs and
the rest had none (n
=
113). In April 2002, 23% of the Acropora population contained mature
eggs (n = 74), and in May
2002
none of the sampled colonies contained mature eggs (n = 79). On the 3 rd , 4 th and
5 th nights after
the
March 2002 full moon, synchronous spawning of corals was observed on the reef
at Raffles
Lighthouse.
At least 18 different coral species from 10 genera and 5 families (Acroporidae,
Faviidae,
Merulinidae,
Oculinidae and Pectiniidae) were observed releasing gametes over the three nights.
This
observation
demonstrates that mass coral spawning can indeed be a characteristic of
equatorial reefs.
The
possible environmental cues involved in synchronizing corals on low latitude
reefs will be
discussed..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
42
DEEP
CORAL REEFS, BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC: FISHERIES, EVOLUTION
AND
CLIMATE CHANGE ASPECTS
Jason
Hall-Spencer 1 , Michael J. Risk 2
1 University Marine Biological Station
Millport,
Isle of Cumbrae, KA28 0EG, UK
2 School of Geography and Geology,
McMaster
Univ., Hamilton ON Canada L8S 4M1
The
continental shelves of both Europe and North America support thriving
deep-water “reefs.” Their
distribution
is puzzling: northern Europe and the southern USA have Lophelia reefs,
whereas Canada
has
gorgonian forests. Hovland has suggested that Lophelia reefs are
nourished from below, via
hydrocarbon
seepage. All reefs, deep and shallow, may therefore be classified as to their
relative
dependence
on energy sources:
-sunlight:via
zooxanthellae- most modern offshore coral reefs.
-seepage:
via bacterial remobilization-northern Europe, Western Australia, Louisiana.
-exogenous:
zooplankton; POM and DOM from terrestrial sources- inshore reefs, Paleozoic
rugosan
reefs.
Deepwater
reefs are under at least as much stress as shallow reefs, with reports ranging
from
widespread
damage to complete extirpation (usually from trawling). They need protecting,
because of
their
immense value in fisheries, the priceless climate archive in the coral
skeletons, and (last but not
least)
as possible sources of gametes to recolonise and re-establish reefs on the
shelves if we ever
clean
up our act.
Both
types of reef-Lophelia bioherms and gorgonian forests-represent habitat
complexity, and hence
are
deep-water FAD’s. The Lophelia reefs are sometimes large accumulations
of skeletal debris, with
a
reticulate surface coral veneer-these seem to attract monkfish and demersal
roundfish (esp.
grenadiers).
The Canadian coral forests, B. T. (Before Trawling) formed extensive thickets,
with
individual
corals to 10 m in height. These were select areas for halibut, cod and redfish.
The decrease
in
fish catches concomitant with habitat destruction has caused erection of
deep-water MPA’s in
Norway
and off Tasmania. Canada has done nothing.
Evolution
of the deep coral fauna is a mystery. Atlantic zonation may be temperature
dependant, but
temperature
alone does not explain the disjunct distribution of Lophelia.
Reproductive habits of
individual
corals will be important. Some “deep” species can range from 4 km to 4 m in
depth, and
some
exist in zooxanthellate and azooxanthellate forms. If indeed dire predictions
come true, and we
lose
all our shallow reefs in the next few decades, the only hope of natural
recolonisation of the
shallow
shelves will be the deep survivors.
Verification
of some of these predictions will come from the corals themselves. Deep-water
corals
are
far better climate recorders than are reef corals: they live at all depths in
all oceans, and have
equivalent
lifespans (several centuries). They are reliable (and KIE-free) temperature
recorders, with
monthly
precision. Our research group has just retrieved a 250-year record of the North
Atlantic
Oscillation,
which drives the location of the Gulf Stream..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September, 2002
43
ECOLOGY,
SEDIMENTOLOGY AND HYDRODYNAMICS OF A REEF FLAT AND
CORAL
CAY BEACH, WARRABER ISLAND, TORRES STRAIT.
Deirdre
E. Hart
School
of Geography and Oceanography,
University
of New South Wales ADFA,
Canberra,
ACT 2600, Australia
dhart@adfa.edu.au
This
paper reports on a PhD project concerning the nature of contemporary
ecological, sediment and
hydrodynamic
interactions within a reef flat system, the relationship between different reef
flat
environments
and the adjacent island beach and, in particular, the present sediment sources
of the
beach.
Fieldwork
for the investigation was conducted on Warraber, a small, oval-shaped coral cay
and large
platform
reef system with a combined total area of 11 km 2
, in the central Torres Strait, Australia. An
array
of beach profiles and reef flat transects were surveyed, beach and reef flat
sediments were
sampled
and an ecological census was conducted on the reef flat. Wave, current and tide
measuring
instruments
were used to examine water flows across the reef flat and longshore and
cross-shore
flows
around the island margin. Twelve sets of four-directional sediment traps were
employed in
conjunction
with the hydrodynamic instruments.
Initial
analyses indicate that water flows across the reef flat were dominated by
topographically
modified
tidal flow. Reef flat exposure and submergence reflected the interaction of
platform
morphology
with water levels and exerted strong controls on the energy conditions, and the
ecological
and sedimentology characteristics of each reef flat zone. Eight distinct
ecological-sediment
reef
flat zones were identified. These include muddy-sandflats with brown algae,
large
areas
of sandflat covered with gastropods, broad bands of dense branching corals and
a diverse,
encrusted,
coral-algal rim. The size and composition of insitu reef flat sediments
was diverse,
variable
and related to the local carbonate producers. The beach sediments, in contrast,
were less
variable,
being dominated by gastropods and, to a lesser extent, coral and calcareous
algae fragments.
The
present supply of beach sediments originated from a limited area of the reef
flat, including
elevated
sandflats to the east and dense branching coral zones to the west of the
island. Sediment
transport
rates around the island were very variable and dominated by longshore movement.
Small
seasona
l changes were observed in the island beaches whilst significant seasonal
differences were
observed
in reef flat sediment deposits.
Initial
findings indicate that important factors controlling the variability of gross
sediment transport
rates
across the Warraber reef flat were exposure and submergence, the strength of
tidal currents and
the
availability of insitu material. The potential for material from each
reef flat zone to contribute to
beach
deposits was, in part, a function of proximity to the island. However, this
potential was also
strongly
controlled by more complex interactions between the tides, reef flat water
levels and
topography,
and by the availability of appropriately sized sediment. Further analyses will
aim to (1)
determine
the rate of sediment production in the various zones of the reef flat; (2)
refine the sediment
pathways
across the reef flat and onto the island beach; and (3) tease out the relative
roles of tides,
topography,
hydrodynamic patterns and distance as determinants of reef flat and beach
sediment
sources
and sinks..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
44
IN
VIVO MONITORING OF A CORAL-BACTERIAL ASSOCIATION
Marshall
L. Hayes*, Mark J. Vignola
Duke
University Marine Laboratory
135
Duke Marine Lab Rd.
Beaufort,
NC 28516 USA
mhayes@duke.edu
*
present address :
Observatoire
Océanologique Européen Centre Scientifique de Monaco
Av.
Saint Martin
Monte
Carlo 98000 Monaco
Research
interest in the association between corals and microbes has increased
dramatically in recent
years,
particularly in response to evidence of disease emergence in the world’s coral
reef ecosystems.
Here,
we explore the potential of using bacteria labelled with fluorescent proteins
in experimental
studies
of bacterial interactions with the coral mucosal surface and the underlying
epithelium. Three
fluorescent-protein
expression vectors (p519gfp, p519cfp and p519rfp) have been successfully
transferred
via tri-parental conjugation to a bacterial strain implicated in the white
plague type II
disease
in scleractinians. The genes encoded on these plasmid vectors differ in the
spectral signal of
their
fluorescent products, thus providing flexibility when dealing with problems of
coral
autofluorescence.
In our studies, the temperate stony coral, Oculina arbuscula, serves as
the host
organism
for closed-system inoculation experiments. We show that fluorescent-protein expression
does
not adversely affect bacterial survival and activity and that maintenance of
the plasmid vector
remains
stable even in the absence of the counterselectable marker. Epifluorescence and
confocal
laser
scanning microscopy are used to visualize the presence of pathogenic bacterial
cells in
association
with coral cells. In principal, this approach may promise a rapid and
non-destructive
method
to track bacterial adhesion, colonization, and perhaps even invasion of coral
tissue in situ..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
45
GLOBAL
CORAL REEF HEALTH: FIVE YEARS OF STEADY DECLINE
Gregor
Hodgson, Jennifer Liebeler, Georg Heiss
Reef
Check, Institute of the Environment
1362
Hershey Hall Box 951496
University
of California at Los Angeles
Los
Angeles CA 90095 – 1496 USA
gregorh@ucla.edu
During
the five-years from 1997 to 2001, 1081 reefs in all oceans were monitored using
the Reef
Check
protocol. The results of the 1997 survey were the first to demonstrate that
there was a global
coral
reef crisis due to overfishing. Subsequent results have shown a continuing
decline in many of
the
25 Reef Check indicators of reef health such as butterflyfish, grunts, grouper,
parrotfish and sea
cucumber.
Several indicators such as lobster and Tridacna clams are missing from most
reefs. Over
the
five-year period, the percentage of living hard coral has been consistently
higher in the Pacific
than
the Atlantic. Recently killed coral was four times higher in the Pacific than
the Atlantic in 1998
following
the global bleaching event, but is now equal in the two regions. Since 53% of
the
monitored
reefs have some form of legal protection, and 90% are in developing countries,
enforcement
appears to be a continuing challenge. In these protected sites, diver damage
was ranked
as a
major perceived impact in both oceans, with fishing and sewage also important.
The theory that
participation
in Reef Check wo uld lead to increased stewardship has been demonstrated by
teams
helping
to establish and maintain successful marine parks in Africa, Asia and the
Caribbean..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
46
IOC/UNESCO-WB
TARGETED WORKING GROUP ON CORAL BLEACHING
Ove
Hoegh-Guldberg
Centre
for Marine Studies,
University
of Queensland, St Lucia,
QLD
4072, Australia
The
growing link between mass coral bleaching and global climate change is driving
an urgent need
for
information on how changes in global sea temperature, the major factor driving
coral bleaching
events
across the globe, will affect the viability of the world’s coral reef
ecosystems. The potential
scale
of this ecological change is of major concern in both developing and developed
nations. In
response
to this concern, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
established
an expert Study Group focused on Coral Bleaching and Related Indicators of
Coral Reef
Health
in 2000. The aim of this group was to integrate and develop research that will
allow more
reliable
predictions of climate impacts and the development of better bioindicator tools
for managers.
At
the first meeting held 9-11 April 2001 at IOC, Paris wide ranging discussions
between the group
and
the representative of a related World Bank project led to the fusion of the
group to become the
IOC/UNESCO-World
Bank Targeted Working Group on Coral Bleaching. The immediate goals of
the
reconstituted group are to identify critical gaps in our knowledge of the
molecular to ecological
processes
involved in mass coral bleaching, and to develop specific, testable hypotheses
that will be
the
focus of targeted investigations in four key ocean areas. The ocean areas
selected are located in
East
Africa (Zanzibar), the Philippines (Bolinao), Eastern Australia (southern GBR)
and Mexico
(Puerto
Morelos). In addition to targeted research activities, the work plan is aiming
to involve local
scientists
and students in a series of activities that will range from training workshops
to collaborative
experiments.
The project development is partially funded by a World Bank Block B grant, in
addition
to funding from host institutions like the University of Queensland and is
designed to
explore
how a full work plan can be implemented to pursue a complex set of questions
over 5 years.
A
2002 workshop on Heron Island was the first step in testing the concept of
targeted research within
one
of the four ocean areas. A large group (32 scientists and 18 postgraduate
students) collaborated
on
testing hypotheses developed during the April 2001 discussions in Paris. The
coincidence of a
major
bleaching event across the Great Barrier Reef during the workshop led to some
unusual
opportunities
for the targeted working group to pursue questions associated with a “natural”
bleaching
event. Among the highlights of this successful workshop were a major audit of
symbiotic
dinoflagellate
strains, the discovery of new coral diseases for the GBR region, new insights
into the
role
of cell suicide and apoptosis in bleaching and the important role of clonal
variability in coral
stress
tolerance..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
47
THE
RELATION OF BLEACHING SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ZOOPLANKTON FEEDING
BEHAVIOUR
IN THE CORAL GENUS MONTASTRAEA
C.
Hueerkamp*, E. Weil**
*Center
for Tropical Marine Ecology ZMT, Bremen, Germany.
chrhueerkamp@hotmail.com
**Dep.
Marine Sciences, U. of Puerto Rico. Box 908, Lajas PR 00667 USA
Reef-building
corals can complement their nutrition needs in many different ways. The two
most
important
are translocation of photosynthetic products from the endosymbiotic
zooxanthellae and
capture
of zooplankton by the tentacles of the polyps. Corals bleach under temperature
stress
conditions;
the density of their symbionts declines and the corals lose not only their
colour but also
their
main nutritional source. Two massive species of the genus Montastraea from
the Caribbean
coast
of Puerto Rico were selected to conduct feeding experiments under temperature
stress; M.
faveolata
with relatively small polyps and M. cavernosa with larger polyps.
Two distinct morphs of
M.
cavernosa were separated, M1 has very large polyps, and M2 has
significantly smaller polyps.
However,
both M1 and M2 morphs have significantly larger polyps than M. faveolata.
Experiments
were
designed to compare the role of feeding by tentacle capture under temperature
stress conditions
and a
control. Non-bleached coral pieces were collected from the field and exposed to
elevated water
temperature
in an aquarium to compare the effects of enhanced zooplankton feeding (with
nauplii of
Artemia
salina) on bleaching induction. Pieces of the same colony were kept in an
aquarium with
normal
temperature. Zooxanthellae counts were made in tissue samples to quantify the
extend of
bleaching.
The amount of ingested Artemia was determined to assess feeding
activity, and the
nitrogen
content was also measured. M. cavernosa M1 exhibited the least bleaching
susceptibility
whereas
M. faveolata (with smaller polyps) showed a fastest decrease in the
density of zooxanthellae.
The
most resistant species was M. cavernosa with higher zooplankton feeding
rates at higher
temperatures
compared to ambient temperature conditions. The less tolerant coral was M.
faveolata
which
showed the same trend of increasing feeding rates at higher temperatures but,
this trend was
less
consistent over time.
The
results suggest that zooplankton feeding can partly substitute the loss of the
zooxanthellae up to
a
certain degree and duration of bleaching. It is proposed that corals with
bigger polyps and larger
tentacles,
like M. cavernosa, can increase zooplankton feeding during bleaching for
a certain time
period
and therefore, can better compensate the decline of zooxanthellae and the
resulting nutritional
deficit
during sea warming episodes. This may be an explanation of why M.cavernosa bleaches,
when
it does, later during intensive bleaching events..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
48
DEFINING
SUCCESS IN MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
Hutchinson,
D.J., Brown, K., Côté, I.M.
University
of East Anglia
Schools
of Biological Sciences and Development Studies UEA Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
Marine
protected areas (MPAs) are the primary form of protection in the marine coastal
zone and are
being
used by many as a spearhead for marine conservation. However, there is much
debate with
regard
to their effectiveness. This paper addresses a key question in this debate,
namely, “What
defines
MPA success?”, and in doing so will highlight areas for potential research and
discussion.
Reef
communities are both biologically and socially dynamic systems which form
complex
interactions.
This complexity is often not fully recognised, and hence leads to complication
in the
operation
of many MPAs. Through a review of the objectives and outcomes of a large number
of
Caribbean
MPAs, we show that an understanding of context is essential for effective
analysis and
hence
recommendation. This is further supported by a detailed examination of the
social and natural
systems
of three Eastern Caribbean MPAs; Barbados, Bonaire and St. Lucia. We show that
the use
of a
priori performance criteria in the evaluation of MPA success requires
careful consideration
before
implementation. This is a highly relevant exercise considering the increasing
number of
attempts
from both the social and natural sciences to assess MPA success using such
methods. The
use
of most performance criteria implies an inherent assumption that the system
under study should
match
a predefined template. However, the objectives stated on paper during MPA
establishment
may
not often match real outcomes due to the complex nature of
institution-ecosystem interactions.
We
suggest that defining the success of reef-encompassing MPAs depends very much
on the
responsible
and intelligent use of criteria. A precursor to their implementation, which
will lead to a
more
realistic appraisal, is to take into account constantly shifting social
intentions and the ability of
the
whole system to respond to change. To accurately define success will depend on
a thorough
understanding
of the natural and social environment, which can only come about through a
balanced
interdisciplinary
approach..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
49
THE
EVOLUTION OF CORAL-ZOOXANTHELLA SYMBIOSIS IN TURBID HABITATS
AND
IMPLICATIONS FOR RESPONSE TO GLOBAL CHANGE
J.
Rebecca Jacobs, Donald C. Potts
Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology,
University
of California,
Santa
Cruz CA 95064 USA
Appreciation
for the long-term consequences of global change on coral reefs and the
coral-zooxanthella
symbiosis
may be constrained by a late Holocene perspective that tends to limit
thinking
about scleractinian ecology and evolution to predominantly oceanic settings,
without
considering
either the conditions under which scleractinians and coral- zooxanthella
symbiosis
evolved
during the Triassic or those experienced since then. We propose that a variety
of turbid,
inshore
habitats have been continuously available to scleractinians through geological
time, that these
have
provided both ecological and evolutionary continuity, and that they have served
as both refugia
for
scleractinian corals during non-reefal periods and as primary habitat. We
propose such turbid,
inshore
environments have influenced the evolution of scleractinian corals and the
evolution of coral-zooxanthella
symbiosis.
Since these coastal habitats are now strongly influenced by human
activities,
it is important to consider the consequences for long-term coral survival in
these habitats,
especially
since anthropogenic activities on land are degrading coastal ecosystems and may
be
increasing
the distribution of turbid habitats. With the ever- increasing stresses on
coral reef
ecosystems,
consideration of how corals respond, and of possible advantages that may be
conferred
by
the coral- zooxanthella symbiosis in inshore environments may enhance
understanding of the
capacity
of scleractinians to adapt to global change..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
50
PREDICTING
THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF CORAL BLEACHING AND CLIMATE
CHANGE
ON THE STRUCTURE OF CORAL COMMUNITIES
1 Craig R Johnson, 1 Piers K Dunstan, 2 Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
1 School of Zoology, and Tasmanian Aquaculture
and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania,
GPO
Box 252-05, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001 2 Centre for Marine Studies, University of Queensland,
Queensland, Australia 4072
Because
coral species show differential susceptibility to bleaching, and coral
communities are so
variable,
predicting the effects of coral bleaching on benthic coral reef communities
requires
developing
predictive models of particular reef locations. We developed a spatial
(cellular automaton)
model
of shallow benthic communities on two midshelf reefs on the Great Barrier Reef
(GBR). We
considered
only corals, turf algae, and non-geniculate coralline algae since these are the
principal space
occupants.
The dynamics of the model is driven entirely by local processes, namely,
outcomes of
neighbour-specific
interactions, neighbour-specific growth rates, and recruitment and mortality rates.
These
parameters were estimated from observations in 140 fixed quadrats photographed
every 6
months
over 3 years.
Despite
that the potential state-space of predicted communities is very large, actual
community
structure
of the real reefs in terms of the absolute cover of 12 life- form
(physiognomic) categories was
predicted
accurately as an emergent property of the models. Having derived a model that
predicts
community
structure of the real reefs, we simulated several scenarios of coral mortality
as a result of
bleaching
and climate change. In all simulations, bleaching events occur at intervals of
10 years over a
100
year period, and there is annual recruitment of all 12 life-form groups. The
effect of bleaching
events
on coral mortality was as observed in the 1998 bleaching event on the GBR when
maximum
water
temperatures rose to 31.5 °C.
For
all scenarios, the model predicts significant degradation of reefs in <100
years. With no further
warming
and a single bleaching event each decade, cover of turf and coralline algae
increases to ~75%
while
coral cover declines to ~25% in 60 years. If ocean warming continues at 0.1 °C
per decade, and
assuming
100% mortality of corals at 32.5 °C (based on recent observations of thermal
tolerance
thresholds
over the latitudinal range of the GBR), then coral cover declines steadily to
<15% after 100
years.
Control reefs without bleaching support 60% coralline and turf algal cover, and
40% coral cover.
Notably,
different guilds of corals respond differentially to bleaching. Some groups
decline gradually
with
successive bleaching events (e.g. most Acroporidae), others show little effect
for several decades
before
declining suddenly (e.g. Faviidae), while groups little affected directly by
bleaching (e.g.
massive
Porites) can increase in abundance under some bleaching scenarios. The
abundance of
thermally
‘tolerant’ genotypes may persist at relatively constant levels for several
decades of bleaching
before
suffering sudden reductions in cover.
Because
this type of spatial model can readily integrate processes from the molecular
to community
level,
it is a strong candidate for further refinements of predictions of the effect
of climate change on
the
community structure and dynamics of coral reefs..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
51
MONITORING
CHANGES IN THE FULLY PROTECTED ZONES OF THE FLORIDA KEYS
NATIONAL
MARINE SANCTUARY
Brian
D. Keller
Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary
P.O.
Box 500368
Marathon,
FL 33050, USA
brian.keller@noaa.gov
The
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a 9,850-km 2 marine protected area managed by the
U.S.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Florida. A
comprehensive
management
plan was implemented in 1997 to protect and conserve marine resources of the
Florida
Keys.
One aspect of the management plan is the creation of a network of 23 fully
protected zones
(marine
reserves); the Tortugas Ecological Reserve was implemented in 2001 as the 24 th fully
protected
zone, the largest marine reserve in U.S. waters (518 km 2 ). An ongoing monitoring program
is
designed to determine effects of “no-take” protection on heavily exploited
fishes and invertebrates,
benthic
communities, and human activities. Data on the abundance and size of reef fish,
spiny
lobster,
and queen conch; algal cover; and coral cover, diversity, and recruitment are
collected from
fully
protected zones and adjacent reference sites. Socioeconomic analyses are also
being conducted.
Preliminary
reports indicate increases within the fully protected zones in the number and
size of
heavily
exploited species such as spiny lobster and certain reef fishes. Slower-growing
benthic
species
such as corals and sponges have not shown significant changes within fully
protected zones,
possibly
because the zoning plan was implemented less than five years ago..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
52
UPWELLING
REFUGIA IN TIMES OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS
Rebecca
Klaus, John Turner 1
Ecology
& Epidemiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences,
University
of Warwick, CV4 7AL, UK
1 School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales,
Bangor,
Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5EY, UK
Efforts
to map and assess the global extent of coral reefs at risk have ignored the
significant extent of
non-reefal
coral communities. Although lacking the classical geomorphological structures
of a ‘true’
reef,
these communities can harbour diverse and unique assemblages and confer many of
the same
benefits.
In addition, non-reefal coral communities typically occur in marginal
locations, subject to
unusual
physical regimes, which may confer additional resilience during times of
environmental
stress.
Glynn proposed the theory that upwelling areas could act as refugia for species
diversity
during
mass coral bleaching events in the Pacific. Mass coral bleaching events have
been linked to
both
prolonged exposure to solar radiation and elevated sea temperatures associated
with large-scale
disturbances
in ocean-atmospheric dynamics. The theory that zooxanthellate coral communities
in
areas
subject to cool upwelled water could act as potential species refugia is
investigated with respect
to
the severe 1997-1998 Indian Ocean wide coral bleaching event, with particular
reference to the
islands
of Socotra (Republic of Yemen), including Samha and Darsa, Abd Al Kuri,
Sabunya, and Kal
Farun,
located in the extreme northwest Indian Ocean (12-13 o N, 52-55 o E). The islands
of Socotra
are
exposed to a wind-driven upwelling system, known as the Great Whirl, resulting
from the
northwards
passageof the Somalia current along the east African coast during the boreal
summer
months.
Recent surveys have found that these islands support a diverse (250+ species)
scleractinian
coral
fauna. Coral dominated communities found along the northern shores of these
islands naturally
intergrade
with mixed macroalgal and coral communities on expose southern shores.
Bleaching
induced
mortality of coral communities around the islands of Socotra was spatially
variable and
ranged
from negligible around the outer islands to severe (>90% mortality) along
northern shores.
The
spatial distribution of bleaching induced mortality around the islands was
compared with high
resolution
(9km daily AVHRR Pathfinder) sea surface temperature (SST) to determine whether
upwelling
had influenced bleaching outcomes..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
53
LITHOPHAGA
(BIVALVIA: MYTILIDAE), INCLUDING A NEW SPECIES, BORING IN
MUSHROOM
CORALS (SCLERACTINIA: FUNGIIDAE) AT SOUTH SULAWESI,
INDONESIA
Karl
Kleemann 1 , Bert W. Hoeksma 2
1 Institute for Palaeontology, University of
Vienna, Althanstr. 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria 2 National Museum of Natural History / Naturalis,
P.O.
Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
Bivalve
species of the mytilid genus Lithophaga, including a new one, are
recorded from Indonesian
mushroom
corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae). True associations with live hosts include L.
laevigata, L.
lessepsiana,
L. lima, L. punctata spec. nov., and L. simplex, while
specimens of L. malaccana and L.
mucronata
have been found in bore holes in encrusted or dead parts of infested
corals.
Diagnosis
for L. punctata n.s.: Valves with minute, elevated dots antero-laterally
to postero-ventrally,
periostracum
darker above that area. Largest available specimen: 13.5-5.0-4.7 mm. Host
corals are
Fungia
(Pleuractis) paumotensis, F. (Verrillofungia) repanda, F. (V.) scabra,
Halomitra pileus,
Lithophyllon
mokai, and Sandalolitha robusta.
Host
corals of L. laevigata are Fungia (V.) scabra, and F. (V.)
spinifer.
Host
corals of L. lessepsiana are Fungia (Danafungia) horrida, Halomitra
pileus, Herpolitha limax,
and Lithophyllon
undulatum.
Host
corals of L. lima are Fungia (P.) moluccensis, F. (V.) scabra,
Lithophyllon undulatum.
Host
corals of L. simplex are Fungia (Wellsofungia) granulosa, and Sandalolitha
robusta.
It is
obvious that there is no clear host-specificity in the associations of Lithophaga
and mushroom
coral
species.
The
present results suggest that the Lithophaga species recorded from
mushroom corals at the
Spermonde
Shelf, South Sulawesi, predominantly occur on nearshore reefs..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
54
GROWTH
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CORAL-ASSOCIATED BACTERIAL
COMMUNITY
IN HEALTHY, STRESSED, AND DISEASED CORALS
David
Kline, Mya Breitbart, Nancy Knowlton, Forest Rohwer
Marine
Biology Research Division
Scripps
Institution of Oceanography
University
Of California, San Diego
La
Jolla, CA 92093-0202 USA
dkline@ucsd.edu
Coral
disease incidence has increased dramatically since first being reported in the
early 1970s.
Increasing
numbers of coral colonies and species over wider geographical ranges are
affected by
disease,
resulting in extensive mortality throughout the Caribbean. Despite the major
ecological
impact
of coral disease, the etiology of most coral diseases remains unclear. Corals
harbor unique,
associated
microbial communities. These coral-associated bacterial communities are
diverse, species
specific,
and similar in corals from widely separated reefs. The nature of the
relationship between
corals
and their associated bacteria has yet to be established. The balance of a
symbiotic relationship
is
not static, and under stressful environmental or physiological conditions it is
possible that the
associated
symbionts can multiply and cause disease. Whether any of the uncharacterized
coral
diseases
are caused by imbalances in the regulation of the normally associated
microbiota remains to
be
determined. Mitchell and Chet (1975) demonstrated that certain stresses kill
corals via bacterial
overgrowth
(i.e., coral treated with antibiotics did not die when exposed to crude oil,
copper sulfate,
or
dextrose). However, the Mitchell and Chet study used concentrations of
stressors that are unlikely
to
occur even on extremely polluted reefs. This study expanded upon the work of Mitchell
and Chet
(1975)
by testing a greater range of environmental and anthropogenic stresses, at more
environmentally
relevant concentrations. To elucidate the nature of the relationship between a
coral
and
its associated bacteria, methods were developed to determine bacterial growth
rates and numbers
on
corals. These methods were used to determine how the bacterial community growth
characteristics
change with anthropogenic stress and disease. Our results indicate that the
coral-associated
bacterial
community is tightly regulated, possibly through nutrient limitation, and this
regulation
breaks down with carbon (glucose) addition and disease..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
55
GENETIC
POPULATION STRUCTURE OF THE LIONFISH
PTEROIS
MILES (SCORPAENIDAE: PTEROINAE) IN THE GULF OF AQABA AND
NORTHERN
RED SEA
Kochzius
M, Söller R, Khalaf MA, Blohm D
Department
of Biotechnology and Molecular Genetics, FB2-UFT,
University
of Bremen, P.O. Box 330440, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Fishes
on coral reefs, such as the lionfish Pterois miles, have a life history
with two totally different
phases:
adults are relatively strongly side-attached, whereas larvae of virtually all
species are
planktonic.
Therefore, large-scale dispersal and high gene flow could be expected. However,
due to
the
fjord-like hydrography and topology of the Gulf of Aqaba isolation of
populations might be
possible.
The gulf is a 180 km long and 6-25 km wide northern extension of the Red Sea
and
separated
by a shallow sill. The aim of this study is to reveal genetic population
structure, genetic
diversity,
and gene flow between populations of the lionfish P. miles in the Gulf
of Aqaba and
northern
Red Sea. The applied molecular marker is a 166 bp sequence of the 5’
mitochondrial control
region.
It is the most variable mitochondrial gene in fishes and a suitable marker to
investigate
genetic
population structure. Among 94 P. miles specimens 32 polymorphic sites
were detected,
yielding
38 haplotypes. Sequence divergence among haplotypes ranged from 0.6% to 9.9%
and
genetic
diversity was high (h=0.85, =1.9%). AMOVA indicates no restriction of
gene flow between
the
Gulf of Aqaba and northern Red Sea ( ct =
0.05258). Consideration of observed high genetic
diversity,
paleoceanography of the Red Sea, and life history of P. miles indicate
that the revealed
genetic
population structure reflects high gene flow and panmixia. However, it is not
possible to
estimate
on which time-scale gene flow operate. Therefore, coastal zone management in
the Gulf of
Aqaba
has to follow the precautionary principle and should not rely upon fast
replenishment or re-colonisation..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
56
STRATEGIES
IN SURVIVAL OF CORALS FROM STRESSED ENVIRONMENTS:
FUNGIA
GRANULOSA A CASE STUDY
E.
Kramarsky-Winter, Y. Loya
Dept
of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences,
Tel
Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
wintere@post.tau.ac.il
Coral
reef degradation due to anthropogenically induced stress has recently been the
cause of much
concern
For corals found in these areas, the ability for sustaining the population
depends on the
survival
at the individual (clone) level as well as at the genet level. Survival at the
individual level is
a
result of the individual”s capacity for physiolo gical plasticity. Reproduction
and the ability to repair
damage
are two aspects of the coral’s physiology that play cardinal roles in their
ability to survive
stress.
In the Red Sea the solitary free living fungiid coral Fungia granulosa, is
common in areas of
high
sedimention and physical abrasion, thus providing a good model system for
studying the
mechanisms
for overcoming stress. To ascertain what physiological adaptations may aid
these corals
to
survive, the reproductive cycle and capacity for repair following damage was
followed for a period
of
three years using standard histological techniques and in situ obsrevations.
Moreover the effect of
tissue
damage on reproductive effort and conversely of reproductive state on the
capacity for repair
was
examined in experimentally manipulated corals. Results showed that F.
granulosa is a
gonochoric
broadcast spawner. Gametogenesis begins in early March at a time of high
productivity in
the
Gulf of Aqaba. Only individuals over 5.0 cm in diameter are reproductive.
Spawning occurs in
July-
August when the water in the Gulf is relatively calm. This led to the choice of
spring and fall as
the
experimental periods for inflicting tissue lesions. Lesions were inflicted on
mature and immature
corals
using an air pick and the corals were maintained in situ. This procedure
was carried out on one
set
of corals during gametogenic months (spring), and on another set during post
reproductive months
(fall).
Tisse repair and regeneration were monitored using photography and computerized
image
analysis.
Corals that underwent damage during post reproductive months, underwent complete
repair
within
8 weeks, while those that were damaged at the beginning of gametogenesis did
not. Immature
corals
did not undergo complete repair regardless of season. Moreover when
reproductive effort was
investigated
two months following removal of 30% of surface tissue, results showed that
fecundity
was
reduced by 50%, though gametogenesis continued, indicating cellular and
energetic trade-offs
between
the two processes. The relationship between amount of tissue damage and tissue
repair in
this
coral was also studied. Corals that had up to 50% of the oral surface tissues
removed underwent
complete
repair providing at least part of the polyp mouth remained. When the polyp
mouth was
removed
coral tissues began developing new mouths buds. In addition following periods
of
“catastrophic”
disturbances where many individuals underwent extensive damage to their tissues
the
corals
survived by a reorganization of the remnant tissues and the formation of buds
which then grew
into
new polyps. A model illustrating how environmental disturbance affects the
relationship between
regeneration
and reproduction is proposed..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
57
CYCLONE
PUMPING AND SEDIMENT PARTITIONING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE
GREAT BARRIER REEF SHELF SYSTEM
Piers
Larcombe, Bob Carter
Marine
Geophysical Laboratory, James Cook University,
Townsville
4811 Australia
piers.larcombe@jcu.edu.au
Understanding
the relative impact on shelf sediments of daily low-energy versus episodic
high-energy
phenomena
(e.g. cyclones, tsunami) is crucial to our understanding of how shallow water
sedimentary
systems function. Around 30-40% of today’s continental margins lie in the
tropics and
sub-tropics,
where cyclones are major mechanisms of sediment supply to the shelf, and
sediment
transport
upon it. Understanding the sedimentary dynamics of tropical shelves at various
stages of sea
level
is therefore a fundamentally important issue. However, current sedimentation
models for
tropical
shelves are strongly influenced by studies of ocean plateaux such as the
Bahamas, and often
do
not fit well with the characteristics displayed by mixed terrigenous-carbonate
systems, which are
geologically
common and important in petroleum exploration.
The
modern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is part of the world’s largest and best known
mixed
terrigenous-carbonate
continental margin. The GBR shelf contains three shore-parallel sedimentary
belts.
An inner shelf zone of terrigenous sedimentation at depths of 0-22 m; a middle
shelf zone of
sediment
starvation at depths of 22-40 m; and an outer shelf reef tract with its inner
edge at c. 35-40
m
depth. These zones are controlled by the dynamics of northward, fair-weather,
alongshelf drift,
driven
by southeasterly trade winds, and by the regular passage of tropical cyclones.
Cyclones cause
wind-driven
north-directed middle shelf flows in excess of 130 cm/s, which erode the
seabed,
concentrate
the sparse mobile sediment into sand ribbons, and advect suspended load onto
the outer
part
of the nearshore terrigenous sediment prism and into inter-reef depocentres
within the reef
complex.
Cyclones largely control the input of new sediment into the Great Barrier Reef
system, via
river
flooding, seabed erosion or reef breakage. They also help to control the
partitioning and
dispersion
of the main shore-parallel belts of terrigenous inner shelf, sediment-starved
middle shelf,
and
outer shelf carbonate reef tract sediment. Acting as a sediment pump,
especially during
interglacial
highstands, cyclones have exerted great control on the development of the
modern GBR
province
and its sediments by maintaining a broad shelf-parallel zone of episodically
mobilised
sediment
and scoured seabed, upon which coral reefs have been unable to form.
Contrary
to current models, (i) GBR storm beds are most likely to be preserved intact
close to the
shoreline,
and they also become coarser-grained away from the shoreline; and (ii) for the
central
GBR,
“highstand shedding” only applies to carbonate sediment at the scale of local
reefs; system-wide,
oceanographic
controls cause high rates of carbonate sedimentation on the slope during both
sea-level
rise and highstand; concomitantly, terrigenous sediment accumulates fastest on
the slope
during
sea- level rise, and slowest during sea- level lowstand and highstand..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
58
THE
SUCCESS OF DANJUGAN ISLAND MARINE RESERVE AND SANCTUARIES
LEADS
TO A NETWORK OF PROPOSED MARINE PROTECTED AREAS IN NEGROS
OCCIDENTAL,
WESTERN VISAYAS, PHILIPPINES
Gerrardo
L. Ledesma 1 , Jean-Luc Solandt 2 and Peter Raines 2
1 The Philippine Reef and Rainforest
Conservation Foundation, Inc.,
#3
Dona Ceferina Building,
Mandalagan,
Negros Occidental,
Philippines
gll@mozcom.com
2 Coral Cay Conservation Ltd., The Tower, 125
High Street, London SW19 2BL, UK
jls@coralcay.org
The
Danjugan Island Marine Reserve and Sanctuaries (DIMRS) (Cauayan municipality,
Negros
Occidental,
Philippines) was established via a collaborative project that pioneered a
unique approach to
marine
resource management. The Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation
Foundation, Inc.
(PRRCFI)
has been working in partnership with Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) since 1995,
in order to
carry
out survey and education work to create the DIMRS, which was fully gazetted in
February 2000
by
the provincial council. Baseline surveys and training of fisherfolk, community
members and
government
personnel has expanded since 2000 to the adjacent municipalities of Sipalay and
Hinoba-an
where
further potential reserve areas have been proposed. This work has come under
the umbrella of
a
provincial environmental programme called The Southern Negros Coastal
Development Programme
(SNCDP).
A local community (Barangay Elihan) has requested to have their own marine
sanctuary due
to
the success of DIMRS, and with the assistance of PRRCFI and CCC scientists,
surveys have been
carried
out together with trained local community members to help establish reserve
boundaries. This
area
has particularly high coral cover for Negros Occidental, and good potential for
future coral
accretion
through recruitment and adult coral growth. Similarly, after initial CCC
surveys in early
2000,
further marine reserves have been recommended in other municipalities, and
PRRCFI aim to
continue
the work of the SNCDP within the municipalities of Sipalay and Hinoba-an.
Therefore, as a
result
of baseline marine biological surveys coupled with community education and
technical training
by
the PRRCFI/CCC partnership, there has been an increase in the number of
potential and existing
marine
protected areas in Negros Occidental as a knock-on effect of the successful
establishment of the
DIMRS.Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
59
COLD-WATER
CORAL REEFS ALONG THE NORTHERN NORWEGIAN MARGIN
Björn
Lindberg, Christian Berndt, Jürgen Mienert
Dept.
of Geology, University of Tromsø 9037
Tromsø,
Norway
Bjorn.Lindberg@ibg.uit.no
The
University of Tromsø studies the northernmost known occurrences of cold-water
reefs as a
contributor
to the EU- funded program ECOMOUND (Environmental Control on Mound Formation
along
the European Margin). The presence of cold-water coral reefs along the entire
coast of Norway
has
been known for some time, but the reefs have only recently been subjected to
thorough stud ies.
Several
prerequisites for the existence of the reefs are known, including water
temperature, current
activity
and the presence of hard substrate on which reef- growth can initiate. Several
of the reefs
found
on the Norwegian margin seem to be closely linked to micro-seepage of
hydrocarbons from
deeper-lying
reservoirs, but elevated HC- levels have not been proved at all locations. The
question
still
remains, whether or not the presence of the reefs is linked to the local (and
regional) sub-surface
geology.
High-resolution
acoustics (seismics and side-scan sonar), video- imaging, coring, HC-analyses
and
isotope-analyses
provide a solid data-set for the study of the Fugløya reefs (first discovered
by
Hovland
et al. during a pipeline survey). The reefs can be more than 30 m high and
are dominated by
Lophelia
pertusa. They are found from 130 to 180 mbsl, consistently located on
topographic highs of
morainic
material deposited during the last glaciation. The oceanic conditions are
strongly influenced
by
the influx of Atlantic water (Norwegian Current) with temperatures of ~7.7°C
and salinity of
34.7‰,
and tidal currents with velocities up to >30 cm/s were measured. A local
basin containing
primarily
sandy sediments nearby the reefs displays circular depressions of ~5 m depth
and ~20 m
diameter,
interpreted to be pockmarks due to migration of fluids from the sub-seafloor.
The region is
on
the boundary to the Barents Sea, and existing geologic maps indicate that the
underlying bedrock
is
crystalline, thus pointing towards a non-thermogenic origin of the migrating
fluids causing the
pockmarks
in the area.
Further
studies of the reefs can assess their value as an indicator of the sub-surface
geology as well as
a
possible paleoclimatic proxy, given that the d
13 C and d 18 O values are linked to
the environment in
which
the corals grow, and the parameters are recorded in the skeleton..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
60
REEF
GROWTH AND ACCRETION IN A TURBID LAGOON ENVIRONMENT
Iain
A. Macdonald
Manchester
Metropolitan University
Department
of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, John Dalton Building, Chester
Street,
Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
Turbid
reefs have been the subject of many ecological investigations and have commonly
been
associated
with lower living cover of benthic organisms, decreased diversity of organisms
and a
general
range reduction of fore-reef bathymetric zonation. Whilst these studies stress
the impacts of
increased
sedimentation on reef composition, the longer-term potential for carbonate
accumulation
and
the processes controlling accumulation under these conditions remain poorly
understood.
This
study examines these processes within a lagoon environment at Discovery Bay,
Jamaica. The
site
is naturally turbid, and these conditions are exacerbated by additional
external inp uts of bauxite
dust.
This results in high mean sedimentation rates (average 5.2 ± 2.2 mg.cm -2 d -1 ),
although at times
these
reach the proposed threshold levels (10 mg.cm -2 d
-1 ) beyond which reef development is
suppressed.
In-situ measurements of light also indicate high attenuation rates, such
that the surface
illumination
is reduced to 9.5% at 15m depth. Models are presented which illustrate patterns
of reef
development,
community structure and framework preservation for shallow (0-10 m) and deep
(15-25
m)
parts of the site.
Shallow
sites are characterised by a rigid reef structure of dead in-situ Acropora sp.
Live coral cover
is
minimal (3.7%) with Siderastrea sp. (domed morphology) and Madracis
mirabilis dominating.
Sediment
production is dominated by the calcified green algae Halimeda sp. (5m –
19.7%; 10m –
39.0%)
and the articulated coralline algae Amphiroa sp. (5m – 37.6%; 10m –
16.0%). Framework
preservation
is influenced by high rates of internal bioerosion (mainly by sponges and
worms) and
low
encrustation rates (coralline algae and the foraminifera Gypsina plana dominate
the secondary
framework
community). In combination these factors contribute to a predicted low
accretion rate.
Deep
sites are characterised by loose sediment with little solid reef structure.
Live coral cover is very
low
(5.4%). Montastrea annularis dominates the coral community and exhibits
flat tiered growth
morphologies.
Partial mortality and rejuvenation are common. Sediment production is dominated
by
bivalves
(20m – 36.5%; 25m – 39.5%). Framework preservation is influenced by high
infestation by
internal
bioeroders (particularly sponges and bivalves) and by minimal encrustation
(mainly
serpulids).
In combination these factors contribute to a predicted very low accretion rate.
This
study demonstrates restricted framework development under conditions of high
sedimentation
and
turbidity, coupled with only a small effect from secondary framework
contributors and an
infestation
of borers. The major sediment contributors (Amphiora sp., Halimeda sp.,
and bivalves)
also
differ from typical fore-reef (coral dominated) assemblages. Overall, low
carbonate
accumulation
rates are predicted for these reefs..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
61
TROPICAL
REEF COMMUNITIES OFF NORTH CAROLINA: AT THE NORTHERN
LIMIT
ALONG THE US EAST COAST
Ian
G. Macintyre
Smithsonian
Institution, National Museum of Natural History,
Washington,
DC 20560, USA
Two
species of zooxanthellate or tropical reef corals occur in patches on flat rock
outcrops in Onslow
Bay,
North Carolina. Solenastrea hyades (Dana) and Siderastrea siderea (Ellis
and Solander) were
found
in water depths of about 20 to 40 meters. These corals survive temperatures of
less than
16degC
for three months of the year (mid-January to mid-April), which is the generally
accepted
minimum
tolerance limit for the survival of tropical reef corals. These corals were
found scattered on
mostly
Miocene quartz sandstone outcrops and are not forming a reefal framework.
Dominantly
tropical
benthic macro algae and a variety of tropical reef fish are associated with
these reef patches.
Rock
outcrops are abundant in Onslow Bay because of a restricted sediment supply
related to limited
river
outflows. These suitable substrates and the inshore migration of the Gulf
Stream during summer
months
are major factors that allow these tropical reef communities to exist so far
north. The inner
depth
limit of about 20 meters is related primarily to a lack of suitable hard
substrate and suspended
sediments
caused by water turbulence. More work is needed to study the life histories of
the two
coral
species to reveal if they are capable of reproducing under these hostile
conditions and also to
document
the settlement periods for their planulae. In addition, more information is
needed on other
groups
that are associated with these tropical coral patches, particularly octocorals
and sponges..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
62
RELATIONSHIP
OF d 13 C VERSUS d 18 O IN
CORAL SKELETONS. A NEW PROXY FOR
ECOLOGICAL
ADAPTATION?
Cornelia
Maier 1 , Jürgen Pätzold 2 , Rolf P.M. Bak 1
1 Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research,
P.O.
Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
2 University of Bremen,
Dept.
of Geosciences, Postfach 33 04 40, 28334 Bremen, Germany
Scleractinian
corals hosting endosymbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) occur over a wide depth
range
within
the photic zone of coral reefs. Different species are distinct in their
distributional depth range,
with
some species being confined to a narrow depth range while others can be found
over the whole
reef
slope. We investigated the skeletal d 13 C versus d 18 O, zooxanthellae densities and photopigments
of
three different species of the genus Madracis. The species M.
pharensis is abundant over a wide
range
between 5 and > 60 m depth, while M. mirabilis and M. formosa are
restricted to a narrow
range
growing shallow (<20 m) or deep (> 40 m), respectively. We hypothesize,
that the distinct
distributional
depth range of the three species is due to adaptation to the respective light
regimes.
Because
coral d 13
C and d 18 O are both controlled by kinetic isotope effects and, because d 13 C
is in
addition
affected by the coral / zooxanthellae metabolism (P:R ratio), any species
specific adaptation
to
particular depth regimes must be reflected in the skeletal d 18 O
versus d 13
C ratios. Apart from
environmental
factors (temperature and salinity), photosynthesis and calcification rate are
controlling
factors
in coral isotope fractionation. The efficiency with which corals under various
light regimes
photosynthesize
and calcify, and the linkage between photosynthesis and calcification, become
apparent
when applying skeletal d 13 C versus d 18 O of the 3 Madracis species. The d 13 C
vs. d 18 O
ratios
of e.g. M. pharensis (broad depth range) and M. formosa (narrow
range, deep) - both sampled
at 50
m depth – indicate that M. pharensis has hardly been growing and is
hence at its distributional
depth
limit, while M. formosa has even in 50 m depth a positive P:R ratio and
skeletal growth. We
consider
the ratio of d 13 C and d 18 O a useful ‘proxy’ to determine the
ecological adaptation of single
species
to various depth or light regimes. Moreover applying skeletal d 13 C
versus d 18
O may be a
vital
tool in reconstructing past conditions of reef health and reef growth..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
63
BENTHIC
COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND SEDIMENT PRODUCTION IN A
FLUVIALLY
IMPACTED EMBAYMENT , RIO BUENO, JAMAICA.
Jennie
Mallela
Manchester
Metropolitan University, Department of Environmental and Geographical
Sciences,
Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
j.mallela@mmu.ac.uk
This
study examines the structure and composition of fluvially impacted coral reef
communities and
associated
sediment production in Rio Bueno, Jamaica. Rio Bueno is a small (ca. 0.5
km wide)
embayment,
located on the northern coast of Jamaica (N 18° 28’, W 077° 27’). The area is
characterised
by clastic sediment and freshwater inputs from the Dornock River, resulting in
abiotic
conditions
exhibiting pulsed fluctuations (e.g. variation in salinity, turbidity,
light attenuation).
Detailed
fieldwork during the summer of 2001 demo nstrated that mean (± SE)
sedimentation rates in
the
central western embayment area were 10.6 (± 0.98) mg cm -2 day -1 . Outer embayment
areas
demonstrated
a mean (± SE) sedimentation rate of 3.1 (± 0.40) mg cm -2 day -1 . In addition to
continual
natural disturbances, the study area has historically been subjected to
mangrove and
seagrass
clearance, whilst the over-exploitation of fisheries resources continues.
Inner
embayment areas appear heavily impacted by the Dornock River, with a substrate
composition
of
close to 100% silt (occasional patches of seagrass (less than 1%) occur). No
other habitat types
occurred
at these innermost sites. Framework production was bathymetrically restricted
to areas
shallower
than 27 - 35 m within the central, fluvially impacted sites. In contrast, the
outer, less
impacted
sites have been demonstrated to support drop-offs to = 200 m, with corals
present to depths
of
=60m. The spatial and bathymetric restriction observed in the central embayment
areas can be
considered
an effect of a highly turbid, reduced- light environment.
Macro
algae and turf dominated the community composition, comprising between 25% and
30% of
benthic
cover in the central fluvially impacted sites, and between 40% and 70% at less
impacted
sites.
However, hard coral cover comprised 9% to 11% of benthic cover at the central
fluvially
disturbed
sites and 8% to 12% at less impacted outer sites.
The
results of the study are discussed in the light of ongoing work, which is
focused on developing a
carbonate
bud get for inner and outer regions of the Rio Beuno embayment area..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
64
GFP-LIKE
PROTEINS AND EVOLUTION OF COLORATION IN REEF ANTHOZOA
Mikhail
V. Matz, Yulii Labas, Konstantin Lukyanov, Sergey Lukyanov
Whitney
Laboratory, University of Florida, 9505 Ocean Sho re Blvd,
St
Augustine, FL 32080, USA
Coral
reef ecosystems are characterized by the amazing variety of colors, but the
evolutionary roots
of
this diversity remain largely unknown. Anthozoa represent a unique case when
each visually
perceptible
basic color is essentially determined by the sequence of a single protein,
homologous to
green
fluorescent protein (GFP) from Aequorea victoria. This provides unique
opportunity to address
the
question of color evolution in the environment directly by applying the tools
of molecular
phylogenetics,
and in addition, to characterize and monitor variations in coloration in terms
of
expression
of individual genes. GFP-like proteins of Anthozoans are a very diverse family
that
existed
in the form of at least four separate lineages even before separation of
sub-classes Zoantharia
and
Alcyonaria. The most surprising fact is that, notwithstanding these ancient
diversity roots,
origination
of new colors seems to happen right now: there are multiple independent events
of color
diversification
observed in the most terminal parts of the phylogenetic tree. Combining this
fact with
the
molecular data obtained for the proteins of different colors, such as results
of site-specific and
random
mutagenesis and X-ray crystallography, we hypothesize that the phylogenetic
pattern and
color
polymorphism in reef Anthozoa is a result of a balance between selection for
GFP- like proteins
of
particular colors and mutation pressure driving the color conversions. An
in-depth phylogenetic
analysis
will clarify whether the color diversification process goes on continuously
within the protein
family,
or we are witnessing a unique one-time event triggered by some environmental
changes in the
recent
past..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
65
CORAL
RECORD OF RIVER RUNOFF AND HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE INNER GREAT
BARRIER
REEF OF AUSTRALIA
Malcolm
McCulloch, Stewart Fallon, Timothy Wyndham,
Erica
Hendy, Janice Lough, David Barnes
Research
School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, and
Australian
Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia
The
impact of European settlement on water quality in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR)
of Australia is a
longstanding
and still highly controversial issue. Studies of erosion and sediment transport
in river
catchments
have shown substantial increases since European settlement; a consequence of
large-scale
modification
of the river catchments from grazing, agriculture, mining and associated
activities such
as
land clearing. The magnitude and scale of these anthropogenic induced changes
and importantly
their
impact on the marine environment, however remains highly uncertain. Here we
describe a new
approach
to assist in the quantification of both anthropogenic and natural
(pre-European) sediment
fluxes
entering the GBR. This approach is based on the application of in-situ
geochemical tracers in
corals
and has the advantage of providing a direct quantitative measure of the
sediment/nutrient (P)
fluxes
that are actually reaching coral reefs.
Using
the relatively new technique of high resolution (weekly to fortnightly) laser
ablation ICP-MS,
continuous
scans of the trace element compositions were undertaken on 300-400 year old Porites
coral
cores (growth rate of ~1-2 cm per year) from the GBR of Australia. During high
intensity
rainfall
events, there are massive discharges of freshwater and suspended sediments into
the GBR
lagoon,
particularly from the Burdekin River. Barium concentrations in corals, a tracer
of suspended
sediment
load, reveals two distinctive patterns. In the 1770’s when Captain Cook first
explored the
east
coast of Australia, there is only limited evidence for flood-plume related
suspended sediment
fluxes
entering the inner GBR. However, immediately following European settlement in
1870, there
is a
sustained increase in the Ba during flood events. This is indicative of a significant
increase in
suspended
load being delivered to the inner GBR, coincident with the first grazing
activities by
European
settlers in the river catchments of the GBR. These results therefore provide
unequivocal
evidence
for river flood-plumes transporting substantially increased fluxes (x4 to x8)
of suspended
sediment
and hence nutrients into the inner GBR reef. Sediment fluxes are modulated by
land-use
intensity
and climate, principally droughts. Following the drought of 1968/69, the
suspended
sediment
load increased x3 during the subsequent 1970 flood, presumably due to enhanced
erosion of
the
highly denuded catchments. In the 1970’s and 1980’s sediment loads in the
Burdekin River
further
increased following the introduction of more drought resistant cattle breeds
such as Bos
indicus.
This
study provides both a ‘natural’ pre-European baseline as well as a quantitative
measure of
anthropogenic
fluxes against which reduction of sediment loads to the GBR can be targeted.
Reducing
terrestrial runoff into coral reefs is essential if they are to survive the
lethal combination of
direct
anthropogenic impacts and now climatic stresses from unusually warm ocean
temperatures..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
66
‘EACH
REEF ITS OWN STORY’
SEA-LEVEL,
ISLAND EROSION AND TWO OF J S GARDINER’S ATOLLS: FUNAFUTI
(TUVALU)
AND GOIDHOO (MALDIVES)
Roger
McLean
School
of Geography and Oceanography
University
of New South Wales
Australian
Defence Force Academy
Canberra
ACT 2600 Australia
At
the age of 24, J Stanley Gardiner joined the ‘Coral Reef Boring Expedition’ to
Funafuti atoll for
the
first of the three expeditions to test Darwin’s subsidence theory of coral
reefs. Gardiner spent
upwards
of three months on Funafuti. His 1898 publication appeared in the same year the
third
expedition
ended and six years before the major results of the expedition were published
by the
Royal
Society/British Museum. Among other things, Gardiner concluded that Funafuti
‘had been
elevated
by about 10 feet’ and that the islands on the atoll were ‘now being washed
away’. In 1899
Gardiner
spent 10 days on Goidhoo atoll, the first of the Maldivian atolls he visited
during his six
month
expedition to the Maldives. On Goidhoo, he came to the same conclusions as on
Funafuti, viz
he
found ‘proof of elevation’ as well as the ‘slow but steady erosion’ of islands.
Three decades later,
in
reviewing his own and others work on reefs and islands in the Pacific and Indian
Oceans, Gardiner
admitted
that he ‘had not materially altered his views’, though he had become much more
precise
about
the timing of the higher sea level, endorsing Daly’s deduction that it was
3500-4000 years ago.
What
was Gardiner’s evidence for these conclusions on Funafuti and Goidhoo? Were his
interpretations
similar to those of his contemporary expeditioners and later researchers? And,
how
does
his sea- level history and island erosion hypothesis stack- up now, after 100
years?
This
paper addresses these three questions. Generally Gardiner’s conclusions have
been endorsed.
Indeed,
on the face of it they stack-up pretty well. For instance, Dickinson, in a
recent paper
(Quaternary
Research, 1999) indicates that the shoreline morphology of Funafuti ‘reflects
a relative
mid-Holocene-sea-level
high stand’, and that the shoreline erosion, which is presently occurring on
Funafuti,
foreshadows the potential impact of global warming on atoll islands.
Dickinson’s evidence
on is
based primarily on field observations and data from secondary sources, as well
as a notion of
where
Funafuti fits within the regional sea- level context.
An
extensive geomorphic survey, including levelling profiles and mapping all of
the islands on
Funafuti,
and a more modest survey using similar techniques on Goidhoo atoll has been
carried out
by
the author and colleagues. These surveys, showed no indisputable evidence for a
higher mid-Holocene-
sea-
level high stand nor any evidence for chronic island erosion, apart from
shorelines that
have
been subject to substantial modification from human impact. Radiometric dates
from reef flats
and
islands of both atolls are consistent with this view, which is contrary to the
conclusions of
Gardiner
and other workers on Funafuti and Goidhoo. Reasons for this situation are
advanced,
including
the views of some of Gardiner’s contemporaries which were more ambiguous about
the
field
evidence..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
67
DOES
SUBSISTENCE FISHING INFLUENCE SEA URCHIN POPULATIONS IN FIJI?
Rebecca.
E. Mitchell, N. K. Dulvy, N. V. C. Polunin
Department
of Marine Sciences and Technology
University
of Newcastle upon Tyne
Ridley
Building
Newcastle
upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
If
fishing alone determines sea urchin abundance through removal of predators and
grazing
competitors,
then urchin density will be greater on reefs with higher exploitation pressure
where
other
anthropogenic impacts do not exist. We tested whether sea urchin abundance
differed across a
gradient
of fishing pressure among thirteen traditional fishing grounds, in a region of
Fiji where
additional
human disturbances are negligible. The abundance of sea urchins in Lau was low,
ranging
from
0.1-0.8 urchins m -2 , and although
differences in both their total abundance and diversity were
evident
among grounds, these differences did not relate systematically to variations in
fishing
pressure
or benthic variables. Only the abundance of juvenile urchins indicated a
positive relationship
with
fishing pressure. Multiple regression models were used to explain relative
influences of benthic
variables
alongside fishing pressure, but significant results with juvenile urchins appear
to be
influenced
primarily by the most heavily fished ground. We conclude that in the absence of
other
anthropogenic
inputs, recruitment to adult urchin populations at low subsistence- levels of
fishing is
more
likely to be driven by a combination of processes rather than by predation
alone..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
68
PETROGRAPHIC
AND GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF A NON-TROPICAL
MEDITERRANEAN
CORAL (Cladocora caespitosa): IMPLICATIONS FOR ITS USE AS A
PALAEOCLIMATIC
PROXY
Montagna
Paolo, Mazzoli Claudio, Silenzi Sergio, Corain Livio
Dept.
Mineralogy and Petrology, Padova Univ., C.so Garibaldi 37, I-35137 Padova,
Italy
paolo.montagna@unipd.it
Many
palaeoclimatic studies focus on the atmosphere-ocean relationship as the major
point to
understand
decadal and longer-term climate variability. Although the most evident effects
of climate
changes
on seawater mainly concern the oceans, also in minor basin, such as in the
Mediterranean
Sea,
deep and complex changes are commonly observed and therefore they could be
analysed,
studied
and related to the global climate system.
The
highly seasonal nature of the Mediterranean climate regime makes this region
particularly
sensitive,
and potentially very vulnerable, to climate changes. Thus there is a need for
rigorous
assessment
of the patterns, causes and impacts of Mediterranean climate fluctuations. Such
understanding
needs reliable measurements of relevant parameters, such as sea surface
temperature
(SST),
for an adequate interval of time; in the lack of both instrumental observations
and historical
records
of relevant meteorological parameters we have to rely on indirect measurements
(proxy
data),
such as corals.
A
living non-tropical coral (Cladocora caespitosa) (L.) from the
North-western Mediterranean Sea,
has
been examined by optical polarized light (PL) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
and
chemically
analysed by electron (EMPA) microprobe with the aim to define in detail its
microstructural
features and determine the reliability of its use as a palaeo and living
environmental
and
climatic proxy. Petrographic observations and geochemical data show different
morphological
and
compositional portions of the primary aragonitic texture of the coral and the
presence of a
secondary
aragonitic precipitation (interseptal filling). Aragonitic crystals that form
interseptal
filling,
show lamellar arrangement completely different from trabecular structure that
forms septa,
paliform
lobes and theca wall. Different morphological features were analysed, and
geochemically
characterised.
The aim of the research was to carry out a detailed investigation on the
calcification
centres,
the needle-shaped crystals and the interseptal fillings, by studying the
distribution of minor
and
trace elements such as Sr, Mg, S, Si and Al, in order to recognise possible
microchemical
differences
in small coralline areas and reveal little scale heterogeneities which are
averaged in
conventional
bulk sampling techniques.
Minor
and trace element distribution between centres of calcification and the
surrounding fibres in
different
areas of the corallite has been pointed out. Small spatial scale study has
allowed to
determine
the microstructural geometry of the coral and its geochemical features,
improving the
analytical
methods for the future use of C. caespitosa as a environmental proxy
(SST, Salinity,
anthropogenic
inputs, etc.). This study has been extremely important to understand how to
obtain
geochemical
information from primary aragonite, without a contamination of a secondary
aragonitic
contribution.
Since C. caespitosa is the only shallow coral existing in the
Mediterranean Sea, such
petrographic
and geochemical characterization is fundamental to prove the reliability of
this species
as a
climate proxy, and it offers the possibility to obtain long time series, never
documented before in
the
Mediterranean marine environment..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
69
EARLY
MARINE DIAGENESIS IN CORALS AND CONSEQUENCES FOR PALEO-RECONSTRUCTIONS
OF
CARBONATE SATURATION STATE IN CORAL REEFS AND
ATMOSPHERIC
CO2
Anne
Müller 1 , Michael K. Gagan 2 , Janice M. Lough 3
1 Department of Geology, Australian National
University, Canberra, ACT 0200 2 Research
School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200
3 Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3,
Towns ville MC, QLD 4810, Australia
A
major and recently topical question concerns the effect of increasing
atmospheric CO2 on coral
calcification
rates. Coral calcification rates have been used to derive information on
carbonate
saturation
state in the ocean and to derive conclusions on atmospheric CO2 levels in the past and
future.
We present coral skeletal density, extension, calcification, d 18 O
and d 13 C
data for two long
coral
cores spanning ~ 1840-1994 AD at Ningaloo Reef Marine Park, Western Australia,
one of
which
includes significant secondary precipitation of marine inorganic aragonite. We
show that this
secondary
aragonite can lead to the incorrect conclusion of reduced calcification in the
20th. In our
coral,
a 30% cementation at the start of the century corresponds to the decrease in
calcification
towards
the present derived from modeling and experimental studies. While calcification
rates alone
are
ambigous for conclusions on reef calcification and coral growth, calcification
rates in
combination
with d 13
C values allow to see diagenetic alteration in recent corals.
Furthermore, the
combined
use of coral density, growth rate and calcification data supports correct
conclusions on
coral
calcification. We show that diagenesis can seriously effect paleoceanographic
reconstructions
from
calcification rates and d 13 C and may have serious implications for
paleo-CO2 reconstructions
and
conclusions on past episodes of coral bleaching..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
70
THE
KEY LARGO LIMESTONE REVISITED: PLEISTOCENE SHELF-EDGE FACIES,
FLORIDA
KEYS, USA
H.G.
Multer 1 , E. Gischler 2 , J. Lundberg 3 , K.R. Simmons 4 ,
E.A. Shinn 5
1 9855 State Route 961-F, Arkport, NY 14807, USA
2 Geologisch-Paläontologisches
Institut, J.W. Goethe -Universität, 60054 Frankfurt/Main, FRG 3 Dept. Geography, Carleton University, Ottawa
Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
4 US Geol. Survey, Federal Center, Denver CO
80225, USA 5 US Geol. Survey, St.
Petersburg FL 33701, USA
The
southern margin of the Pleistocene Florida Platform is well known from the
coral-bearing Key
Largo
Limestone and the ooid-rich Miami Limestone that crop out along the island
chain of the
Florida
Keys between Miami and Key West. These units were deposited during the last
interglacial
highstand
of sea level ca. 125 yr BP (oxygen- isotope stage 5e). Based on
sedimentological and
chronological
(U-series dating) investigations of 12 long and 57 short cores, the youngest of
the
Pleistocene
Q-units (Q1-Q5) of the Key Largo Limestone of south Florida was further
subdivided
into
Q5e and post-Q5e. Individual units correspond to highstands of sea level, and
units are, to a
large
part, separated from each other by subaerial exposure horizons reflecting sea
level lowstands of
the
Pleistocene. Units Q1 and Q2 are characterized by abundant quartz and to a
lesser extent by
skeletal
fragments of molluscs and foraminifera. We speculate that units Q1 and Q2 may
have been
deposited
during the high sea levels of oxygen-isotope stage 11 between 420-360 ka.
Abundant
carbonate
production and reef development occurred during deposition of unit Q3,
presumably
during
isotope stage 9. The abundance of corals and coral boundstone decreases in unit
Q4
(corresponding
to isotope stage 7), which can be subdivided in a lower quartz-rich and an
upper
carbonate-rich
succession. Unit Q5e (equivalent to isotope stage 5e), which forms the present
day
emergent
Florida Keys, is again rich in massive corals (Montastrea annularis) and
reefs. The
seaward-dipping
geometry of this unit and the scarcity of the Atlantic breakwater Acropora
palmata
support
the contention that this Q5e platform margin had a ramp-type character. Shelf-
margin reefs
with Acropora
palmata developed during deposition of post-Q5e units and correspond to
highstands
of
sea level during isotope stages 5a and 5c. These deposits, which exhibit shelf
margin wedge and
offshore
outlier reef geometries, act as foundations of the Holocene bank barrier reefs
at the modern
south
Florida shelf edge..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
71
DO
COMPETITIVE HIERARCHIES EXIST IN CORAL-ALGAL INTERACTIONS?
M.
M. Nugues, M. van der Geest, H. Waska, R.P.M. Bak
Netherlands
Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), PO Box 59,
1790
AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
Over
the past two decades, many coral reefs in the Caribbean have experienced an
increase in the
abundance
of macroalgae which has resulted in a greater frequency of direct encounters
between
corals
and macroalgae. Yet, few studies have examined how these interactions and their
effects vary
with
species characteristics and anthropogenic influence and whether they form
definite and
consistent
hierarchical structure. Here, naturally occurring interactions between corals
and three
species
of macroalgae, Halimeda opuntia, Dictyota menstrualis and Lobophora
variegata, were
surveyed
at two different depths on six reefs along the South coast of Curacao,
Netherlands Antilles.
Reefs
were chosen upstream and downstream of local human impacts to represent a gradient
of
human
influence. Damage to both parties in interactions was recorded in the form of
recently dead,
bleached
or discolored coral tissue or physical damage to the alga. In addition,
experimental field
contacts
between corals and algae were conducted to study the competitive abilities of
different coral
species
and the mechanisms of damage to the algae. The survey showed the number and
impact of
interactions
to depend on both coral and algal species, but also on reef location along the
gradient.
Upstream
reefs showed fewer interactions and less damaged coral tissue per interaction
at both
depths
compared to downstream reefs, suggesting a strong influence of local human
factors. The
forced
interactions experiments did not always reflect the pattern observed in the
reef survey. Results
indicated
differences in aggression among corals, with some species able to damage algal
blades by
extrusion
of mesenterial filaments. However, in the field, overgrowth and damage of these
corals by
macroalgae
was conspicuous. The complexity of the development of dominance pattern over
time
and
variation in environmental factors may preclude any consistent competitive
hierarchies between
corals
and algae..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
72
DYNAMICS
OF FISH ABUNDANCE ACROSS BOUNDARIES OF A NO-TAKE ZONE IN
NABQ
MANAGED RESOURCE PROTECTED AREA, SOUTH SINAI
Rupert
F.G.Ormond, Jennifer S. Ashworth, Randolph J. Velterop
University
Marine Biological Station
Millport,
Isle of Cumbrae, KA28 0EG
Underwater
visual census counts were conducted across a small no-take zone and its
adjacent open
fishing
zones in Nabq with the aim of analysing fish abundance and size distribution
across boundary
areas
at three depths and for eight fish families. Although fishing pressure from the
artisanal
Bedouin
fishery is considered moderate, differences in fish abundance since reserve
creation have
been
found and this study provides a more detailed examination of the reserve
dynamics. The
families
Serranidae (groupers) and Lethrinidae (emperors) displayed higher abundance in
the no-take
zone
over all depths whereas Acanthuridae (surgeonfishes) showed the reverse pattern
of increased
abundance
in the open areas. Fishing gear is predominantly gill and trammel nets leading
to
differential
fishing pressure at the various depths surveyed with deeper areas of reef slope
too deep
for
the nets, resulting in altered patterns of abundance with depth. Seven of the
eight families showed
significantly
higher abundance in the no-take zone in the backreef lagoon, whereas only two
families
showed
significant differences in abundance at 10m depth. Gradients of abundance from
the centre
of
the reserve outwards were also influenced by depth, with Siganidae
(rabbitfishes) showing a
decrease
in abundance from the centre in the lagoon but an increase at 3m and 10m. One
species
each
of snapper and grouper (Lutjanus ehrenbergi and Cephalopholis argus)
showed a significant
decrease
in abundance with distance from the reserve centre (over the combined depths)
whereas four
species
of surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigrofuscus, Ctenochaetus striatus, Zebrasoma
desjardinii and
Naso
unicornis) and one species of rabbitfish (Siganus argenteus) showed
significant increases in
abundance.
Habitat differences coupled with differential fishing pressure (both between
depths and
areas),
the small size of the no-take zone and imperfect enforcement of fishing
regulations have lead
to
varying dynamics across this no-take zone..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
73
EARLIEST
STEPS OF DIAGENESIS IN LIVING SCLERACTINIAN CORALS:
EVIDENCE
FROM ULTRASTRUCTURAL PATTERN
AND
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
Christine
Perrin 1 , David C. Smith 2
1 Laboratoire de Paléontologie, 8 rue Buffon,
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle,
75005
Paris, France
2 Laboratoire de Minéralogie, 61 rue Buffon,
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle,
75005
Paris, France
In
carbonate skeletons, including corals, the presence of organic matrices is well
known. These
skeletal
matrices have been recognized to play a major role in skeletogenesis and
formation of
biocrystals.
Sleractinian skeletons are therefore characterized by a compositional
heterogeneity which
is
fundamentally based on this organo- mineral duality. Effects of early
diagenesis on scleractinian
skeletons
are primarily controlled by their initial ultrastructural patterns and the
composition and
spatial
distribution of these skeletal organic matrices.
The
earliest stages of diagenesis in coral skeletons have been investigated by
comparing
microstructural
and ultrastructural features from the uppermost skeletal parts of living
colonies (i.e.
previously
occupied by the living soft tissues) with those obtained from the older part of
the same
skeleton.
The various ultrastructural and diagenetic patterns observed with SEM have been
analysed
by
Raman microspectroscopy in order 1) to characterize mineral and organic
skeletal phases in situ,
and
2) to detect transformation of any of these mineral or organic phases due to
very early stages of
diagenesis.
Microstructural
and ultrastructural patterns:
In
addition to its organo- mineral duality, the initial heterogeneity of a
scleractinian skeleton is shown
by
the occurrence of a micron-scale zonation of fibres resulting from incremental
growth during
elementary
cycles of biomineralisation, and also by the presence of two basic structural
features,
fibres
and calcification centres, clearly differentiated from each other. Within the
species analysed,
micro-
and ultrastructural data reveal an additional fine-scale diversity related to
taxonomy. At the
timescale
of colony life, the earliest processes of diagenesis produce a thin fringe of
syntaxial
aragonite
cements, alteration of the incremental zonation of scleractinian fibres and
also preferential
diagenetic
changes within calcification centres. These first modifications of coral
skeletons are
obviously
controlled by the biological ultrastructural characteristics of scleractinian
taxa and also
suggest
that early diagenesis does not necessarily imply drastic changes of
environmental conditions.
Raman
microspectroscopy:
The
characteristic 155 & 1085 cm -1 bands
common to both aragonite and calcite were evident in all
spectra
and attention was thus focussed on the other bands in order to distinguish
these two
polymorphs.
Most spectra revealed no specific trace of calcite. Organic matter has been
recognised in
some
spectra on the basis of several bands in the range typical of C-H vibration. A
few extra bands in
various
spectra have not yet been identified as belonging to organic or mineral matter
or to yet further
parasites.
Hence, at the present time, the existence of organic material is detected with
confidence,
but
no chemical assignment is yet possible..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
74
CORAL
REEFS IN A SILICICLASTIC BARRIER ISLAND SETTING: REEF
DEVELOPMENT
AND SEDIMENT PRODUCTION, INHACA ISLAND, SOUTHERN
MOZAMBIQUE
Chris
Perry
Manchester
Metropolitan University
Department
of Environmental & Geographical Sciences,
Chester
Street, Manchester M1 5GD
c.t.perry@mmu.ac.uk
Inhaca
Island, southern Mozambique (lat: 26 o S,
long: 33 o E) is located towards the
southerly
latitudinal
limits of coral reef growth in the Indian Ocean. The island forms part of a
small barrier
island
complex produced by the northward transport of sediment along the Natal coast.
The island
comprises
a series of high (up to 115 m) vegetated dunes, interspersed by low, freshwater
marsh
areas.
High energy conditions and significant clastic sediment transport occurs along
the eastern
(Indian
Ocean) side of the island, whilst western shores of the island (Maputo Bay)
represent areas of
deposition
and are characterised by low energy conditions, and the development of
extensive
intertidal
sandflats and seagrass beds.
Reef
development around the island is at best patchy and restricted to the margins
of channels which
dissect
the extensive intertidal flats on western and southern fringes of the island.
Three main sites of
coral
growth are currently identified but, at all sites, active framework
accumulation is severely
restricted
(both spatially and bathymetrically). Coral growth is limited to the upper 4–6
m, but
framework
accumulation is only significant in the upper 1–3 m. In many cases large Porites
sp.
‘bommies’
produce a basic reef structure, with other common coral genera including Acropora
sp.,
Favia
sp., Platygyra sp., Pocillopora sp. and Montipora sp..
In addition, the diversity of the reef-associated
fauna
is severely restricted. In contrast to lower latitude reef systems, reef
development is
therefore
both spatially and bathymetrically constrained and reflects low carbonate
production rates
in
these marginal (high latitude) and high turbidity sites.
Sediment
samples recovered from reef and reef-related areas also indicate very low
productivity of
carbonate
sediments. Three main carbonate sediment producing environments are identified,
1) intra-reef
areas,
2) intertidal coral rubble zones, and 3) seagrass beds. Intra-reef sediments
comprise
predominantly
coral (40–50%) and mollusc (15–30%) grains, with secondary coralline algae (5–
10%),
echinoid (~5%) and foraminifera (1–2%). Coral rubble zones are characterised by
mixed
carbonate:siliciclastic
sediments, with corals (~25%), molluscs (~10%) and coralline algae (~5%)
again
representing the dominant carbonate constituents. Siliciclastics comprise
around 50% of the
substrate.
Seagrass beds are also characterised by mixed carbonate:siliciclastic sands,
but with lesser
amounts
of carbonate (typically <20%). Predominant carbonate grains are molluscs
(10–15%) and
foraminifera
(10–15%). Halimeda which is typically an important reef sediment
producer is absent at
all
sites. Areas of open, intertidal sands, which occur between these carbonate
producing areas, are
siliciclastic
dominated (80-90% quartz) with lesser amounts of glauconite, feldspars and
lithoclasts.
Carbonate
grain assemblages do not, therefore, conform to typical chlorozoan (tropical)
associations,
further
emphasising the marginal nature of carbonate production in these high latitude
reef systems..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
75
GRAZER
CLUES TO REVERSING PHASE SHIFTS ON CARIBBEAN REEFS
Nicholas
Polunin, Ivor Williams
School
of Marine Science & Technology,
University
of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Can
we extrapolate the events of the 1980s on shallow N Jamaican reefs to other
Caribbean reefs,
what
does ‘phase shift’ imply, and what do we really know about underlying
mechanisms and their
reversibility?
On deeper (12-15m) reefs where it seems Diadema was never abundant, a
strong
negative
correlation across 19 sites in 5 Caribbean locations between herbivorous fish
biomass and
macroalgae
hints at a gradual, not step-wise, transition via grazing from high- to
low-coral states.
However
there appears to be a limit to the amount of substratum (~60% cover) scarids
and
acanthurids
can keep macroalgal- free at the present time. Further, an experiment in Belize
with
‘pseudocorals’
suggests that loss of coral and limited herbivore pressure can contribute to
macroalgal
overgrowth
through spatial escape from grazing. We suggest that (i) the consequences of
coral
bleaching,
disease and hurricane impacts and (ii) loss of grazing fish through fishing
contributed to
large
scale algal overgrowth on deeper reef tracts. The Jamaican phase shift (i)
appears not to be a
systemic
switch between alternative states more (ii) a dramatic change which occurred in
a short
space
of time. Systematic comparison of protected reefs with those unprotected from
fishing tends to
remind
us that at shallow and deep reefs the connection between fishing and the phase
shift has been
indirect;
reef degradation will not simply be reversed by excluding fishing..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
76
DEVELOPING
CORAL REEF DATABASE WITH WEB-BASED GIS
CASE
STUDY AT TELUK CENDRAWASIH MARINE NATIONAL PARK, INDONESIA
Juniawan
Priyono, Prof. Dr. Dulbahri
Faculty
of Geography Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Coral
reef ecosystem at Teluk Cendrawasih Marine National Park, Papua, Indonesia has
inside very
big
potential resources, unfortunately its exploitation bring about damaged. The
exploitation and
development
need more planning in an integrated manner, with rationally coral reef
management.
Former
step in this management system is developing coral reef spatial database in
digital format that
rounds
up its existing, distribution, wide area, conditions, type, and its species.
Coral reef data that
having
spatial and temporal references need a system for collecting, storing, and
management.
Geographic
Information System (GIS) as a computer-based system with four capabilities to
handle
geographical
reference data, i.e. entering, data management, manipulating and analyzing,
along with
output;
most appropriate to apply. GIS product also could be published on World Wide
Web that can
be
accessed by everyone in everywhere through internet browser.
The
development of coral reef spatial database, with Web-based GIS (Geographic
Information
System)
application, rounds up activity: (1) Digital mapping of area restriction and
management
zones
are carried out over digitizing, editing, UTM transformation, tabulation of
attribute data, and
map’s
layout process; (2) Coral reef condition mapping is carried out by image
processing of Landsat
Thematic
Mapper base on Lyzenga’s algorithm application. Field surveys for classify
determining
are
carried out base on line intercept transect (LIT) method for remote sensing
purpose; (3) Coral
tabular
database in digital format is arranged base on US Fish & Wildlife Service
Division of Law
Enforcement
(1991) and Australian Institute of Marine Science (1994) standard; (4) Web
pages are
taken
for relate on map and tabular database in an interactive manner with internet
mapping software
and
to publish database on internet.
The
result of this research can be accessed pass through :
http://www.wwf.or.id/
sahul/tcmnp/mapdb/coralmap.asp.Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
77
INHERITED
ASPECTS OF MODERN BARRIER REEF MORPHOLOGY
Edward
G. Purdy, Edward L. Winterer
Foxbourne,
Hamm Court
Weybridge,
Surrey KT13 8YA, UK
The
Darwinian model for the successive evolution of fringing reefs, barrier reefs
and atolls with
progressive
subsidence has been generally accepted following the indisputable proof of
subsidence
provided
by drilling results on Pacific atolls. Nonetheless, there is no proof that
subsidence ever
produced
such a genetic succession of reef types. Instead, there are data that don’t fit
the
expectations
of the model, such as the similar lagoon depths of barrier reefs and atolls as
opposed to
the
subsidence theory’s prediction that atolls should have significantly greater
depths.
As in
the case with atolls, the maximum lagoon depth of 69 modern barrier reefs is
statistically
correlated
with the lagoon catchment area for modern rainfall. Present day, low latitude,
oceanic
rainfall
patterns would seem to be an appropriate proxy for relative geographic
differences in glacial
lowstand
rainfall, even though the absolute amounts of rainfall are unknown.
Consequently, the
correlation
suggests the importance of Pleistocene subaerial solution in contributing to
barrier reef
morphology.
Further support for antecedent influence occurs in the form of barrier reef
passes in
which
the depth of the reef pass is correlated with onshore drainage volumes. Choked
or partially
blocked
reef passes seem likely to represent breaching of a pre-existing drainage
divide that
separated
seaward from lagoonward directed meteoric drainage during glacial low stands of
sea level.
The
role of carbonate deposition in contributing to lagoon morphology relates to
lateral infilling of
the
lagoon by rim-derived sediment and the vertical accentuation of antecedent
relief. In at least one
instance
bilateral progradation in both a seaward and lagoonward direction can be
demonstrated.
Resulting
barrier reef morphology reflects the alternating consequences of Pleistocene
fluctuations in
sea
level. During sea level rise, there is an accentuation of antecedent relief
followed by highstand
progradational
infilling of the lagoon by rim-derived sediment. During lowstands the infilling
is
terminated
and the lagoonward facing infilled edge is eroded, commensurate with the
development of
solution
morphology on the subaerially exposed carbonates. The consequences of the
numerous
Pleistocene
and perhaps earlier fluctuations of sea level are the barrier reef morphologies
that we see
today..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
78
CLASSIFICATION,
ACCURACY ASSESSMENT AND UTILITY OF REEF-TOP BENTHIC
HABITAT
MAPS DERIVED FROM LANDSAT DATA OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA
Samuel
Purkis, Jeroen Kenter
Dept.
Sedimentology
Faculty
of Earth and Life Science
Vrije
Universiteit
De
Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
purs@geo.vu.nl
Presented
is a technique to monitor benthic assemblages on the fringing coral reef tops
of the central
Egyptian
Red Sea using Landsat TM imagery calibrated by field measurement. Above water
spectral
reflectance
measurements of reef top substrates were made on a section of reef top
surrounding
Marsa
Shagra using an OceanOptics spectrometer. An analytical model was formulated
and proven
capable
of removing the influence of a water column of known thickness from an above
water
measurement
provided that values for the water’s inherent optical properties were
available. Both the
field
spectra and atmospherically corrected TM image were corrected for the influence
of the
intervening
water column using the model to retrieve values of substrate reflectance.
Unlike the field
spectra,
depth was not known for every pixel in the satellite imagery, as ancillary
bathymetric data
for
the area was not available. Instead, a simple generic model of reef topography
and in situ tidal
measurements
were combined to provide an estimate of depth. The processed field spectra were
assembled
into 7 classes representing the dominant substrate assemblages present on the
reef top and
resampled
to the bandwidths and sensitivity of the 3 visible bands of Landsat TM. Image
classification
was afforded using a maximum likelihood method based on a normal probability
density
function. Each image pixel was assigned to the substrate class to which the
probability of
membership
was greatest based on the covariance distribution of the field spectra.
Accuracy
assessment
of the resulting benthic habitat maps was performed against 87.3 km² of
metre-scale
ground-truth
data using both Kappa and Tau coefficients calculated from standard error
matrices. In
areas
where bathymetry was absent, classification accuracy was calculated to be 47%
higher than
would
be expected through chance agreement. In the limited areas where bathymetry was
known,
classification
was found to be significantly (P=0.01) more accurate and over 70% better than
chance.
The
work indicates that in areas where bathymetry data is absent, but predictable
using a simple
topographic
model, Landsat TM can be used to resolve both the geographic extent and
geomorphological
and ecological zonation of the reef top at a regional scale. In areas where an
independent
measure of bathymetry is available, it is shown that benthic habitat
distribution can be
predicted
with a high degree of accuracy and that quantitative analysis is possible. As
differentiation
between
optically similar substrates such as seagrass and green algae is displayed, the
detection of
community
phase-shifts of such classes can be used as a sensitive proxy for environmental
stress.
Landsat
offers a 25 year archive of imagery with which to investigate the seasonal,
annual and
decadal
dynamics of the reef-top. Such information is valuable to quantify the temporal
dynamics of
carbonate
depositional environments, as well as the impact of construction and habitat
alteration
related
to tourism development in the area. The results highlight the utility of
spaceborne remote
sensing
techniques to monitor short-term events in real time that could not be tackled
through in situ
survey
for logistical reasons..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
79
SPATIAL
AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF
CORAL
COMMUNITY DYNAMICS IN THE RED SEA
Götz
B. Reinicke, Helmut Schuhmacher
German
Oceanographic Museum
Katharinenberg
14/20, D-18439 Stralsund, Germany
Goetz.Reinicke@meeresmuseum.de
Coral
reef benthic community structures reflect the temporal integration of species
specific
ecological
demands over prevailing environmental conditions. Dynamic processes, such as
recruitment,
colony fragmentation, growth and retreat or mortality, however, create
within-community
fluctuations
in composition and abundance on the species level. The quantification of the
natural
„noise“ in community dynamics is essential for the status evaluation of recent
coral reefs and
coral
community recovery (succession) after natural perturbations or anthropogenic
disturbances.
Repetitive
surveys of test squares (25 m²) were used to estimate rates of species and area
turnover in
the
living benthic coverage. Four pristine reef sites (wind- and leeward outer reef
and lagoon slopes
respectively,
all at 10-12 m depth) at the Sanganeb-Atoll/Sudan were first mapped in 1980
(Mergner
H
& Schuhmacher H 1985 Helgol Meeresunters 39: 375). Resurveyed in 1991, the
data analysis
revealed
relative species turnover values (Trel,
Schoener TW 1983 Oikos 41: 372) ranging 1.97-3.24
%yr -1 (median 2.67 %yr -1
). They largely agree with values calculated from transect data of
Caribbean
coral
communities: 2.28 ± 1.04 %yr -1 , n=21
(Carysfort Reef, Florida, Dus tan P & Halas JC 1987
Coral
Reefs 6: 91).
Rates
of areas colonised or cleared by new or disappearing species during the census
interval were
used
to estimate areal turnover periods of living coral communities: the overall
recruitment periods
calculated
from newly recruited species in the test areas (median 416 ys, ranging 323-755
ys)
exceeded
the overall clearing periods calculated from disappearing species (median 342
ys, ranging
312-527
ys). Assuming a balanced overall area budget of colonising and clearing
processes (with
rather
stable ratios of unoccupied substrate, Sheppard CRC 1985 Mar Ecol Prog Ser 25:
259) the
difference
most likely is compensated for by recruitment and vegetative propagation of
persistent
species.
Comparison
with a coastal fringing reef near Aqaba/Jordan (Gulf of Aqaba, test square
first mapped
in
1976, by Mergner H & Schuhmacher H 1981 Helgol Meeresunters 34: 115)
revealed significant
differences
in community turnover parameters. Different clearing rates during two census
intervals of
6 and
7 ys resulted in a high value for Trel (4.3
%yr -1 ) during the first interval with a
subsequent
period
of increased recruitment. Calculated periods of overall area turnover (205 ys
for species
recruitment,
22 ys (!) for clearing) lay well below the reference values from the central
Red Sea and
appear
to reflect onshore anthropogenic impact.
Results
demonstrate the relevant time scale of several hundreds of years for coral
community
development
and highlight their vulnerability to short term impacts.
This
study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Schu 75/13).Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
80
CHARACTERIZATION
OF SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASES IN SYMBIOTIC
ANTHOZOANS
Sophie
Richier 1 , Pierre -Laurent Merle 1 , Paola Furla 1 , Francois Sola 1 ,
Denis Allemand 1,2
1 UMR UNSA-INRA 1112, Faculte de Science,
Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, BP71, F-06108
Nice
Cedex 02, France
2 Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue
St-Martin, MC-98000 Monaco, Monaco
Plants
have acquired, through their evolution, defense mechanisms against oxidative
stress, which
mainly
act against ROS generated consequently to the photosynthetic O2 production. Such a ROS
production
is however not limited to plants but also to some animals living in symbiosis
with
chlorophyllian
organisms. One of the best-known symbiotic systems is the phototrophic
association
between
Cnidarians and Dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium sp. known as zooxanthella).
Among these,
hermatypic
Scleractinian corals and sea-anemones are largely distributed in the oceans.
The aim of
the
present study is to characterize the first enzyme involved in the cellular
oxidative defenses, the
superoxide
dismutase (SOD), in a Mediterranean sea anemone (Anemonia viridis) and
in a
hermatypic
coral (Stylophora pistillata). During oxidative stress conditions, the
SOD act by
dismutating
O2° - in
H2O2, which
is subsequently transformed in H2O and O2 by another enzyme, the
catalase.
First results have confirmed the presence of coelenteric oxygen variations in a
tentacle of the
sea
anemone, with a hyperoxia state during the daytime (60 % of dissolved O2) and an anoxia state
during
the night-time. The isozymes of Cnidarian SOD were visualized on native
polyacrylamide gel
and
the specific activities were measured by spectrophotometry. In Anemonia
viridis, three classes of
SOD
have been identified using specific inhibitors. They differ from each other by
the metallic co-factor
(Cu/Zn-SOD,
Mn-SOD and Fe-SOD) and tissue-specific isozymes have also been shown for
each
class. An active Cu/Zn-SOD isozyme was restricted to animal compartment
(ectodermal and
endodermal
cells), although an inactive one was localized by Western Blot in the
zooxanthellae. Four
Mn-SOD
isozymes were distributed among symbiotic partners. One of those was common to
both
Cnidarian
and zooxanthella cells and located in the mitochondrial compartment, three
others were
restricted
to endodermal cells and to the zooxanthellae. Finally, two Fe-SOD are located
not only in
the
zooxanthella compartment but also in the endodermal cells. The apparent
molecular weight
(MWapp) and isoelectric point (pI) were determined
for each isozyme. Analysis of the Stylophora
pistillata
SOD isozymes shows a different pattern of the electrophoretypes, which
suggests a species-specificity
of
the SOD isozymes. Nevertheless, S. pistillata presents also at least 7
isozymes with
three
main electrophoretypes having pharmacological Mn-SOD characteristics. The
presence of high
isozyme
diversity, typical to photosynthetic organism, is supposed to be involved in
the extraordinary
adaptation
of the symbiotic Cnidarians to oxygen variations..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
81
EXTREME
CLIMATIC EVENTS AND HIGH-LATITUDE REEF-BUILDING: WHAT
CONSEQUENCES
FROM GLOBAL CLIMATIC CHANGE?
Bernhard
Riegl
National
Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center,
8000
N. Ocean Drive, Dania FL 33004, USA
Particularly
in high latitudes (and on reefs in extreme settings) reef-building by in
situ framework
production
is strongly influenced by extreme climatic events that can cause coral mass
mortality.
Subsequent
break- up of coral skeletons and heavy bioerosion remove the framework and can
thus
lead
to a reef switch-off. Examples of such events are sea-surface-temperature
anomalies, frequently
associated
with ENSO events, and extreme-wave-energy events frequently associated with
tropical
cyclones
(hurricanes). For a series of high- latitude coral areas (Florida, South
Africa, Red Sea,
Arabian
Gulf) in comparison with some tropical reef areas (Indonesia, Cayman, USVI) the
effects of
climatic
teleconnections in the predicted global warming scenarios is explored. Factors
examined for
possible
importance for high- latitude reef building processes are: increase in
frequency of ENSO and
teleconnected
events, latitudinal changes in the tropical cyclone (hurricane) belts. Also
warm-water
delivery
into the South Atlantic via Agulhas rings and the North Atlantic thermohaline
circulation as
well
as the possible link between increased SST and emergent diseases is briefly
revisited..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
82
REEF
MANAGEMENT IN THE 21 ST CENTURY:
EFFECTIVE MONITORING AND
LEGISLATIVE
GUIDELINES FOR LAND-BASED SOURCES
Michael
J. Risk
School
of Geology and Geography,
McMaster
Univ. Hamilton ON Canada, L8S 4M1
Despite
recent emphasis on the effect of “global change” on reefs, the evidence of
relative impacts is
quite
clear: the world’s coral reefs have already suffered widespread damage.
Managing this decline
will
require effective community-based monitoring, coupled with objective criteria
by which
discharges
from the land may be regulated. The first criterion in MPA location should be
distance
from
land-based sources.
Virtually
every monitoring protocol uses some variant of the line transect method (Risk,
1972), with
video
records scored by trained biologists. These efforts are technology- intensive,
require
taxonomically-trained
personnel, and are inappropriate for Third World settings (where most of the
reefs
are). In addition, almost all of them fail to include several critical aspects
of reef health, such as
bioerosion.
This is a particularly serious oversight, as bioerosion rates increase in
lockstep with
coastal
eutrophication. We should therefore abandon traditional monitoring, in favour
of
bioindicator-based
methods that can be used by untrained people. These “early warning” indicators
can
then be policy triggers linked to programs to identify and quantify sources of
stress.
Community-based
monitoring using stomatopods is very effective in Indonesia: village women are
trained
to classify and count these organisms as they glean for food at low tide
(Erdmann’s work).
Kate
Holmes and co-workers, in both the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific, have
demonstrated that local
people
can quickly be trained to assess extent of bioerosion in coral rubble. The
method is quick,
cheap,
and can be linked directly to coastal contamination levels. Whatever method the
local
community
uses, there needs to be a level of change that triggers a policy response.
The
major anthropogenic stresses on reefs are sedimentation, sewage, industrial
discharge and
fishing.
Inappropriate fishing techniques (blast- fishing, cyanide, muro-ami) are a
problem worldwide,
are
always “illegal”, and hence require effective application of existing policies
rather than enactment
of
new legislation. In regions where the bulk of incoming sediments are
siliciclastic, sediment stress
may
be cheaply and quickly assessed by determining insoluble residues of coral
samples. In general,
residues
exceeding 0.2% signal stress, and this can be the trigger level to involve
policy measures.
Reef
growth is clearly inhibited at SPM values >10 mg per litre; where these
values occur, mitigation
may
include watershed reforestation and modification of agricultural practices.
Sewage stress will be
detected
by bioerosion bioindicators, and the levels assessed via analysis of d 15 N in coral tissue. For
legislative
purposes, an increase of 2 per mil over time on any given reef, or between
affected and
comparison
reefs, can trigger policy intervent ions such as sewage treatment plants.
Assessment of the
relative
impacts of sediments and sewage costs about $300 per reef.
Although
trigger levels for industrial discharge levels have not been worked out, corals
themselves
can
serve as monitors. Levels of heavy metals and POP’s can be determined over
time, via analysis
of
coral and gorgonian skeletons. Once water/coral partition coefficients have
been determined,
corals
can be used to determine safe levels for human habitation..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
83
MONITORING
ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY AROUND COLD-WATER CORAL
REEFS
USING A BENTHIC PHOTO LANDER
JM
Roberts, OC Peppe, DJ Mercer, JD Gage, DT Meldrum
Scottish
Association for Marine Science
Dunstaffnage
Marine Laboratory, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA, UK
Current
estimates of the environmental sensitivity of cold-water corals and their
associated biota are
limited
by our incomplete understanding of the variability of the cold-water coral reef
environment.
The
sensitivity of reef biota to sedimentation and resuspension events is largely
unknown and the
influence
of seasonal phytodetrital deposition has not been studied in situ. Here
we describe the use
of a
benthic photo lander to monitor this variability by the Sula Ridge reef complex
on the mid-Norwegian
continental
shelf. The photo lander provides a platform for time- lapse digital and film
cameras
to image the seabed while the optical characteristics (light transmission,
backscatter and
fluorescence)
of the seawater and the current regime are recorded. At a water depth of 280m,
the
photo
lander recorded a dynamic environment with a tidal current regime and mean
estimates of
sediment
resuspension 0.5m above the bed of 136µg/l (maximum 771µg/l) over a four day
period.
Initial
analysis of the seabed photographs shows intense feeding activity of echiuran
worms
(probably
Bonellia viridis) pointing to rapid bioturbation of the sediment around
the reef areas. Only
with
longer term monitoring of cold-water coral reef environments in situ can
informed inferences
about
their environmental sensitivity and eventual management be drawn..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
84
DIVERSITY
AND DISTRIBUTION OF CORAL-ASSOCIATED BACTERIA
Forest
Rohwer, Victor Seguritan, Farooq Azam, Nancy Knowlton
Department
of Biology, LS317
San
Diego State University
San
Diego, CA 92182-4614 USA
Tel:
619-594-1336
Fax:
619-594-5676
forest@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
Coral
reefs are the most biodiverse of all marine ecosystems, however very little is
known about
prokaryotic
diversity in these systems. To address this issue, we sequenced over 1,000
bacterial 16S
rDNAs
from three massive coral species (Montastraea franksi, Diploria
strigosa, and Porites
astreoides)
in Panama and Bermuda. Analysis of only 14 coral samples yielded 430 distinct
bacterial
ribotypes.
Statistical analyses suggest that additional sequencing would have resulted in
a total of
6,000
bacterial ribotypes. Half of the sequences shared <93% identity to
previously published 16S
sequences
and therefore probably represent novel bacterial genera and species; this
degree of novelty
was
substantially higher than that observed for other marine samples. Samples from
the Panama
corals
were more diverse than those from Bermuda, paralleling diversity gradients seen
in metazoans.
The
coral-bacteria associations were non-random. Different coral species had
distinct bacterial
communities,
even when physically adjacent, while bacterial communities from the same coral
species
separated by time (~1 year) or space (3,000 km) were similar. Analysis of the
branching
coral
Porites furcata showed that bacterial ribotypes are also structured
spatially within colonies.
Therefore,
corals and reefs represent landscapes of diverse, ecologically structured
prokaryotic
communities..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
85
THE
VIBRIO SHILOI/OCULINA PATAGONICA MODEL SYSTEM OF CORAL
BLEACHING
Eugene
Rosenberg
Department
of Molecular Microbiology & Biotechnology,
George
S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel 69978
Vibrio
shiloi is the aetiological agent of the coral bleaching disease of Oculina
paragonica in the
Mediterranean
Sea. During the last ten years, 80-90% of the O. patagonica colonies off
the coast of
Israel
bleached during the summer when sea- water temperatures reached a maximum of
29-31°C.
During
the winter, the corals recovered. In controlled aquaria experiments, it was
shown that V. shiloi
infection
and the resulting bleaching were temperature dependent, occurring only at
summer sea-water
temperatures.
The first step in the infection process is adhesion of V. shiloi to a
ß-galactoside-containing
receptor
in the coral mucus. The bacteria then penetrate into the epidermal layer of the
coral
and multiply intracellularly reaching ca. 10 9 cm
-3 coral tissue. Inside the coral, V.
shiloi
differentiates
into a viable-but- not-culturable (VBNC) state. The intracellular bacteria
produce toxins
which
inhibit photosynthesis, bleach and lyse zooxanthellae. One of the toxins is the
peptide
PYPVYAPPPVVP,
which forms NH3 channels in algal
membranes, thereby destroying the pH
gradient
across the membrane and blocking photosynthesis.
Temperature
plays a key role in regulating the production of V. shiloi virulence
factors. When the
bacteria
are grown at winter sea-water temperatures (16-20°C), they do not produce (i)
the adhesin
required
for initial binding to the coral, (ii) anti-algal toxins and (iii) superoxide
dismutase (SOD).
An
SOD - mutant adhered to corals, penetrated
into corals cells, multiplied intracellularly for a short
time
and then died, aborting the infection. Laboratory and field experiments
indicate that SOD
protects
the intracellular V. shiloi from oxidative stress caused by
supersaturated concentrations of
oxygens
produced by zooxanthellae photosynthesis. During the winter when SOD is not
produced by
V.
shiloi, the bacteria cannot survive in corals. Thus, a fresh infection
cycle is required each spring-summer.
Recent
observations suggest that the marine fireworm Hermodice caranculata serves
as a
winter
reservoir and potential vector for V. shiloi.
The
generality of the bacterial hypothesis of coral bleaching will be discussed..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
86
THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WATER QUALITY AND
THE
PREVALENCE OF DISEASED CORALS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS
Deborah
L. Santavy 1 , Jane M. Hawkridge 2 , Robert L. Quarles
Erich
Mueller 2 , Lauri MacLaughlin
1 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Gulf
Ecology Division, 1 Sabine Island Dr., Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561, USA
santavy.debbie@epa.gov
2 Mote Marine Laboratory, Center
for Tropical Research,
24244
Overseas Highway (US 1), Summerland Key, Fl 33042, USA
Coral
cover has significantly declined in the Florida Keys over the last 20 years,
the causes of which
remain
elusive and ill defined. Coincidently, there has been an increase in coral
diseases reported not
only
in the Keys but also throughout the wider Caribbean. This trend is most
prolific in the Western
Atlantic
with many new disease conditions recently reported in the literature and
previously
described
diseases found affecting different and additional coral species.
This
study assessed the distribution and frequency of diseased scleractinian and
gorgonian corals
between
1998 and 2000 using radial belt transects incorporating an area of 113m 2 at each station.
The
disease surveys were conducted at stations throughout the Florida Keys and the
Dry Tortugas,
and
only included coral colonies more than 10 cm in size. The total number of coral
colonies for
each
scleractinian species, gorgonian species, the presence or absence of disease,
and disease type
were
recorded by pre-qualified disease observers. Preliminary results, presented
elsewhere, indicated
that
there were differences in disease distribution between reef types and
geographic areas, with the
highest
prevalence of disease on reefs near Key West when compared with reefs from New
Grounds
and
the Dry Tortugas. These results suggested a possible link to anthropogenic
activities in the Key
West
geographic region on back reefs.
Water
quality was suspected as a potential factor contributing to the declining
health of reefs in the
Key
West region. Therefore, water samples and measurements were made at the same
time that the
coral
disease assessments were conducted. Depth profiles for temperature, salinity,
dissolved
oxygen,
and pH were taken with a HydroLab @ deployed
above the corals. Water samples were
analyzed
for total chlorophyll a, dissolved ammonium, dissolved nitrate and nitrite,
dissolved nitrate,
soluble
reactive phosphorous, total organic phosphorous, total organic nitrogen,
dissolved silica, total
organic
carbon, C:H:N ratio, total number of bacteria, and total number of viable Enterococci.
Additional
water quality monitoring data were available from other programs. Data obtained
in close
proximity
to our stations and during the same sampling months were used for establishing
relationships.
The
associations between specific diseases-species and water quality parameters
were examined
using
non-parametric multivariate statistical procedures, including analysis of
similarities and
multiple
dimensional scaling. The coral and gorgonian diseases and water quality
parameters were
mapped
using GIS. The distributions of different diseases were associated with
different water
quality
parameters. The specific relationships between these factors will be presented.
These
differences
could have implications for future management activities designed to protect
this
resource..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
87
MICROBIAL
GRAZING AND NUTRIENT FLUXES WITHIN THE CORAL REEF
FRAMEWORK
S.
R. Scheffers , G. Nieuwland, R. P. M. Bak, F. C. van Duyl
Royal
Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
PO
Box 59,1790AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
The
coral reefs of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, are riddled with cavities and
crevices, providing a
hard
bottom surface area, which exceeds the projected surface area of the reef by
1.5- 8 times. This
cryptic
hard substratum surface (HSS) area is for up to 60% covered by sessile filter
feeders, which
have
a potentially large impact on planktonic organisms and chemistry in ambient
water. We
examined
changes in bacteria and dissolved inorganic nutrients (DIN, DIP, Silicate) in 2
artificially
closed
coral reef cavities (±70 l volume) over a 30- minute time period. Cavity main
openings were
closed
with a tight woven linen cloth. Closure efficiency was checked after insertion
of Fluorescine.
Samples
were taken from the middle of the cavity with 60 ml syringes attached to a
fixed tube.
Depending
on cavity and initial concentrations, bacterial abundance dropped rapidly.
After 30
minutes,
between 50-60% had gone, which coincides with clearance rates of 1.36x10 12 -3.93x10 12
bacteria
.m -2 HSS .d -1
. Higher initial concentrations of bacteria resulted in higher clearance
rates.
NOx concentrations increased significantly during
the time of enclosure. Efflux rates varied between
1.02-
9.77 mmol . m -2 HSS d -1 . Ammonium concentrations did not significantly
change. Silicate
concentrations
significantly decreased after enclosure with 241.21- 384.74 mmol . m -2 HSS .d -1 .
Dissolved
Inorganic Phosphate (DIP) concentrations showed a tendency to increase with
estimated
effluxes
of 0.46-6.97 mmol . m -2 HSS .d -1 . Comparison of bacterial disappearance rates
and NOx
production
rates suggests that additional sources of N than bacteria, were used by the
cryptofauna.
The
experiments show that coral reef cavities are a major sink for heterotrophic
bacteria and silicate
and a
source for NOx. The latter points to
strong nitrification in cavities in which sponge-symbiotic
cyanobacterial
nitrification may play a role..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
88
THE
IMPACTS OF SEDIMENTATION ON THE REPLENISHMENT OF
CORAL
REEF COMMUNITIES
Christiane
K. Schelten
Environment
Department, University of York,
York
YO10 5DD, UK
cks102@york.ac.uk
This
study addressed sediment impacts on reefs of the west coast of St. Lucia, in
four different bays.
Two
bays had low sedimentation levels and two bays received high sedimentation
input from rivers.
In
each bay, three to five locations were selected between the head of the bays
and their headlands.
Monitoring
work carried out since 1995 shows that decreases in coral cover were highest
close to the
river
mouths. Algal turf was the main component of the algal assemblage on reefs with
higher
sedimentation
rates, whereas reefs with less sedimentation showed higher cover of macroalgae.
The
present
study focuses on the impacts of sedimentation on the replenishment of coral
communities by
coral
larval settlement and examines the survival and growth of settled corals.
Settlement rates were
estimated
using artificial settlement plate arrays. Additionally, permanent photoquadrats
were
established
to study mortality, settlement and growth rates of juvenile corals on natural
reef substrata.
Observations
were repeated twice over a one-year period. The results show that settlement,
mortality
and
growth rates of juvenile corals were very variable over time. Settlement rates
on artificial
substrata
were similar between bays. However, within bays, settlement rates were higher
at the
headlands
(0.4 settlers.225cm - ².100d -1 ± 0.08
SE) than at their heads (0.1 settlers.225cm - ².100d
-1 ±
0.03
SE). Settlement rates to natural substrata were also significantly higher at
the headlands of the
bays
(0.5 settlers.600cm -2 .100d -1 ± 0.07
SE) than at their heads (0.23 settlers.600cm - ².100d
-1 ± 0.06
SE).
In contrast to findings from artificial substrata, the bays differed
significantly in their settlement
rates
to natural substrata. Mortality rates of juvenile corals did not differ between
bays with different
sedimentation
levels, neither did the location in the bay play an important role. Juvenile
coral growth
rates
were higher on reefs with low sedimentation (0.15cm.100d -1 ± 0.02
SE) than with high
sedimentation
(0.09cm.100d -1 ± 0.01 SE). Total mortality rate for all locations for the
1-year study
was
40.7%. and the settlement rate to natural substrata was equivalent to 18.8% of
the original coral
number.
Comparing mortality rates and settlement rates, it was clear that settlement
rates observed
could
not compensate for high mortality rates during the study. In summary, this
study showed that
sedimentation
has a negative effect on the replenishment of coral reefs by reducing
settlement and
growth.
However, it is difficult to determine the mechanisms that act on juvenile coral
survivorship
and
growth, since many factors are correlated with each other. Sedimentation
decreases macroalgae,
but
macroalgae might be a more detrimental threat to juvenile corals than
sedimentation, by causing
coral
mortality through competing for space and shading them. Herbivorous fish reduce
algal cover,
but
may damage juvenile corals due to unselective grazing. Additionally, prior to
this study, in 1999
Hurricane
Lenny impacted coral reefs of the low sedimentation bays more severely than
high
sedimentation
bays, which caused high coral mortality and enhanced algal growth (especially
blue-green
algae)
reducing suitable substrata for coral larval settlement and presumably
decreasing
juvenile
coral survivorship..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
89
LONG-TERM
MONITORING OF A MARGINAL CORAL COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN
KWAZULU-NATAL,
SOUTH AFRICA
M.H.
Schleyer, L. Celliers
Oceanographic
Research Institute
P.O.
Box 10712, Marine Parade, Durban 4056, South Africa
Southern
African coral communities form a continuum from the more typical, accretive
reefs in the
tropics
of Mozambique to the marginal, southernmost African distribution of this fauna
in KwaZulu-Natal.
While
the South African reefs are limited in size, they are gaining increasing
attention. They
provide
a model for the study of corals at latitudinal extremes and in terms of many of
the stresses to
which
these valuable systems are being globally subjected. Soft coral cover,
comprising relatively
few
species, exceeds that of scleractinians over much of the southern reefs and the
coral communities
attain
a biodiversity peak at this latitude (27°S) on the East African coast. Data
will be provided in
this
regard. The marginal distribution of these coral communities provides an
opportunity for
monitoring
the effects of climate change and a long-term monitoring site was established
for this
purpose.
Quadrats of 0.25 m 2 have been
photographed annually within fixed transects since 1993
and
hourly temperatures have been logged on the reef since 1994. While a consistent
increase in sea
temperature
of 0.27°C p.a. has been measured on the site over the last nine years, summer
maxima
associated
with high irradiatio n have caused only limited bleaching. The current
temperature
increase
appears to reflect a cyclical phenomenon as IGOSS NMC data indicate that it was
only
0.01°C
p.a. over the last 50 years. A combination of GIS mapping and merging of the
quadrats with
subsequent
image analysis was developed for the study and has revealed that the coral
community
structure
is changing and the scleractinian cover is increasing. The technique has also
provided
measurements
of recruitment, colony growth and mortality. Some published projections on the
long-term
effects
of climate change indicate that more reefs will become marginal as a result of
global
warming.
Current monitoring on the South African reefs is being expanded to include
oceanographic
measurements,
PAR light intensities and aragonite saturation state. It is hoped that the
combined
studies
on these marginal reefs will elucidate the future of more typical reefs..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
90
CLIMATE
CHANGE AND CORAL REEFS: A REMOTE SENSING PERSPECTIVE
Dr
William Skirving 1 , Dr Alan Strong
2 , Dr Gang Liu 2
1 NOAA/NESDIS and CIRA Colorado State University
2 NOAA/NESDIS
There
is much talk about how current climate change will and is affecting coral reef
ecosystems.
This
talk will use of satellite and other data to help describe the state of the art
in our understanding
of
the relationship between climate and coral bleaching. It will then go on to
review recent climatic
change
and will describe the current climatic situation and what this means for reefs
around the
world..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
91
CORAL
POPULATION DYNAMICS ON BERMUDA’S REEFS: A KEY TO
UNDERSTANDING
REEF DEVELOPMENT AND PERSISTENCE AT HIGH LATITUDE
Struan
R. Smith, Graham Webster, Samantha de Putron, Thadddeus Murdoch,
Sheila
McKenna, Daniel Hellin, Lauren Grayston, Ann Michelle Stanley
Bermuda
Biological Station for Research, Inc.
Ferry
Reach, GE 01, Bermuda
Bermuda’s
coral reefs are a unique high- latitude ecosystem in the Western Atlantic. Reef
monitoring
programmes
were initiated in the early 1990’s, using permanent and random quadrat and
transect
techniques.
For the past ten years coral populations have remained healthy and stable,
despite
repeated
bleaching events, coral diseases and frequent hurricanes. The extensive
offshore reef zones
(8-16
m) are characterized by high coral coverage (20-60%) and low coral species
diversity. The
large
lagoon system supports extensive shallow patch reefs with low coral coverage
(10-20%) but
increased
coral diversity due to a proliferation of branching corals (Madracis spp.,
Oculina diffusa,
Porites
porites).
The
massive growth forms of the dominant offshore corals (Diploria spp, Montastraea
spp. and
Porites
astreoides) appear to survive well through frequent hurricanes and winter
gales. The low
mortality
and injury rates are sufficient to maintain large reproductively-active
populations, resulting
in
recruitment rates that are fairly consistent over time. Brooding corals such as
Porites astreoides
are
the most abundant recruits but broadcasting corals, such as Diploria spp.,
also recruit
successfully.
Recruitment may be enhanced by larval retention within the lagoon system due to
physical
oceanographic conditions that reduce water mixing with the open ocean in the
summer.
These
characteristics of Bermuda’s coral populations, adequate recruitment and high
adult survival
rates,
appear to offset the effects of strong seasonality in water temperature (16-30 o C) and day-length
(10-14
hours) at 32 o N that restrict coral
growth rates to half that of Caribbean conspecifics. It
is
the ability of Bermuda’s corals to maintain robust population structures that
account for successful
reef
development at high latitude. It is unclear whether Bermuda’s coral populations
can continue to
thrive
in an era of climate change where elevated pCO2 levels
may compromise already reduced
skeletal
growth rates. If Bermuda’s corals can continue to sustain current fecundity and
recruitment
rates
then reef development may likely continue..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
92
HOLOCENE
GROWTH HISTORY OF A NEARSHORE TURBID-ZONE CORAL REEF:
PALUMA
SHOALS, CENTRAL GREAT BARRIER REEF
Smithers,
S.*, Larcombe, P. #
*School
of Tropical Environment Studies and Geography, # Marine Geophysical Laboratory, James Cook University,
Townsville, 4811, Australia
Paluma
Shoals are a group of nearshore coral reefs located ~50 m seawards of the base
of the beach
in
Halifax Bay, ~50 km north of Townsville. Paluma Shoals and other coral reefs
close to the
mainland
coast along the inner Central Great Barrier Reef appear confined to a narrow
zone
(representing
sediment erosion and/or shore-parallel translation) between an erosional
shoreline and
the
landward edge of a muddy terrigenous sediment prism located between the 5 and
20 m isobaths.
The
landward limit of this prism is controlled by wave- induced sediment
resuspension in the shallow
subtidal
zone, which limits terrigenous sediment accumulation but generates high and
prolonged
turbidity.
This sediment prism is believed to have migrated landward across the inner GBR
shelf
during
the Holocene transgression, and thus its occurrence and movement, and that of
the associated
nearshore
zone of sediment erosion, appear to be primary controls on the location and
timing of reef
initiation
and of the environmental conditions experienced during reef development.
We
report on the late Holocene growth history of the largest, southernmost shoal,
whose reef flat
extends
500 m from seaward to leeward, and 750 m alongshore. Live coral cover on the
reef flat is
40-60%,
and abundant Goniastrea retiformis microatolls up to 2 m diameter
dominate the surface.
Three
cores, taken along a shore- normal transect, all terminate with a stiff grey
Pleistocene clay at ~
3 m
below the reef surface. The stratigraphy, composition and radiometric dates
returned from the
cores
indicate a young but complex growth history. The cores contain discrete interbedded
units of
carbonate
detritus and terrigenous muds; the terrigenous units include articulated
bivalves in growth
position,
indicating that the reef has experienced muddy conditions over much of its
history. The
oldest
date (1657+/-83 BP, 14 C years uncorrected
and uncalibrated) was obtained from a coral clast at
the
base of the central core, with second oldest date (1328+/-44 BP) ~ 1m above
base. Dates from the
seaward
core are younger (1199+/-46 BP at base, to 912+/-61 BP ~ 1 m above base), but
the
youngest
dates come from the core at the landward edge of the reef (all dates
<541+/-90 BP). Based
on
the size and likely growth rate of the larger microatolls, and the lack of
disturbed and fossil
counterparts,
the contemporary reef flat is probably less than 150 years old.
This
continuing work offers insights into recent reef initiation and growth in
turbid nearshore waters,
and
by implication those of the early Holocene marine transgression. The results
clearly show that
this
reef has developed under an environmental regime speculated by some to be
threatening to
nearshore
coral reefs..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
93
SYMBIONT
DIVERSITY IN CONDYLACTIS GIGANTEA (ACTINIARIA)
Stoletzki,
N., Schierwater, B.
ITZ
– Ecology and Evolution, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover,
Germany
nina.stoletzki@ecolevol.de
The
symbiotic association between the caribbean sea anemone Condylactis gigantea
and its
zooxanthellae,
Symbiodinium sp. was investigated at a molecular level.
Sequencing
of the nuclear ribosomal DNA complex was used to analyse genealogical
relationships of
zooxanthellae
within and between individuals. Despite the fact that dinoflagellates are known
to
reproduce
asexually (and no mode of sexual reproduction is known for Symbiodinium sp. so
far) the
molecular
data reveal high genetic diversity of Symbiodinium sp. with genotypes
belonging to clade
A and
clade B. Only rarely identical sequences could be identified.
Genetic
analyses of the symbionts of two distinct host populations, and of
bathymetrically
transplanted
hosts were performed in order to address mechanisms of adaptation, acclimation,
and the
flexibility
of the association. Clade belonging showed that reef site and depth correlate
with
zooxanthellae
strains. This supports the idea that zooxanthellae type may play a role in
adaptation to
different
environments.
Additionally,
physiological adaptations were investigated. Photosynthesis of the
zooxanthellae
requires
that the animal tissue is transparent, thus both, algae and host are exposed to
harmful UV
radiation.
Physiological stress responses of the holobiont are indicated by amount and
properties of
UV
absorbing substances (whose identity is currently examined) that vary with
depth.
Whether
differences in UV protection are attributable to physiologically different Symbiodinium
genotypes
or clades is currently under investigation..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
94
NEW
INSIGHTS INTO THE CARBON ISOTOPIC SYSTEMATICS OF SCLERACTINIAN
CORALS
Peter
K. Swart, Alina M. Szmant, Jim Porter, Amel Saeid, Jennifer Tougas
Division
of Marine Geology and Geophysics,
Rosenstiel
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences,
University
of Miami,
4600
Rickenbacker Causeway,
Miami
33149
The
origin of 13 C variations within coral
skeletons is still a matter of considerable debate and in
particular
the role that respiratory CO2 plays in controlling
the eventual isotopic composition of the
skeleton.
In this study the temporal variability of the d
13 C of respired CO2 produced by Montastraea
faveolata
was measured over a 12 month period. In these experiments specimens were
incubated for
24 hour
periods and samples of the incubation water analyzed for the d 13 C
of the dissolved inorganic
carbon
(DIC) every three to four hours. Incubations were repeated from May 1993 to
April 1994 at
approximately
monthly interva ls on corals maintained on a platform at 8 m depth near
Molasses Reef
in
the Florida Keys. Throughout the incubation the amount of oxygen was measured
within the
chamber.
These results indicate that during daylight, the d
13 C of the DIC becomes
isotopically
positive
as a result of fixation of carbon during photosynthesis, while at night the d 13 C
of the DIC
becomes
more negative. The d 13 C of the respired CO2 can be calculated using a simple mass balance
approach,
taking into consideration the relevant fractionation factors between the
various carbon
bearing
species which comprise the DIC. The calculated d
13 C values for the respiratory CO2 range
from
-18 ‰ in the late spring to as negative as -23 ‰ in the autumn and are
significantly more
negative
than that reported by previous workers for coral tissue and zooxanthellae. An
explanation
for
this discrepancy may be that corals are respiring a significant proportion of
isotopically depleted
substances,
such as lipids which are known to have values up to 10‰ lighter than other
compounds.
The
seasonal cycle in the d 13 C of the CO2 suggests
that there is variability in either the isotopic
composition
of the coral tissue or the type and/or amount of organic material being
respired. A
similar
pattern and magnitude of change was observed in coral tissue and zooxanthellae
samples
collected
from a nearby reef at monthly intervals between 1995 and 1996, although the d 13 C
of the
tissues
have a mean value of -13.25‰ compared to -20.5 for the respired CO2. Alt least part of the
pattern
of enrichment during the early summer and depletion during the autumn might b
related to
changes
in the productivity of the reef, with high productivity causing a decrease in CO2 and
consequent
isotopic enrichment not only of the corals but the entire food chain. During
the late
summer,
enhanced respiration relative to photosynthesis causes an isotopic depletion in
the DIC. It
may
also be relevant that the timing and amplitude of the patterns in the d 13 C
of the respired CO2 and
the
tissue are similar to that observed in the skeleton..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
95
PREDICTING
BIODIVERSITY “HOTSPOTS” IN CORAL REEFS: COMBINING
AMPHIPOD
PHYLOGENIES AND GEOTECTONICS AS A PROXY TO IDENTIFY AREAS
OF
COMPOSITE EVOLUTIONARY DIVERSITY
Thomas,
J. D.
National
Coral Reef Institute
8000
N. Ocean Dr., Dania, FL 33004 USA
While
reports and evidence of large-scale change and decline in coral reefs and
associated reef
communities
increase, scientists and marine resource managers often view and assess reef
biodiversity
through a narrow lens of “spatially obvious” species such as corals, fish, and
mollusks
while
paying little attention to the multitude of small cryptic invertebrates found
on reefs. Often these
larger
candidate organisms have long- lived dispersive larvae capable of long distance
transport prior
to
settlement. In contrast, many of the smaller, more cryptic reef organisms such
as amphipod
crustaceans
lack dispersive larvae and have restricted distribution patterns that help
define subtle and
important
differences in biodiversity among reefs. This is best seen in island
archipelagos where each
island
may have an endemic cryptofaunal form or species while larger, more widely
distributed taxa
show
little or no variation at the same spatial scale. While numerous surveys and
taxonomic lists are
being
compiled they are rarely followed with detailed systematic studies capable of
explaining fine
scale
evolutionary relationships. Such information is crucial in identifying
important areas of lineage-driven
hyper
diversity that could serve as potential long-term sources of propagules for
nearby
impacted
reefs. Merely compiling lists and species numbers provide little or no detail
in this regard
but
are often used in decision- making such as locating marine protected areas.
Inventories and lists
provide
information on species presence, but not the processes that could have resulted
in observed
patterns
that could be informative in analyzing evolutionary diverse reef systems.
Research that
incorporates
evolutionary scenarios and geological process information at a variety of
spatial and
temporal
scales has been used to identify composite distribution patterns found in reef
systems along
plate
boundary margins. Therefore, knowledge of geotectonic processes is pertinent to
the
interpretation
of diversity in reef assemblages. This is evident where once distant and remote
reef
systems
are docked and amalgamated by multiple collision and subduction events along
plate
boundaries.
Using amphipod crustaceans from reefs in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean
reef
systems
proved highly informative in suggesting where similar patterns of what were
likely to be
found.
Predictive and testable hypotheses blending biological and geological
components can provide
plausible
explanations of evolutionary diversity and result in levels of detail and
discrimination that
most
current biodiversity and assessment activities cannot achieve. This combined
approach can help
explain
examples of widespread paleoendemic fauna, high levels of regional endemism,
areas of
composite
biodiversity, and ex-situ vs. in-situ evolutionary patterns and
processes. Data resulting
from
this blending of geological processes and biodiversity patterns can suggest
avenues of further
research
such as molecular genetics that can further test assumptions about biodiversity
pattern in
coral
reefs..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
96
ENVIRONMENT
INDUCED PHENOTYPIC CHANGE IN TWO MASSIVE CORALS OFF
SINGAPORE
Peter
Todd
National
University of Singapore
Singapore
PeterTodd100@hotmail.com
Environment
induced phenotypic change, or phenotypic plasticity, refers to an organism’s
morphological,
physiological and behavioural responses to its biotic and abiotic surroundings.
On
contemporary,
rapidly changing reefs, phenotypic plasticity may be advantageous to corals
that might
not
be able to survive through adaptation alone. To test for morphological
plasticity in the massive
species
Favia speciosa (Dana 1846) and Diploastrea heliopora (Lamark
1816), colony fragments
(clone-
mates) were transplanted over two environmental gradients: a depth cline and a
nearshore to
offshore
gradient in sedimentation rates and total suspended solids (TSS). After seven
months all
fragments
were collected, cleaned and ten morphometric characters extracted from randomly
chosen
corallites.
Reaction norms and analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicate that both species
experienced
environment-
induced changes in small-scale morphology. Highly significant genotype ×
environment
(G ×
E) interactions verify that corallite structure is both genetically and
environmentally determined,
and
that genotypes vary in the level of plasticity expressed. Multivariate analyses
identified similar
responses
in both species, though trends were more pronounced for Favia speciosa.
Light and TSS
emerge
as the primary factors influencing morphological change..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
97
TEMPORAL
VARIABILITY AND GRADIENT OF BIOEROSION
ALONG
A CROSS SHELF TRANSECT ON THE GBR (AUSTRALIA)
-
IMPORTANCE OF MICROBORERS
Tribollet
A 1 , Peyrot-Clausade M, Hutchings
PA 2
1 Station Marine d’Endoume, Centre d’Océanologie
de Marseille,
Chemin
de la batterie des Lions 13007 Marseille
F.
tribollet@com.univ-mrs.fr
2 Australian Museum, 6 College street, Sydney
2010 Australia
Increasingly,
it is being shown that coral reefs are under a variety of stresses from both
anthropogenic
and
natural impacts. These impacts include rising sea temperature leading to
bleaching effects,
eutrophication,
pollution, over- fishing, sedimentation, increased frequency of cyclones, and
plagues
of
COTS. Thus, the amount of coral substrate available for colonisation by borers
and subsequently
for
grazers increases which potentially destroys the equilibrium between reef
growth and reef
destruction,
leading to physical loss of reefs. This may lead to loss of fisheries
resources, economic
consequences
from loss of tourism and the destruction of low lying areas previously
protected from
storm
damage by reefs. To date, few studies have focussed on the impact of factors
such as increased
rates
of sedimentation on rates and agents of bioerosion, especially the microflora.
Thus, this study
concentrated
on the role of micro- and macroborers as well as grazing organisms, and how
they
varied
with different sedimentation regimes.
An
experimental study was conducted over a 4 years period using coral blocks cut
from recently
killed
Porites colonies. Blocks were laid at six sites located along a cross
shelf transect (200 km)
from
onshore to offshore on the northern Great Barrier Reef. At each site two grids
were firmly
attached
to the substrate on which replicate blocks were laid, in order to study the
intra-site
bioerosion
variability as well as the variation between sites. After one and three years
of exposure,
the
main boring organisms were identified and total bioerosion (including micro-
and
macrobioerosion,
grazing) and accretion rates were quantified using petrographic sections,
scanning
electronic
microscopy and image analysis to determine the calcium carbonate balance sheet
of the
experimental
substrate. Rates of microbioerosion (0.13 kg.m -2
.a -1 to 1.35 kg.m -2 .a -1 )
as well as
grazing
rates (0.004 kg.m -2 .a -1 to 0.77 kg.m -2
.a -1 ) increase from inshore sites
to the oceanic, and over
time
of exposure although not proportionally (by about 3 times). These variations
are probably due to
differential
rates of sedimentation across the transect, with higher rates of sedimentation
occurring
inshore
than offshore. The variability in rates of macrobioerosion between sites is
small, in contrast
more
variation occurs within a site. Rates increase with increasing exposure (0.05
kg.m -2 after one
year
to 0.83 kg.m -2 after three years of
exposure). Microborers are the principal agents of bioerosion
after
one year of exposure (47% to 90%) while after three years of exposure, they
play a secondary
role
(20% to 47%). After three years, macroborers are the main agent of erosion at
the inshore sites
and
grazing activity primarily by scarid fish is dominant at the other sites.
Accretion rates due to
calcareous
algae are negligible in comparison to total bioerosion rates. Thus, total
bioerosion rates as
well
as net bioerosion rates vary between sites according their distance from the
coast, and increase
with
increasing time of exposure. In conclusion, many physical and ecological
processes interact in
determining
rates of bioerosion, including terrigenous inputs. This study highlights the
important role
played
by microborers in the bioerosion of dead coral Porites, and the
relationship between
microborers,
macroborers and grazers..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
98
SPATIAL
AND TEMPORAL DIVERSITY IN SYMBIODINIUM COMMUNITIES IN
ACROPORA
SPP. AND THEIR PHOTO-PHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
Ulstrup,
Karin E., van Oppen, Madeleine J.H.
University
of Copenhagen, Botanical Institute, Department of Phycology
Øster
Farimagsgade 2D, 1353 Copenhagen K., Denmark
karinu@bot.ku.dk
Global
warming and increased radiation may have a direct and detrimental effect on the
ubiquitous
symbiotic
relationship between reef building corals and unicellular algae of the genus Symbiodinium
(zooxanthellae)
and often cause coral bleaching. Hence, the extent of coral bleaching may be
used as
an
indicator for environmental change. However, the adaptive mechanisms of the
coral-algal
symbiosis
and the complexity of combinations of symbionts and host that are continually
discovered
are
poorly understood. The patterns in distribution of genetically distinct Symbiodinium
strains
harboured
by individual coral colonies of the genus Acropora suggest that a
selective mechanism
exists
to obtain the best functioning unit in the local environment. The community
structure of
zooxanthellae
in two distinct species of Acropora was examined from different reef
habitats as well
as
microhabitats within single host colonies. Also, temporal changes in
zooxanthellae communities
were
followed in a UV-eliminating experiment. The identity of the Symbiodinium strains
was
determined
using an electrophoretic screening methods (Single Strand Conformational
Polymorphism;
SSCP) and the relative abundance of distinct clades of zooxanthellae was
determined
using
quantitative PCR. Photochemical responses of specific zooxanthellae communities
were
estimated
with pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) technology. The data suggest that a
relationship
exists
between symbionts present in the tissue of Acropora and the light regime
under which they are
found
in the microhabitats of individual corals. However, this relationship appears
to occur on a local
geographic
scale and is not stable over regional distances in the central Great Barrier
Reef region.
The
reason for this is unclear. Moreover, the results show that a reduction of UV
radiation may erase
this
relationship and a possibly adaptive change towards one homogenous symbiont
community
occurs.
Relative differences in optimum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) of photosystem II (PSII)
of distinct
zooxanthellae
communities are opposite when UV-light is removed from the ambient light regime
of
the
corals. Differentiation in relative electron transport rates (ETR) is more
significant in corals that
harbour
heterogenous zooxanthellae communities than in corals that harbour a homogenous
endosymbiont
population. Non-photochemical quenching data from zooxanthellae in distinct
light
environments
in Acropora valida show that some populations of zooxanthellae have
lower heat stress
tolerances
than others. This differentiation does not occur in UV free environments..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
99
INORGANIC
NUTRIENT CYCLING IN CRYPTIC HABITATS ON CORAL REEFS
Fleur
C van Duyl 1 , Sander Scheffers 1 , Mark Driscoll 2 , Florence IM Thomas 2
1 Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research,
PO
BOX 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands 2 University of South Florida,
4202
Fowler Ave, SCA 110, Tampa, Florida 33620-5150, USA
Cryptic
habitats such as cavities, holes and crevices make up an important part of the
volume of coral
reefs
encompassing an internal surface of up to 8 m 2 per
projected m 2 reef. Cryptic organisms
cover
ca
95% of the hidden hard substratum surface on reefs in Curaçao (Netherlands
Antilles). Particularly
filter
feeders such as encrusting sponges, which are well represented in cavities, are
supposed to take
up a
considerable amount of organic matter and mineralize part of it. To quantify
the mineralization
in
cavities in situ we measured the inorganic nutrient concent rations in-and
outside 3 caves in the
fore
reef slope at 15 m depth at different mainstream flow velocities.
Simultaneously the water
exchange
rate of cavities was determined with fluorescent dye. Selected caves had inner
volumes of
50-75
l with an inside hard substratum surface area of ca 1m 2 and a sandy bottom. The flux of
inorganic
nutrients was determined on basis of the concentration difference in and
outside cavities
and
the residence time of the water in cavities. Dissolved inorganic phosphate (PO4) and nitrogen
concentrations
were enhanced in cavities. Particularly NO3 and
NO2 (NOx) were significantly higher
in
cavities than outside cavities. Surprisingly NH4 concentrations
were usually lower inside than
outside
cavities. Concentration differences in NOx between in-and outside of the cave
were
negatively
related to the exchange rate coefficient. This means that the NOx concentration
in caves
increases
with increasing residence time of the water. Residence time was usually short,
2-8 min, but
could
extent to several hours for short periods of time. The exchange coefficient
increased linearly
with
the main current velocity and relations differed between caves. This suggested
that cavity
characteristics,
apart from the main current flow velocity, were important in controlling the
concentration
differences inside and outside cavities. The average net efflux rates of NOx
from caves
ranged
between 2 and 4 mmol.m -2 cave substratum
area.d -1 with maximum values of 8 mmol.m -2
cave
substratum area.d -1 . Net influx of NH4 was on average 1-2 mmol.m -2 cave substratum area. d -1
with
maximum values of 14. Results suggest that coral cavities are net sources of
NOx and net sinks
of NH4. There is a net average efflux of DIN from
caves ranging between 1 and 1.7 mmol.m -2 cave
substratum
area.d -1 . DIP efflux was on average
0.4-0.5 mmol.m -2 cave substratum area.d -1 .
Apparently
cavities are significant net exporters of DIN and DIP, suggesting that cryptic
habitats on
the
reefs of Curaçao can be considered as reef water fertilizers..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
100
BIOEROSION
OF REEF SUBSTRATES BY HERBIVOROUS FISH –
MAJOR
FACTOR STRUCTURING REEF COMMUNITIES
P.
van Treeck
Institute
of Ecology, Dpt. Hydrobiology
University
of Essen
45117
Essen
Germany
The
importance of bioerosion within dynamics of reef limestone is
unquestionable.Especially the
bioerosion
potential of classical bioeroders such as sponges, sea urchins, and parrot fish
has been
documented
profoundly. Other grazers such as acanthurids and pomacentrids were considered
to be
rather
herbivorous and not efficient bioeroders. Results from a study in the Northern
Gulf of Aqaba
(Red
Sea) show that especially the guild of browsers can significantly contribute to
the erosion of
reef
framework. Due to this certain reef zones of the study area exhibit a negative
carbonate budget.
Thus,
from a functional point of view coral reefs appear as grazer-controlled
communities and show
more
similarities to savannas or other grazer- induced systems than to rain forests
– an often stressed
analogy..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
101
ACROPORA
CERVICORNIS ASSESSMENT IN A HIGH LATITUDE ENVIRONMENT OFF
THE
COAST OF FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, USA
Bernardo
Vargas-Ángel, James D. Thomas
National
Coral Reef Institute (NCRI)
Nova
Southeastern University Oceanographic Center (NSU OC)
8000
N Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL 33181 USA
During
previous research by NCRI personnel and NSU OC graduate students, aggregations
of
staghorn
coral (Acropora cervicornis) were found along coastal waters off Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
As
part of a larger-scale characterization and monitoring program, this study was
aimed at mapping
and
collecting data on percent cover and demographics of A. cervicornis in
the region. Results
presented
herein are preliminary, since characterization studies are still underway.
Presence of
healthy
A. cervicornis ‘thickets” was confirmed and georeferenced in more than a
dozen sites, and
quantitative
surveys were conducted at selected locations (7 sites) to ascertain the spatial
variation in
mean
percent cover, algal cover, species richness, density of juveniles, and the
density and size of
colonies
and fragments. At each site, benthic community surveys were conducted along 4,
50-m
haphazardly-selected
transects. Staghorn coral aggregations ranged between 700 and 7000 m 2 , and
mean
coral cover varied between 5 and 30%, with A. cervicornis accounting for
87–97% of all
scleractinians.
Differences in coral cover among sites were statistically significant. Thickets
of A.
cervicornis
exhibited higher species richness, topographic complexity, and percent
cover than
adjacent
areas of comparable depth. Demographic studies revealed that colonies comprised
nearly
60%
of the A. cervicornis population. Mean density of colonies and fragments
ranged between 1.2–
3.2
colonies m 2 , and 0.5–2.3 fragments m 2 respectively. Percent cover was positively
associated with
colony
density and size. Number of recruits varied between 0–1.0 individuals/m 2 , with a mean of
0.08.
Prevalence of disease- like conditions and predation were also studied.
Densities of the fire
worm Hermodice
carunculata ranged between ~18 and 86 ind ha 1
, and percent damage to A.
cervicornis
was close to 0.2%. Incidences of white-band disease or bleaching were not
detected. The
flourishing
A. cervicornis populations off Fort Lauderdale thrive in a high-
latitude environment,
beyond
known temperature constraints and in the midst of significant anthropogenic
stressors. They
are
perhaps the largest and northernmost in the continental U.S.A. This situation
provides an
interesting
counterpoint to the decline and disease-stricken A. cervicornis populations
in seemingly
more
favorable conditions further south in the Florida Keys..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
102
ON
THE NATURE OF SPECIES IN SCLERACTINIAN CORALS: THE MADRACIS
SPECIES
COMPLEX
M.J.A.
Vermeij, Diekmann O.E., R.P.M. Bak
Cooperative
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (University of Miami)/ NOAA
Fisheries,
Southeast Science Center
75
Virginia Beach Dr, Miami, FL 33149 USA
The
evolutionary and ecological status of six Caribbean Madracis species
reveals mechanistic
species
that can be used to describe the genus dynamics through evolutionary time.
Within a limited
spatio-temporal
scale (defined by the duration of the research (1998-2001) and the locations it
was
carried
out: Bonaire and Curaçao, 9375km 2 ), we
investigated patterns observable at present to reveal
processes
relevant through time. Three paradigms that are currently used in coral biology
were
combined:
morphometrics, genetics and ecology. The organization of the genus can be
portrayed as a
multidimensional
graph which axes represent various paradigms. For Madracis we used the
paradigms:
genetics (based on (Diekmann et al. 2001), colony morphology and ecological
characteristics.
Ideally, such projection of multiple species characteristics would be performed
in an
n-dimensional
graph, where n represents the number of characteristics that were studied
simultaneously.
“True” species sensu (Veron 1995) are separated at each single axis from
the others.
We
found that M. mirabilis and M. senaria are indeed distinct from
each other and all other Madracis
genetically,
ecologically and morphologically. They are therefore “true” species that
obtained a
specialist
strategy on the reef followed by reproductive isolation (Vermeij et al. A).
Although, M.
mirabilis
and M. senaria provide excellent evolutionary units for ecological,
morphological or
genetical
studies, they are useless to describe speciation processes in corals. The
remaining four
species
show interspecific overlap in morphological, genetic and ecological
characteristics and
provide
a much better opportunity to study organizational processes in coral evolution.
Two
organizational
processes were observed: introgressive hybridization and the controlled
expression of
genetic
polymorphisms. M. pharensis/M. decactis-complex is a genetical
polymorphism organized by
habitat
heterogeneity at a small spatial scale (Vermeij et al. B). The scale, at which
environmental
variation
occurs, that causes organization within species gene pools is surprisingly
small and was
found
between closely, located islands. Secondly, introgressive hybridization between
M. formosa
and
the M. pharensis/M. decactis complex resulting in a new species: Madracis
carmabi (Vermeij et
al.
C, Diekmann et al. 2001). The participation of the M. pharensis/M. decactis complex
in both
processes
clearly illustrates the evolutionary dynamics of these species. In the genus we
then have an
example
of a group where speciation could potentially occur (M. pharensis/M.
decactis complex), but
also
where existing species reintegrate due hybridization (M. pharensis/M.
decactis complex and M.
formosa).
The concurrence of fusions and splits in Madracis gene pools as they are
organized
through
evolutionary time, supports the presence reticula te evolution in Madracis
(sensu Veron
1995).
We now see that when the organizational processes are known and multiple
paradigms are
combined
simultaneously, species become visible. They can not be defined a priori and
evolve as
patterns
from processes that respond to upper and lower constraints through time.
Diekmann OE, Bak RPM, Stam WT and Olsen JL (2001)
Molecular genetic evidence for reticulate speciation in the coral genus
Madracis from a Caribbean fringing reef slope. Mar Biol
139:221-233.
Vermeij MJA, Diekmann OE and Bak RPM. Submitted A. A
new species of Scleractinian coral (Cnidaria, Anthozoa), Madracis
carmabi n.sp.
from the Southern Caribbean. Bull Mar Sc.
Vermeij MJA, Sandin SA and Samhouri. Submitted B.
Morphological variation related to habitat heterogeneity suggests genetic
structure at a small spatial scale in a Caribbean coral
species. Am Nat.
Vermeij MJA, Sampayo EM, Broker K and Bak RPM.
Submitted C. Variation in planulae release of closely related coral species.
Mar
Ecol Prog Ser
Veron JEN (1995) Corals in space and time. Cornell
University Press..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
103
THE
USE OF CORAL NURSERIES AS A CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT TOOL OFF THE
COAST
OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA, USA
Jamie
A. Vernacchio, David S. Gilliam
National
Coral Reef Institute (NCRI)
Nova
Southeastern University Oceanographic Center
8000
North Ocean Drive
Dania
Beach FL 33004 USA
Natural
and anthropogenic damage to coral reefs, especially those in environmentally sensitive
and
densely
populated areas like Broward County, Florida, USA, is a growing concern for
reef managers
and
scientists. The Coral Nursery Project was established as a cooperative effort
between local
scientists
(NCRI), resource managers (State of Florida and Broward County Department of
Planning
and
Environmental Protection), resource users (Ocean Watch Foundation Dive Club),
and federal
resources
managers (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the National
Fish
and
Wildlife Foundation) to utilize corals of opportunity (i.e., overturned, loose,
or dislodged corals)
that
may otherwise perish, for use in transplantation to damaged coral reef habitat.
Transplanting
scleractinian
corals to damaged coral reefs has been shown to accelerate the early stages of
recovery
after
reef habitat has been damaged. Until recently, however, donor corals for coral
reef restoration
were
only obtained from two sources: those grown in laboratories and those taken
from existing reef
surfaces.
The process of growing corals in a laboratory can be time consuming and
expensive.
Removing
attached corals from one reef for transplantation elsewhere may result in no
net gain.
Instead,
the Coral Nursery Project locates, collects, and transports corals of
opportunity, which have
become
detached from the reef through various means, to an established nursery ground
(artificial
reef).
These corals are then tagged, affixed to the substrate, and monitored for
growth and
survivorship.
Corals from this nursery can provide a source of transplant donors for future
restoration
of
coral reef habitat. During the first year of the project, over 150 corals of
more than 15 species have
been
transplanted to the nursery. The survival rate of these colonies has exceeded
95%, a much larger
success
rate than what would be expected if these loose corals were left unattached.
The results of the
Coral
Nursery Project study will provide resource managers information on coral
species and colony
size
specific transplantation success. Future restoration activities can benefit
from the use of the
rescued
corals of opportunity. Coral nurseries may become important tools in future
coral reef habitat
restoration
projects..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
104
DEEP
WATER GORGONIANS FROM THE NORTHEASTERN US COAST
Les
Watling, Peter Auster, Ivar Babb, Carolyn Skinder
Darling
Marine Center, University of Maine,
193
Clarks Cove Road, Walpole, Maine, USA 04573
Gorgonians
are a conspicuous feature of the deep water fauna when hard substrates are
present. The
United
States northeast coast (defined as the area from Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of
Maine) is home
to
about 28 species of gorgonians. Most are found at slope depths (200- 2500 m),
but a few can be
found
in relatively shallow water (15-165 m) in the Gulf of Maine. In a recent paper,
Cairns and
Chapman
recorded 15 species of scleractinians from the same region, most from depths
greater than
200
m. An Alvin dive in Oceanographer Canyon (south side of Georges Bank) revealed
large
numbers
of Paramuricea grandis, Anthothela grandiflora, and Thouarella
?n. sp. The P. grandis
were
often overgrown by a zoanthid, probably in the genus Amphianthus. Whether
overgrown or
not,
the Paramuricea skeletons were host to brittle stars, Asteronyx sp.
As with Southern Ocean
representatives
of Thouarella, each colony of the Thouarella ?n. sp. from
Oceanographer Canyon
was
host to an unknown species of polynoid polychaete. We have also compiled
historical data
going
back to early Alvin dives, but including primarily data from cameras tows made
by Barbara
Hecker.
These historical records show that some canyons, such as Lydonia, have very
high diversity
of
gorgonians, whereas others, like Oceanographer, seem to have a low number of
gorgonian species.
Our
work will continue in the Gulf of Maine, with studies on the reproduction and
genetics of
Primnoa
resaediformis and Paragorgia aborea.
This
work was supported by a grant from the NOAA Ocean Exploration initiative and a
Mia Tegner
grant
from the Marine Biology Conservation Institute..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
105
DROWNED
CARBONATE PLATFORMS IN THE HUON GULF, PAPUA NEW GUINEA;
MORPHOLOGY,
COMPOSITION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR REEF DEVELOPMENT ON
A
RAPIDLY SUBSIDING MARGIN
Jody
Webster, Eli Silver, Donald Potts, Laura Wallace, Kristen Riker-Coleman,
Christina
Gallup,
Bruce Applegate, Stacy Jupiter, Nathan Mosusu, Jocelyn Davies, Rebecca Stamski,
Hugh
Davies, Oliver Simeon, Suzanne Hattenberger, Kelly Dorgan
Earth
Sciences Department
University
of California, Santa Cruz
Santa
Cruz, California 95064
jwebster@es.ucsc.edu
Collision
between the South Bismarck Plate and the northern edge of the Australian Plate
has
produced
an actively subsiding foreland basin in the western Huon Gulf. A series of
drowned coral
reef
platforms and pinnacles are preserved on this margin as a result of this rapid
subsidence.
Previous
data and models suggest that these platforms drowned due to the combined
affects of rapid
relative
sea- level rise associated with glacial terminations and continual subsidence
(up to 5.6
mm/year)
over the last 400 ky. To better constrain our understanding of short term
subsidence rates,
sea-level
change and carbonate platform development in the Huon Gulf, we undertook a
multidisciplinary
cruise on the R/V Melville (Aug-Sep 2001). We mapped and sampled nine
platforms
and pinnacles using; (1) Seabeam 2000; (2) detailed side-scan mapping (DSL120)
and (3)
the
ROV Jason for outcrop sampling. To determine the timing of each drowning event
and the
paleoenvironmental
settings prior to drowning, sampling focused on the tops of each platform. We
present
preliminary data concerning the structure and morphology, radiometric ages and
composition
of
the platforms. Two U-Th ages (348 ka from -1950 m and 60 ka from -240 m)
confirm the
platforms
get progressively older and deeper NE towards the Markham Fault. Additional
dates
should
allow us to directly determine the age of the intervening platforms, the timing
of drowning
and
thus the likely timing of the glacial terminations. Preliminary analysis of
coral assemblages and
microfacies
data indicate significant differences in paleoenvironmental settings between
some of the
platforms.
In summary, the Huon Gulf provides an important natural laboratory for
understanding
reef
drowning and backstepping platform development in response to episodic rapid
relative sea- level
rise..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
106
DO
SEAWATER TEMPERATURES LIMIT CORAL DISTRIBUTION IN SOUTHERN
ARABIA?
Simon
C Wilson
Department
of Biology, Warwick University, CV4 7RU, UK
PO
Box 2531, CPO 111, Seeb, Sultanate of Oman
In
Southern Arabia, coral rich areas can be classified into a range of biotopes:
coral communities,
coral
carpets (veneers), incipient reefs and true reefs. Their distribution is patchy
and primarily
reflects
the availability of suitable hard substrates. Coral rich communities in the
Arabian Sea and the
Gulf
of Oman are largely limited to seven discrete areas of Oman and Yemen. Along
with high
nutrient
concentrations, low light penetration and biological factors, extreme seawater
temperatures
have
been identified as one of the major constraints to coral reef development in
the region.
Summer
seawater temperatures in Southern Arabia are extreme: in the Gulf of Oman the
maximum
seawater
temperature recorded is 39°C, while in
the Arabian sea the minimum temperature recorded
is
16.9°C, indicating that both the upper
and lower thermal tolerances occur concomitantly in
contiguous
seas. However, these extremes are moderated by the dynamic influence of
upwelling. In
the
Gulf of Oman, high temperatures are reduced by the very shallow and sharp
thermocline that rises
and
fall with the daily cycle of thermic winds, whereas in the Arabian Sea, the
intensity of upwelling
varies
over a cycle of about 2 weeks to give an average seawater temperature of ~20°C over the
summer
months. Summer upwelling along the northern coast of the Arabian Sea coast of
Oman
provides
a mechanism for protection from extreme high temperatures for corals in the
northern
Indian
Ocean. Further research is required to investigate if this area might act as a
refuge during the
predicted
extreme bleaching events in future years..Oral
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
107
PHYSICAL
AND ECOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES IN THE IMPACT OF RECENT
HURRICANES
AT DISCOVERY BAY, JAMAICA, BEFORE AND AFTER THE ONSET OF
REEF
COMMUNITY DEGRADATION
J.D.
Woodley
Centre
for Marine Sciences, University of the West Indies (Mona)
13
South Street W., Dundas, Ontario, L9H 4C3, Canada
13
hurricanes have passed within 40 nautical miles (c. 73 km) of Discovery Bay
since 1870, with
median
interval of 7 years. The condition of the fore-reef community has oscillated
irregularly
between
recently smashed and, to varying degrees, recovered. At the former extreme,
coral cover was
relatively
low and dominated by resistant massive corals: at the other, coral cover was
high and
dominated
by the fast- growing Acropora species. The latter situation prevailed in
1980, when
hurricane
Allen passed about 45 km to the north, generating waves which smashed most Acropora
colonies.
In 1988, hurricane Gilbert ran the length of Jamaica, passing 40 km to the
south of
Discovery
Bay. There had been little recovery from hurricane Allen, partly because only 8
years had
elapsed,
but also because the reef communities had begun to suffer other impacts,
entering a phase of
degradation.
These included white-band disease in A. cervicornis, mass mortality of Diadema
antillarum
with consequent excessive growth of macro-algae, and mass coral bleaching.
Gilbert
brought high winds onshore which the island mass caused to blow in the same
direction for
several
hours. They generated huge waves which scoured linear features on the reef,
oblique to the
downslope
channels, that persisted for months. Large amounts of sediment were transported
downslope;
the shallow terrace was swept clean and intermittent Pleistocene hardgrounds
were
revealed.
Cool water, brought from below the thermocline, mixed with the surface waters
and
probably
averted a bleaching event.
By
1988, most massive Montastraea annularis were becoming overgrown by
macroalgae. Scouring
by
hurricane Gilbert largely removed macroalgal growth, but not for long. The
fore-reef was quickly
carpeted
by the red alga Liagora, although brown and green algae soon dominated
again. A few
colonies
of A. cervicornis had developed in some areas, but hurricane Gilbert
smashed them again.
The
slabs and sticks of Acropora rubble created by Allen had become cemented
together. Under
Gilbert,
much of this was re-mobilized, scrubbed clean and re-distributed. Many
gorgonians and
sponges
were torn off or broken, and piles of rotting corpses accumulated in channels
and sills on the
deep
reef slopes.
After
hurricane Gilbert, as algal overgrowth resumed, coral cover at 10m depth
declined to about 4%.
Subsequently,
Diadema has reappeared above 10 m, and coral cover has risen to at least
15%, but the
assemblage
is different from that which prevailed in the centuries before hurricane Allen.
The
Acropora
species are scarce and Montastraea annularis, suffering from algal
overgrowth, yellow-blotch
disease
and bleaching, is reduced in abundance. The next hurricane will hit an
alga-dominated
community
in which the commonest corals are the opportunists Porites astreoides, P.
porites and
Agaricia
agaricites..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
108
NESTED
CLADE ANALYSIS AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF WESTERN PACIFIC
LEUCETTA
‘CHAGOSENSIS’ (PORIFERA: CALCAREA): CLUES FOR CONSERVATION
OF
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF WORLD HERITAGE AREA (AUSTRALIA)
Wörheide,
G., Hooper, J.N.A. and Degnan, B.M.
Geoscience
Centre Göttingen, Dept. of Geobiology, Goldschmidtstr. 3,
D-37077
Göttingen, Germany
gert.woerheide@geo.uni-goettingen.de
Phylogeography
investigates the geographical distribution of genealogical lineages, including
those
at
the intraspecific level. While phylogeographic relationships of terrestrial
taxa have been quite well
studied
during the last years, marine phylogeography is still in its infancies. In the
present study we
explore
phylogeographic relationships of the widespread calcareous sponge Leucetta
‘chagosensis’,
occurring
in shaded habitats of Indo-Pacific coral reefs. It provides a good model system
to
investigate
marine phylogeographic relationships due to its allegedly limited dispersal
capabilities.
Maximum
parsimony analysis of 19 ribosomal sequencetypes from 28 locations in the
western
Pacific
revealed phylogeographic structuring into 4 major clades, corresponding to the
northern/central
GBR with Guam and Taiwan, the southern GBR and subtropical regions south to
Brisbane,
Vanuatu, and Indonesia. Subsequent nested clade analysis confirmed this
structure with a
probability
of >95%. A pattern of range expansion from the internal Indonesian clade was
inferred at
the
total cladogram level, supporting the 'Centre of Origin' hypothesis. Two
distinct clades were
found
on the GBR, which narrowly overlap geographically in a line approximately from
the
Whitsunday
Islands to the northern Swain Reefs. At various clade levels, the northern GBR
clade
was
influenced by past fragmentation and contiguous range expansion events,
presumably
during/after
sea level low stands in the Pleistocene, after which the northern GBR might have
been
recolonised
from the Queensland Plateau in the Coral Sea. The southern GBR clade is most
closely
related
to subtropical L. ‘chagosensis’, and we infer that the southern GBR was
recolonized from
there
after sea level low stands. Our results have important implications for
conservation and
management
of the GBR, as they highlight the importance of marginal transition zones in
the
generation
and maintenance of species rich zones, such as the Great Barrier Reef World
Heritage
Area..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
109
LITTLE
ICE AGE SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE VARIABILITY RECORDED IN A
MADAGASCAR
CORAL RECORD
Zinke,
J., Dullo, W-Chr., Eisenhauer, A.
GEOMAR,
Research Center for Marine Geosciences,
Wischhofstrasse
1-3, Geb. 4, 24143 Kiel, Germany
A
coral from the lagoon of Ifaty off southwest Madagascar in the Mozambique
Channel was
examined.
Based on temporal variability of skeletal oxygen isotopes annual mean sea
surface
temperatures
(SST) are reconstructed for the period from 1658 to 1995. This includes part of
the
Little
Ice Age (LIA) covering the period between 1658 to 1850. Sr/Ca ratios were
measured for
selected
windows with monthly resolution (1973 to 1995, 1860 to 1910, 1780-1810, 1690 to
1710) to
validate
the SST reconstructions derived from oxygen isotopes. The coral proxy data were
validated
against
gridded SST data sets.
The
coral indicates that during the coolest period of the entire record from 1670
to 1730, annual
mean
SST were 0.4°C cooler than the long-term average. Seasonal extremes present in
the oxygen
isotopes
and the Sr/Ca ratios show that cooling was more pronounced during southern
hemisphere
summer
(January-March). During the time interval from 1730-1850, annual mean SST were
on
average
similar to the industrial period from 1850 to the present. This agrees well
with observations
from
various Southern Ocean subtropical corals.
Interannual
variability in the Madagascar coral record was identified in form of a
characteristic
period
of about 3.9 years most probably due to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
cycles
appearing
in the southern Indian Ocean. The amplitude variations in interannual SST are
strongly
enhanced
during cool climatic periods (1670 to 1730, 1870-1930). A strong interdecadal
period of
about
17 years is prominent throughout the entire record, which is a characteristic
period found in
SW
Indian Ocean SST anomalies and South African rainfall anomalies. It was also
reported in other
long
time series from Pacific and Indian Ocean corals situated between 20-30°S and
for global SST
anomalies
in the Southern Ocean. Interdecadal excursions in the coral record were in the
order of 0.3
to
0.5°C. They are very pronounced during the coolest period between 1670 to 1730
and also from
1850
to 1920.
Our
results suggest that SST during the Little Ice Age in the SW Indian Ocean show
marked
interdecadal
regime shifts of warm and cold periods. However, SST during the period between
1670
and
1730 were significantly lower than average SST during the LIA..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
110
THE
RETICULATED REEFS IN GOLFO DE GUACANAYABO, CUBA AND
BIOCONSTRUCTIONS
IN THE “URGONIAN,” BULGARIA
Vassil
N. Zlatarski
131
Fales Rd., Bristol, RI 02809, USA
vzlatarski@yahoo.com
Coral
reefs in the Golfo de Guacanayabo in southeastern Cuba are unique in many
respects—shape,
structure,
builders, biodiversity, endemic forms and origin. Observed from the air, they
exhibit
complex
reticulated contours. These 20- to 25-metre-high reefs have grown vertically in
murky,
stagnant
waters in a muddy bottom bay. Here, the usual Caribbean reef-building
Scleractinia
(Acropora
palmata, Montastraea annularis complex, M. cavernosa, Diploria spp.)
are not present.
Instead,
there exist abundant small branchy colonies of non-reef-building Oculina
spp., Cladocora
arbuscula
and Porites porites f. divaricata; very delicate A. cervicornis; the
strictly endemic
Eusmilia
fastigiata f. guacanayabensis; and a rare form of the Hydrozoa Millepora
alcicornis f.
delicatula.
These small bushy stony corals, together with numerous sponges, combine to
form
unusual
reefs such that some reef parts appear almost “gelatinous.” It has not been
shown that the
Guacanayabo
reefs developed on top of older positive structures. Instead, their origin may
be
understood
as arising from delicate branchy coral colonies that have grown on soft bottom
together
with
sponges, gradually compensating for the submergence of the sea floor. A survey
performed
west
of the Golfo de Guacanayabo found incidences of coral branches with sponges and
other
invertebrates
providing a base for buildups on soft bottom, showing how this unusual
construction
can
develop in various locales. By studying the Guacanayabo reefs, we can learn how
to work more
effectively
toward their sustainability and the protection of their unique biodiversity.
The
preservation
of these unusual reefs requires public education and the putting into place of
special
restrictions.
The positive experience of the adjacent park, a protected part of the
Archipelago
Jardines
de la Reina reefs, suggests extending that park eastward to include the
Guacanayabo reefs.
The
Guacanayabo reefs are not only intriguing in terms of understanding a rare type
of “marginal”
reef,
but also provide a model for understanding fossil reefs in analogous
conditions. The
“Urgonian”
sedimentary rocks (Lower Cretaceous) in the Central Fore-Balkan in northern
Bulgaria
offer
many examples of bioconstructions, varying in dimension, external morphology
and internal
architecture,
and enclosed in both terrigenous and limestone formations. Some are built not
on the
hard
substrata, by dendroid and small colonies of scleractinian corals as the
primary constructors, and
Hydrozoa,
Brachiopoda, Pelecypoda, Gastropoda, Echinodermata, Algae as other builders.
The
bioconstructors’
roles vary from isolated coralla and other fossils disseminated in the rocks to
fully-constructed
frameworks.
According to the origin of the bioconstructions, the y can be classified as
monocentric,
polycentric or superficial.
The
Guacanayabo reefs and the “Urgonian” examples of fossil bioconstructions
demonstrate the
opportunistic
and resilient character of some coral-dominated settings..Oral Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
111
PALAEOECOLOGICAL
AND TAPHONOMICAL SIGNATURES OF CORAL-REEF
ASSOCIATED
MOLLUSCS – AN ACTUALISTIC APPROACH
Martin
Zuschin
Institute
of Palaeontology, University of Vienna,
Althanstrasse
14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
martin.zuschin@univie.ac.at
Molluscs
are quantitatively important and diverse colonizers of subtropical- tropical
shallow-water
coral
reefs. The palaeoecological and taphonomical informations that can be derived
from molluscs
in
these coral reef environments, however, is not uniform but strongly depends on
life habits of the
respective
taxa. Therefore, three case studies (two from the northern Red Sea, one from
the
Seychelles)
show distinct differences between molluscan life and death assemblages, which
are due
to
distinct biases in the death assemblage.
Bivalves
that lived in close contact to living corals are preferentially overgrown after
death and
should
provide considerable temporal and ecological information in a potential fossil
record as they
will
be preserved (mostly in situ) within a rapidly growing reef framework.
Some gastropod taxa are
preferentially
transported into surrounding soft substrata post-mortem. Here they will be
affected by
time-averaging
and taphonomic disintegration typically occurring in sediments resulting in the
associated
loss of much temporal information. Most gastropod shells, however, are
inhabited by
hermit
crabs post- mortem, which may strongly alter the fossil gastropod community
structure.
Molluscs
that colonize dead surfaces preferentially accumulate on rock grounds.
The
sedimentary facies surrounding coral reefs are characterized by distinct and
highly diverse
mollusc
associations which probably represent long-term time-averaged assemblages.
Despite the
loss
of much temporal information, these mollusc associations accurately reflect the
spatial
relationships
of the sedimentary facies and a variety of environmental parameters like water
energy,
grain
size and food supply...Poster Presentation 113
Poster Presentations..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
115
TEST
OF A SIMPLE SYS TEM FOR INCIDENTAL MONITORING OF FAUNAL
PARAMETERS
BY RECREATIONAL DIVERS
Jennifer
S. Ashworth, Rupert F.G. Ormond
University
Marine Biological Station
Millport,
Isle of Cumbrae, KA28 0EG UK
The
scope of changes occurring to reef systems as a result of environmental impacts
and change is
beyond
the capacity of formal monitoring systems, yet even non-biologically inclined
recreational
SCUBA
divers tend to take an interest in highly charismatic fauna, such as clownfish,
grouper or
shark.
An indirect measure of the abundance of a species will be the length of time
into a recording
period
after which it is first observed; the more abundant a species is within a reef
area, the sooner it
will,
on average, first be recorded during the course of variably structured dives.
This suggests the
use
of time of first observation (TFO) of selected charismatic fauna as a
recreational diver friendly
monitoring
tool, since all SCUBA divers are taught to monitor time during dives for safety
reasons.
To
test the validity of the relationship between abundance and TFO, and to assess
the ability of TFOs
for
selected fauna to discriminate between different reef types within the same
region, both actual
abundance
and TFOs for 11 conspicuous fauna were recorded during 32 dives in 3 adjacent
reef areas
within
the Sharm El Sheikh region of the Egyptian Red Sea. Across all species there
was a highly
significant
correlation over 32 dives between TFO and measured abundance, as there was for
10
species
analysed individually. Also for all of the 32 dives there was a correlation
between TFOs and
measured
abundance of the different species as recorded on each single dive. For 7 of
the 11 species
used
there was no difference in either mean observed abundance or mean TFO between
the 3 areas,
but
for 1 of the 3 species in which a difference in mean abundance between areas
was evident, there
was
also a difference in mean TFO. This suggests that with improvements and where
adequate data
is
available mean TFO may be useful as a means of detecting to detect spatial or
temporal differences
in
abundance of conspicuous fauna where these exist..Poster
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
116
POPULATION
STRUCTURE OF THE CORALLIVOROUS SNAIL CORALLIOPHILA
ABBREVIATA
(GASTROPODA:CORALLIOPHILIDAE)
Iliana
B. Baums, Michael Hellberg, Margaret W. Miller
Rosenstiel
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Division of Marine Biology and
Fisheries,
University of Miami
4600
Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Fl 33149 USA
The
corallivorous gastropod Coralliophila abbreviata (Gastropoda:
Coralliophilidae) can alter coral
community
structure by feeding on scleractinian corals. Declining numbers of important
prey species
(Acropora)
in the Florida Keys (and throughout the Caribbean) led us to investigate
parameters of the
population
structure and the feeding physiology of this gastropod. The two major
frame-building
Caribbean
corals, Acropora palmata and Montastraea spp are some of the
preferred prey. Previous
results
indicated that compared to snails on Montastraea spp. hosts, snail
populations on A. palmata
show
a lower infestation rate, larger mean individual size, fewer snails per colony
and higher growth
rates.
Acropora colonies with snails showed larger areas with visible
tissue-damage than
Montastraea
spp. colonies. The differences in snail populations could be in part
attributed to host
effects:
snails transplanted from A. palmata to Montastraea spp. showed a
decrease in growth rates
whereas
snails transplanted from Montastraea spp. to A. palmata showed
equally high growth rates
as
the native snails. Since Montastraea spp. tissue provides more carbon
per area than A. palmata the
nature
of the host effect remains unclear. Host-specific characteristics of snail
populations are
comparable
across the Caribbean. Taken together, host-specific differences suggested the
possibility
of
cryptic snail species. Microsatellite markers are being developed to
investigate genetic population
structure
of Coralliophila abbreviata Caribbean-wide. Preliminary data shows a
high abundance of
long
(9-75) AC repeats in the Coralliophila abbreviata genome, confirming
their potential as
polymorphic
markers. The finding of differentiation between snail populations from
different hosts
has
implications for the protection of threatened A. palmata populations..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
117
IS
ZOOPLANKTON CAPTURE AN IMPORTANT TROPHIC PATHWAY IN REEF
CORALS?
John
C Bythell 1 , Jeremy C Thomason,
Karla B Heidelberg, Kenneth P Sebens
1 School of Biological Sciences
Ridley
Building
University
of Newcastle
Newcastle
upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
j.c.bythell@ncl.ac.uk
The in
situ rate of zooplankton capture and it's trophic importance were assessed
under natural
conditions
in a variety of coral species. Close-up video surveillance was examined from 51
individual
coral
colonies of four species feeding under natural conditions at night using far
red and infra red
lighting
(fig 1). There were significant differences in zooplankton prey capture rates
between three
coral
species, with Montastraea cavernosa and Meandrina meandrites feeding
at approximately 3
and 4
times the rate of Montastraea annularis, respectively. These differences
were attributable to
prey
encounter rates,
rather
than differences
in capture
efficiency,
which
was virtually
identical
between
species.
This can be
explained
by the much
greater
polyp and
tentacle
expansion
observed
in M.
cavernosa
and M.
meandrites
compared to
M.
annularis (fig 1),
resulting
in more
frequent
prey encounters. In general, there was also close correlation between the
encounter rate and
capture
rate of specific zooplankton taxa. There was no significant difference in the
frequency of
zooplankton
captures by taxonomic group, so any prey specificity by coral species can be
explained
by
different encounter rates. The organic fraction of zooplankton represents a
high quality diet, with
C:N
ratios of between 3.8 and 4.6. Preliminary estimates of C and N supply from
zooplankton
feeding
were: 0.7 gC.cm -2 .y -1 and 0.17 gN.cm -2
.y -1 in M. annularis, 2.1
gC.cm -2 .y -1
and 0.5 gN.cm -2
.y -1 in M. cavernosa and 3.0 gC.cm -2 .y -1 and
0.7 gN.cm -2 .y -1 in M. meandrites. These values
represent
20-80 times the annual total C budget and 112-460 times the N budget calculated
previously
for shallow water Acropora palmata. While not all the ingested ration
would be
assimilated,
the supply of zooplankton clearly represents a substantial part of the overall
C and N
budget
of these corals.
Figure 1. Whole-colony (A) and close-up (B)
video captures of corals feeding
in situ at night. A zooplankter is viewed
just before capture (arrow). A =
Montastraea annularis, B = Montastraea cavernosa.
Scale bars 1 cm..Poster
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
118
INCORPORATION
OF STRONTIUM IN THE SKELETON OF THE SCLERACTINIAN
CORAL,
STYLOPHORA PISTILLATA
Christine
Ferrier-Pagès*, Florence Boisson°, Denis Allemand, Eric Tambutté
*Centre
Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue Saint Martin,
MC-98000
Monaco, Principality of Monaco
°IAEA,
Marine Environment Laboratory, 4 Quai Antoine 1er
MC-98012
Monaco Cedex, Principality of Monaco
Calcification
in corals has been a topic of interest for over 100 years but yet the processes
involved
are
not entirely known. Most of the studies are related to calcium uptake, and few
explored the
incorporation
of strontium (Sr 2+ ). It is however
essential for paleoclimatologists to understand
calcification
processes in corals because the ratio of Sr/Ca has been widely used to
determine the
temperature
of the ancient seas. Experiments were therefore performed to gain a better
understanding
on
the processes involved in strontium incorporation. For this purpose, we used 85 Sr and a Nal
detector
as a non-destructive method. Sr 2+ skeletal
incorporation was found to be linear during the 9
days
of incubation with natural concentration of Sr 2+
. We found a linear relationship in the rates of
Sr 2+ incorporation vs external Sr 2+ concentration up to 3.4 mM (i.e. a
concentration 37.5 times higher
than
normal seawater concentration). However, the incorporation of Sr 2+ was also strongly dependent
of
the Ca 2+ concentration in seawater as
well as on the rate of calcification. The uptake of strontium
indeed
decreased with the increase in the calcium concentration in seawater. In
addition, uptake of
Sr 2+ was sensitive to verapamil, a calcium channel
inhibitor, and showed a maximal half inhibition
(IC50) for a verapamil concentration of 12 ?M, a
value close to that observed for calcium uptake. All
these
results suggest that care should be taken before optimal interpretation of the
Sr/Ca ratios..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
119
CHARACTERISATION
OF SR CO-ORDINATION IN CORAL ARAGONITE BY EXAFS
Adrian
Finch, Nicola Allison, Steven Sutton, Matthew Newville
School
of Geography & Geosciences,
University
of St Andrews, Irvine Building, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AL, UK
na9@st-and.ac.uk
Sr/Ca
ratios of some coral skeletons have been successfully linked to local SSTs.
However the Sr
concentration
of coral aragonite is approximately 7000 ppm and exceeds the thermodynamic
solubility
of Sr in aragonite. Preliminary Sr K-edge EXAFS of bulk coral powders indicated
that Sr
in
some corals is present in two structural environments: as Sr distributed
ideally in aragonite and as
Sr
clustered in SrCO3 (strontianite) domains
(Greegor et al. 1997). The incorporation of Sr as
strontianite
is likely to complicate the expected relationship between aragonite Sr/Ca and
SST, since
the
thermodynamics of a two-phase mixture is different from that of a solid
solution. Variations in
the
proportion of Sr present as strontianite may also affect the palaeotemperature
equation, leading
to
significant uncertainties in the prediction of SSTs from coral aragonite.
We
have investigated the co-ordination of Sr in a range of coral skeletons
including Porites lobata,
Pavona
gigantea, Pavona clavus and Montastrea annularis using Sr K-edge
Extended Absorption X-ray
Fine
Structure (EXAFS). We compared these with aragonite, strontianite and
mechanically mixed
standards.
We performed bulk analyses and compared the data with equivalent microEXAFS
analyses
on small (~400 µm 3 ) analytical volumes
using a microfocussed x-ray beam. As a result of
the
architecture of the coral skeleton, the crystals within the microanalytical
volume are not randomly
oriented,
and the microanalytical x-ray absorption spectra show orientational dependence.
However,
refinement
of bulk and microanalytical data provided indistinguishable interatomic
distances and
thermal
vibration parameters in the third shell (indicative of Sr speciation).
The
Sr K-edge EXAFS of all the coral samples refine, within error, to an ideally
substituted Sr in
aragonite,
in contrast to previous studies, in which significant strontianite was
reported. Some
samples
from that study were also analyzed here. Strontianite may be less widely
distributed in corals
than
previously thought.
R.B.
Greegor et al., Strontianite in coral skeletal aragonite, Science 275 (1997)
1452..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
120
MAPPING
AND PROTECTION OF DEEP-WATER CORAL REEFS IN NORWAY
Jan
Helge Fosså 1 , Pål B. Mortensen 2 , Dag. M. Furevik 1 , J. Alvsvaag 1 , I. Svellingen 1
1 Institute of Marine Research (IMR), P.O. Box
1870 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway 2 Present
address: Marine Environmental Sciences Division, Bedford Institute of
Oceanography,
PO Box 1006, 1 Challenger Drive, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, Canada
JHF@IMR.NO
The
deep-water coral Lophelia pertusa builds large reefs, which are very
sensitive to fishing
activities
with bottom trawl. It is estimated that 30-50 % of the Lophelia reefs in
Norwegian waters
has
been damaged by trawling, and the impact is both on areal extent and quality.
It is shown that
there
is a considerable overlap between the distribution of corals and impacted reefs
and the trawl
fields
on the shelf. In 1999 the Norwegian Fisheries authorities decided upon
regulations to protect
coral
reefs in Norway by enforcement of the Fisheries Act. Since 1998 the Institute
of Marine
Research
has carried out a mapping program of the distribution and the status of the
deep-water reefs
in
Norwegian waters. This paper presents updated results from the mapping
activities and describes
the
principles behind the regulation of the fisheries in coral areas..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
121
MACROBENTHIC
BIODIVERSITY AT THE DARWIN MOUNDS, NE ATLANTIC, A
DEEP-WATER
HABITAT FOR COLD-WATER CORAL, LOPHELIA PERTUSA
JD
Gage, JM Roberts, Leanne Hepburn, PA Lamont
Scottish
Association for Marine Science
Dunstaffnage
Marine Laboratory, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA, UK
A
very large number of invertebrate and fish species ha ve been recorded from
samples of the living
and
dead framework of cold-water corals. However, understanding of sensitivities of
the cold-water
coral
ecosystem are limited by incomplete understanding of the composition of this
associated
biodiversity
at different sites and whether or not these species are obligatory or
facultative associates
with
cold-water coral. The present work analysed nine box core samples obtained in
2000 from the
Darwin
Mounds at ca 950 m depth in the northern Rockall Trough. Samples were taken
from either a
mound,
or the unique associated ‘tail’ areas (discriminated by their characteristic
acoustic signature).
It
was not possible to include in the analysis samples from mounds where living
coral was present in
the
core, but our analysis clearly shows the enhanced benthic biodiversity present
with dead coral
rubble.
A total 290 macrobenthic species among 1775 individuals were identified, this
indicating
considerably
greater species diversity compared to those box cores (from either ‘mound’ or
‘tail’) not
containing
coral rubble and a previously obtained sample from the background sediment. Yet
very
many
species were common to all samples, and only 20 of the present species were
included in the
total
of 886 species listed by Rogers (1998) as living on or in Lophelia pertusa reefs.
We conclude
that
very few species may be restricted to the cold-water coral habitat. Rather it
seems that the vast
majority
of species possess a generic requirement for one or more of the mix of
sub-habitats provided
by
coral rubble mixed with sediment, and will certainly include species known from
both hard
surfaces
and soft muddy sediment..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
122
COOL
MICROBORINGS
Marcos
Gektidis 1 , Klaus Vogel 2 , André Freiwald 3
1,2 Geologisch Paläontologisches Institut, J.W.
Goethe Universität, Senckenberganlage 32-34,
60054
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
science@gektidis.de
3 Institute for Paleontology,
Erlangen University, Loewenichstr. 28, 91054 Erlangen Germany
This
study concentrates on the traces that microboring organisms leave in cold water
carbonates. For
this
purpose the carbonate skeletons of Balanus balanus and Balanus
crenatus were investigated
along
a bathymetrical gradient at Tromsø (Norway, 69 0 N)
and Spitzbergen (Norway, 76 0 N).
Specimens
were taken from 0m, 16m, 23m, and 44m waterdepth at Tromsø and 55m, 72m and 85m
waterdepth
at Spitzbergen.
The
substrates were impregnated with a high- viscosous resin. The carbonate was
then removed and
the
resulting three dimensional resin-cast analysed under the SEM. Results show a
depth-dependent
distribution
pattern of microendolithic traces, very much like results obtained from
experiments in
tropical
reef environments. Only that trace communities colonise much narrower zones
here than
they
do in tropical waters. The concept of trace communities is described in detail
by Vogel et al.
2000.
In short it states, that different trace communities exist for certain water
depths, depending on
the
availiability of light. Simplyfied these are the cyanobacterial dominated
Euphotic Zone I, the
algal
dominated Euphotic Zone II, the algal and fungal dominated Dysphotic Zone and
the fungal
dominated
Aphotic Zone. (Please note, that above stated organisms are the assumed
producers of the
traces
identified here).
The
following zones were identified in our localities: The Euphotic Zone I is
restricted to 0m. The
Euphotic
Zone II extends from 0m to 16m. The Dysphotic Zone starts at 23m and extends to
72m.
From
there on only traces of fungal microendoliths are found, which is
characteristic for the Aphotic
Zone.
A total of 26 ichnotaxa was identified in approx. 100 samples.
Literature
cited:
VOGEL, K., GEKTIDIS,
M., GOLUBIC, S., KIENE, W. E., RADTKE,
R..(2000): Studies on microbial
bioerosion
at Lee Stocking Island (Bahamas) and One Tree Island (Great Barrier Reef,
Australia) and
their
meaning for the reconstruction of fossil reef history.- Lethaia, 33: 190-204,
Oslo 2000..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
123
THE
ECOLOGY OF A GROUP OF CRYPTIC FISH, THE MORAY EELS (MURAENIDAE),
DETERMINED
BY A MODIFIED VISUAL CENSUS METHOD
Marianne
Gilbert, Donald L. Kramer
McGill
University, Canada
Department
of Biology, McGill University,1205 Ave. Docteur-Penfield,
Montreal,
Canada, H3A 1B1
We
studied moray eels as potentially important predators that are often
underestimated or neglected
in
studies of coral reef fish due to their cryptic and nocturnal habits. We aimed
to determine their
diversity,
abundance, biomass, microhabitat use and activity patterns on reefs in
Barbados. We used
a
modified underwater visual census (UVC) during day and night in order to better
detect moray eels
in
different habitats. Seven species were present in the study area, 5 of which
were seen frequently.
Gymnothorax
moringa, G. miliaris and Enchelycore nigricans were the most
abundant species.
There
were significant differences in the numbers visible during day and night
censuses. G. miliaris
was
seen most frequently during the day and all others were seen exclusively or in
higher numbers at
night.
G. moringa appears to make up most of the moray biomass. We propose an
index to better
estimate
the abundance of cryptic fauna based on repeated runs of the same transect.
This study
suggests
that morays are more abundant than previously reported and that the use of
night transects,
repeated
runs and other modifications to traditional UVCs increase the detection of
these cryptic fish.
This
could have important implications for studies trying to determine predator
abundance and
biomass
on reefs. Because G. moringa is readily trapped and fairly
site-attached, marine reserves
may
develop considerably higher biomass of predatory morays than fished areas..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
124
SCLEROCHRONOLOGY
AND ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY OF A CORAL FROM
KUWAIT,
NORTHERN ARABIAN GULF: A PILOT STUDY
Eberhard
Gischler 1 , Shakir H. Al-Hazeem 2
1 Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut, Johann
Wolfgang Goethe -Universität,
Senckenberganlage
32, D-60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany 2 Kuwait
Institute of Scientific Research, Mariculture and Fisheries Department, P.O.
Box 1638,
Salmiya
22017, Kuwait
The
coral reefs of Kuwait occur in a marginal setting between 28°-29° north, and
are under the
influence
of clastic input by rivers (Shatt Al- Arab) and by wind. Arid conditions
prevail with some
100
mm of rain per year. Water temperatures fluctuate highly between 13-34°C.
Salinity is elevated
above
normal marine values and ranges from 38.5-42.5‰. A total of 29 reef-building
species of
Scleractinian
corals have been described from the waters of Kuwait. The largest and best
developed
coral
reefs of the country fringe three offshore sand islands named Kubbar, Qaro, and
Um A-Maradem.
Small
patch reefs occur at the southern coast of the country (e.g., Carpenter et al.
1997,
Downing
1985).
During
this pilot study, we investigated a giant colony of Porites lutea at
Qaro, which is 6 m in
diameter
and 5 m high. The top of the colony is in 2 m of water and mostly dead. We took
three
horizontal
cores from the living sides of the colony with lengths of 0.8 m, 1.1 m, and 1.6
m. We
measured
growth-rates on radiographies and we are in the process of measuring stable
isotopes of
oxygen
and carbon along one of the cores. The goal of the project is to get a record
of environmental
change
for the northern Arabian Gulf for the past few decades. The impact of the 1990
Gulf War on
the
reefs including massive oil spills is of special interest. First results show
that growth-rates
average
1 cm per year, however, there is strong variation. From the radiographies
alone, no impact
from
the Gulf War oil spills are visible in that the 1990 growth band would show
abnormal patterns.
Results
from the geochemical (isotope) analyses of one core are in progress and will be
presented on
the
conference.
References:
Carpenter,
K.E., Harrison, P.L., Hodgson, G., Al-Saffar, A.H. & Al- Hazeem, S.H.
(1997): The corals
and
coral reefs fishes of Kuwait.- 199 p., Kuwait Inst. Sci. Res. (Al-Marzouk
Printing).
Downing,
N. (1985): Coral reef communities in an extreme environment: the northwestern
Arabian
Gulf.-
Proc. 5th Int. Coral Reef Symp. Tahiti, 6: 343-348..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
125
GROWTH
AND SURVIVORSHIP OF SCLERACTINIAN CORAL TRANSPLANTS AND
EFFECTIVENESS
OF PLUGGING CORE HOLE SITES
E.A.
Glynn, T.P. Quinn, D.P. Fahy, R.E. Spieler
National
Coral Reef Institute,
Nova
Southeastern University Oceanographic Center
8000
North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL USA 33004
glynn@nova.edu
Eighty
core plugs containing living tissue (coral transplants) of two species of
scleractinian coral
Meandrina
meandrites (n=40) and Montastrea cavernosa (n=40) were transplanted
to forty Reef
Ball TM modules between March and June, 2001. The
cores were obtained from forty individual coral
colonies,
on an adjacent natural reef, using a hydraulic drill fitted with a four- inch
core barrel. Two
cores
were sampled from each of the forty donor colonies. All donor core holes were
filled with pre-fabricated,
numbered
concrete plugs to prevent the detrimental effects of bioeroders. Core hole
sites
and
transplant corals, as well as control corals of comparable size (to both the
large donor colonies
and
the small transplant corals), were monitored for growth and survivorship. Coral
skeletal growth
has
been defined as an increase in surface area or linear radius and has been
measured quarterly using
photographic
techniques. The large donor corals and comparable controls were photographed
using a
Nikonos
V camera with 20mm lens and a 0.75m 2 PVC
framer marked in 10cm increments. The core
hole
sites, coral plug transplants and comparable controls were photographed with a
28mm lens and
close
up kit. SigmaScan Pro4 image analysis software (Jandel Scientific Corporation)
was used for
the
photographic analysis. This monitoring method is suitable for continuous
monitoring and causes
no
apparent harm to the coral colony.
After
nine months of sampling, 100% of the M. cavernosa and 71% of the M.
meandrites transplants
maintained
their original tissue surface area or showed evidence of an increase in surface
area. The
remaining
29% of the M. meandrites transplants have shown varying degrees of
partial tissue
mortality.
The
donor colonies have experienced 100% colony survival. The core hole sites have
not regenerated
tissue
over the concrete plugs. There has been little tissue die back from the plug
sites and so
regeneration
remains possible. Although it is too early in the study to draw firm
conclusions, the
species
specific differences in transplant growth and mortality may be an important
consideration in
future
coral reef restoration efforts..Poster
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
126
UPTAKE
OF AMMONIUM BY THE SCLERACTINIAN CORAL STYLOPHORA
PISTILLATA:
EFFECT
OF FEEDING, LIGHT, AND AMMONIUM CONCENTRATIONS
Renaud
Grover, Jean-François Maguer,
Stéphanie
Reynaud-Vaganay, Christine Ferrier-Pagès
Centre
Scientifique de Monaco, Av. Saint Martin, MC-98000 Monaco
15 NH4Cl
was used to measure the uptake rates of ammonium by the scle ractinian coral Stylophora
pistillata
depending on its feeding regimes (highly fed, slightly fed and starved) and
ammonium
concentration
in seawater (0.2, 1 and 5 µM). Nubbins were prepared from three parent colonies
and
incubated
under the different feeding regimes during 4 weeks. They were then incubated 12
h in
seawater
enriched with a known concentration of 5 NH4Cl. At the end of the incubation,
zooxanthellae
were
separated from the animal cells so that uptake rates could be measured in each
fraction
separately.
Results obtained showed that the algal fraction was enriched with 15 N at up to 10 times
the
rate of the host, suggesting that the zooxanthellae are the primary site of
assimilation. Uptake
rates
in the algal fraction varied according to the nitrogen concentration in
seawater. They were ca.
20
times lower at 0.2 than at 1 or 5 µM 15 NH4 + enrichment (2 - 30 vs 120 - 510 ng N h -1 cm -2 ),
for
both
fed and starved nubbins. These rates were also affected by the feeding history
of the host, since
they
were significantly lower for fed than for starved nubbins (ANOVA, p <
0.005), at both high and
low
ammonium concentrations. According to the nitrogen content of the
zooxanthellae, an external
concentration
of ammonium equal to 0.6 µM can sustain the growth of the zooxanthellae
population..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
127
SATELLITE
TRACKING TRAWLERS TO PROTECT DEEP-WATER CORAL HABITATS
Jason
M. Hall-Spencer
University
Marine Biological Station
Millport,
Isle of Cumbrae, KA28 0EG, UK
Surveys
over the past five years have revealed extensive coral habitats (scleractinians
and
gorgonians)
in deep waters, below the photic zone. Off Europe, reefs constructed by
cold-water
corals
such as Lophelia pertusa, Madrepora oculata and Solenosmilia
variabilis attract commercial
fish
such as monkfish (Lophius spp.), redfish (Sebastes spp.) and
roundnose grenadier
(Coryphaenoides
rupestris). Video surveys and in situ measurements are revealing the
structural and
ecological
complexity of these reefs all along the NE Atlantic continental shelf break
area, but these
surveys
have also shown widespread damage due to deep-sea trawling. Similarly, the
complex
habitats
created by gorgonians (to 10 m in height) off the US and Canada have supported
handline
and
longline fisheries for cod and halibut for centuries but have been damaged
extensively by deep-sea
trawling
over the past decade.
Habitat
destruction and fish stock collapses have prompted the establishment of
deep-water Marine
Protected
Areas off Tasmania and Norway but most countries (including Canada and members
of the
EU)
have done nothing. It has been argued that these deep-water habitats occur too
far offshore for
us to
be able to manage their conservation effectively. However, we now have the
technology to
protect
fragile deep-water corals and the long-lived fish that they attract.
In
the wake of hostilities between the high seas fishing fleets of Canada and
Spain a satellite-based
vessel-
monitoring scheme was introduced. Now ‘black boxes’ are fitted to all vessels
greater than 24
m in
length and operating more than 12 miles offshore from Canada, Iceland,
Greenland, Russia,
Norway,
the Faroes and EU member states. This talk will draw attention to the
international extent
of
trawling damage to cold-water coral habitats and then focus on how the vessel-
monitoring scheme
works.
Satellite tracking offers an excellent means with which to protect deep-water
coral provinces
whilst
helping fishermen sustain fisheries and avoid damage to their nets and catches.
This
research was supported by The Ro yal Society..Poster
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
128
A
SHORT-TERM SPATIAL COMPARISON OF NET CARBONATE CHANGE AND
PERCENT
COVER OF SMALL-SCALE BIOACCRETERS AND BIOERODERS ON
HOLOCENE
TILES PLACED ON THE REEFS OFF FT. LAUDERDALE, FL, USA
H.
A. Halter, B. Riegl
National
Coral Reef Institute,
Nova
Southeastern University Oceanographic Center
8000
North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL 33004-3078 USA
In
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA, three reef lines parallel the coast. The goal of
this study was to
differentiate
the early stages of bioaccretion/bioerosion by measuring net weight changes of
40 tiles
made
of coral placed on the first and second reef lines. The study also aimed at
identifying small-scale
bioaccreters
and bioeroders. Twenty tiles were placed on the first reef at 4 m and on the
second
reef
at 6 m depth where they were left for 4 months. Tiles were attached to a
PVC-pipe frame in such
a way
that both tops and bottoms were exposed. After 4 months, all tiles gained
weight and there was
a
significant difference in net weight change between the two locations (p <
0.05). Quantification of
bioeroders/accreters
was done by point-counts (5 mm 2 ). Tops,
bottoms, and overall pooled values
were
evaluated. Most common bioaccreters were coralline algae (41.4% on 1 st reef, 15.6% on 2 nd
reef,
p < 0.001), bryozoa (15.3% on 1 st reef,
19.6% on 2 nd reef) and serpulids (10.9%
on 1 st reef,
14.9%
on 2 nd reef). On tile tops, crustose
corallines were the dominant bioaccreter (61.8% on 1 st reef,
30.6%
on 2 nd reef), while on the underside
bryozoa (30.6% on 1 st reef, 36% on 2 nd reef) and serpulids
(21.9%
on 1 st reef, 29.7% on 2 nd reef) were dominant. Bioeroders were rare,
the most common being
boring
polychaetes (0.14% on 1 st reef, 0.19% on
2 nd reef). Clionid sponges were found
only on tiles
from
2 nd reef (0.09%), while boring bivalves
were found only on tiles from 1 st reef
(0.75%). There
was
no correlation (R 2 = 0.12) between the
percentage cover of calcareous organisms and net weight
gain.
This suggests that weight gain is caused by layering of fauna, which is not
adequately expressed
by
point-counting only the surficial organisms. The location of tiles on the
different reefs, i.e. depth,
had a
significant effect on net weight change and percent cover of the main
colonizer, crustose
coralline
algae..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
129
SCLEROCHRONOLOGY
AND ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY OF CORALS FROM THE
REEFS
OF BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA
Stephan
Höhne, Eberhard Gischler
Geologisch-Paläontologisches
Institut, Johann Wolfgang Goethe -Universität,
Senckenberganlage
32, D-60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Eighteen
cores from the scleractinian corals Montastraea faveolata, Siderastrea
siderea, and
Solenastrea
bournoni, collected in a variety of different environments and depths in
the modern reefs
of Belize,
are currently being studied regarding variations in growth-rates, and stable
isotopes of
carbon
and oxygen. The goal of this project is (1) to evaluate the influence of a
variety of
environmental
factors such as temperature, salinity, water depth, and turbidity on coral
growth, and
(2)
to acquire a historical climate record for this major reef area in the tropical
Atlantic Ocean.
Results
of the investigation of a core of M. faveolata from the Belize barrier
reef, which has a record
from
AD 1907-2000, show that growth-rates were more or less constant around 10
mm/year from
1900
to 1960 and then decreased to 7-8 mm/year in the late 1990ies. Oxygen isotopes (d 18/16 O)
exhibit
a decreasing trend from —3.8‰ PDB to —4.0‰ PDB which would correspond to an
increase
in temperature of ambient seawater of 1°C during the past 100 years. Carbon
isotopes
(d 13/12 C)
show a decreasing trend from around 0.0‰ PDB at the beginning of the past
century to —
1.0‰
PDB in the 1990ies, which could be attributed to the increase of anthropogenic
input of CO2
into
the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuel. There are no statistically
significant correlations
between
average annual growth-rates and isotopic compositions of C and O and available
climate
data
sets (COADS) in the core investigated. Time series analyses of average annual
growth rates and
C and
O isotopes reveal cycles of 6 and 21 years, however, much more data will be
needed to relate
such
cycles to climatic and/or oceanic circulation cycles.
First
results from analysis of a core of M. faveolata from the restricted
interior lagoon of the isolated
carbonate
platform Turneffe Islands exhibit growth-rates that fluctuate around 1 mm/year
from AD
1820-1930.
From AD 1930-2000 growth-rates decrease to 3 mm/year, which is probably a
consequence
of the fact that the top of the colony came close to sea level. Oxygen isotope
values
fluctuate
along the core, and reach highest values around the year 1860 (—3.6‰ PDB) and
lowest
values
in the late 1980ies to early 1990ies (—4.2 ‰ PDB). This difference would
correspond to a
temperature
increase of 3°C. Carbon isotope values fluctuate between values of 0.0‰ to
—2.0‰
PDB,
and there appears to be no global signal involved as compared to the core from
the barrier reef.
Growth-rates
and carbon isotopes fluctuate more or less parallel from AD 1820-1930, which
might
be a
consequence of the interrelationship of growth and photosymbiotic activity..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
130
NEW
RECORDS OF FUNGIACAVA EILATENSIS GOREAU ET AL., 1968 (BIVALVIA:
MYTILIDAE)
BORING IN INDONESIAN MUSHROOM CORALS (SCLERACTINIA:
FUNGIIDAE)
Bert
W. Hoeksma 1 , Karl Kleemann 2
1 National Museum of Natural History /
Naturalis, P.O. Box 9517,
2300
RA Leiden, The Netherlands
2 Institute for Palaeontology, University of
Vienna, Althanstr. 14,
A-1090
Vienna, Austria
New
observations on endosymbionts in mushroom corals at South Sulawesi and Bali
resulted in eight
new
coral host records of the mytilid bivalve Fungiacava eilatensis Goreau et
al, 1968, bringing the
total
to 14. The host corals were observed in various habitats, most frequently on
sandy substrates.
The
largest numbers of parasitic bivalves (> 10 individuals) were found in large
attached colonies of
Podabacia.
The
mytilid Fungiacava eilatensis is only known to occur in mushroom corals.
In a review,
Hoeksema
& Achituv (1993) listed six species of fungiid ho st corals from various
localities,
belonging
to five subgenera in Fungia Lamarck, 1801: F. (Cycloseris) fragilis (Alcock,
1893), F.
(C.)
tenuis Dana, 1846, F. (Fungia) fungites (Linneaus, 1758), F.
(Lobactis) scutaria Lamarck, 1801,
F.
(Verrillofungia) repanda Dana, 1846, and F. (Wellsofungia) granulosa Klunzinger,
1879.
In
1994 and 2001, additional specimens were collected at the Spermonde
Archipelago, South
Sulawesi
(Indonesia) during surveys on endosymbionts in Fungiidae. Fungiacava
eilatensis not only
appeared
to be more common than expected but also to occur in three additional host
genera (i.e.,
Halomitra
Dana, 1846, Sandalolitha Quelch, 1884, and Podabacia Milne
Edwards & Haime, 1849)
and
one additional subgenus, Fungia (Pleuractis) Verrill, 1864. The eight
newly recorded host
species
are Fungia (Cycloseris) costulata Ortmann, 1889, F. (Pleuractis)
moluccensis Van der Horst,
1919,
F. (P.) paumotensis Stutchbury, 1833, Halomitra pileus (Linnaeus,
1758), Sandalolitha
dentata
Quelch, 1884, S. robusta (Quelch, 1886), Podabacia crustacea (Pallas,
1766), and P.
motuporensis
Veron, 1990. For descriptions of the host coral species, see Hoeksema
(1989, 1993).
During
a recent survey at Bali specimens of F. eilatensis were also observed in
Podabacia crustacea,
P.
motuporensis, Sandalolitha dentata and S. robusta. At South
Sulawesi, most of the endoparasitic
bivalves
were found at lower reef slopes and reef bases, especially in specimens of Fungia
fragilis, F.
costulata
and F. moluccensis on sandy bottoms. Among these host corals,
individuals of F.
moluccensis
appeared the most frequently infested. Corals of Sandalolitha and Podabacia,
which
become
large in adult stage, usually contained the largest numbers of the mytilid
parasite, particularly
Podabacia
species with over 10 bivalves per coral. With regard to habitat preference
of F. eilatensis,
there
is no clear preference in distance offshore, since the animals were found on
reefs near river
mouths
(2 km offshore) and on barrier reefs that are most remote from the river
outlets (36 km
offshore).With
the new records from South Sulawesi and Bali taken into account, the total
number of
host
species infested by Fungiacava eilatensis has become 14. Since these
species belong to several
genera
and subgenera, we conclude that although the host specificity of this bivalve
is limited to only
one
scleractinian family, the Fungiidae, the total number of host species is quite
large for a single
parasitic
species..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
131
SEXUAL
REPRODUCTION IN THE ELLIPTICAL STAR CORAL, DICHOCOENIA
STOKESI,
MILNE-EDWARDS & HAIME, (CNIDARIA: SCLERACTINIA)
S.
M. Hoke*, S. B. Colley † , J. S.
Feingold*
*National
Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center,
8000
North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL, USA 33004
hokes@nova.edu
† Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric
Science, University of Miami,
4600
Rickenbacker Cswy., Miami, FL 33149
This
study involves the determination of the seasonality, lunar periodicity, and
modality of the
reproductive
cycle of Dichocoenia stokesi. A total of 88 D. stokesi colonies
were sampled along the
east
coast of south Florida, USA, at the Dania Beach Second Reef, near the city of
Fort Lauderdale.
Samples
were collected at a mean depth of 10m from Sept. 30, 1999 to Sept. 25, 2000 at
approximately
new and full moons. Histological analysis indicates this species is a broadcast
spawner,
and that the study population is predominantly gonochoric with a small
percentage of
hermaphrodites.
Gametes begin to appear in June. One yearly breeding season is apparent, most
likely
culminating in at least two spawning episodes around the full moon: one each in
September
and
October as evinced by mature spermatozoa in tissues. The Dichocoenia stokesi
reproductive
pattern
is similar to those of other previously reported Caribbean broadcasters in that
gametogenesis
begins
during seawater warming in May and June. A single breeding season culminating
with one or
more
spawning events during the warmest months of the year also emulates this trend.
Locally (in
the
Florida Keys), this species has been affected by the disease Plague Type II,
which shows a
preference
for larger colonies. Regression analysis correlating colony size and initial
fecundity
estimates
will be presented with regards to potential disease effects on the population
ecology..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
132
EFFECT
OF ZOOPLANKTON AVAILABILITY ON THE METABOLISM OF THE
SCLERACTINIAN
CORAL STYLOPHORA PISTILLATA (ESPER, 1797)
Houlbrèque
Fanny, Eric Tambutté, Christine Ferrier-Pagès
Centre
Scientifique de Monaco, Av. Saint Martin, MC-98000 Monaco
This
work investigated the effect of zooplankton and light availability on the
tissue composition as
well
as on the rates of photosynthesis and calcification of the zooxanthellate coral
Stylophora
pistillata
(Esper, 1797). Coral colonies were cultivated under three lights levels
(80, 200, 300 µmoles
m -2 s -1 )
and two feeding regimes (fed one or four times per week for “control” and “fed”
corals
respectively).
Corals were fed both natural plankton and Artemia salina. The rates of
dark and light
calcification
as well as the rates of photosynthesis were measured after two, five and nine
weeks of
incubation.
After five weeks of incubation, fed corals, at all light levels, displayed 4 to
7 times higher
chlorophyll
a concentrations (7 – 21 µg cm -2 ) than
control corals. The amount of protein was also
significantly
higher in fed (2.11 – 2.50 mg cm -2 ) than
in control corals (1.08 – 1.52 mg cm -2 ).
Rates
of
photosynthesis in fed corals were 2 to 10 times higher (1.24 ± 0.75 µmol O2 h
-1 cm -2 )
than those
measured
in control corals (0.20 ± 0.08 µmol O2 h -1 cm -2 ).
For
the three sampling period, dark calcification rates were significantly lower
than the rates of light
calcification,
independent of the trophic status. This confirms the previous results showing
an effect
of
light (and therefore photosynthesis) on the calcification process. For the
first time, we showed a
strong
effect of feeding on the rates of both dark and light calcification. Fed corals
experienced
calcification
rates 50 to 75 % higher (60 ± 20 and
200 ± 40 nmol Ca 2+ cm -2 h -1 for dark and light
calcification
respectively) compared to control corals (30 ±
9 and 124 ± 23 nmol Ca 2+ cm -2 h -1 ). We
therefore
suggest that feeding increases calcification without affecting the
light-enhancement process..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
133
PREDICTED
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE RESILIENCE AND
VULNERABILITY
OF CARIBBEAN CORALS
O
Langmead, CRC Sheppard
Department
of Biological Sciences,
University
of Warwick
Coventry,
CV4 7AL, UK
Effects
of climate change on coral communities remain largely unknown, though it may be
a major
contemporary
threat to coral reefs. Following the global mortality event of 1998, concern
for the
causes
of reef degradation have broadened from agents operating at local scales to
global effects:
climate
change, and warming events inducing large-scale coral bleaching in particular.
At present no
comprehensive
system is available for predicting effects of global impacts manifest at local
scales,
and
currently community and population responses are ge neralised. We addressed
this problem by
applying
a previously developed coral community model to predict resilience properties
and
vulnerability
of corals to climate change. A spatial (CA) model was applied to this problem
as reef
system
complexity can be reduced to the simple behaviour of its components. There is a
wealth of
information
on the biology of individual coral species and their environmental responses,
but
interactions
generating complexity and responses to climatic influences are less well
understood at a
community
level.
The
study design was two-fold: 1) community resilience was investigated by applying
single
warming
events to the coral community model and 2) responses to predicted future
climate were
assessed
by running simulations in combination with SST predictions for the next 100
years (derived
from
a global climate model, HadCM3). Susceptibility to bleaching during warming
events was
parameterised
using individual species thermal tolerances extracted from reports of warming
events
in
1987, 1995 and 1998 in the Caribbean. Assumptions were made that corals will
not acclimate or
adapt
within the temporal scale of predicted events.
The
modelled community demonstrated resilience to mild events, but events of
increasing severity
required
>16 years for recovery. A shift in community structure was apparent
immediately following
such
events, with large increases in algal abundance. After a 7 year lag, Agaricia
spp. increased in
abundance.
Full recovery of Montastrea annularis populations took >40 years.
This illustrates
differential
resilience of species populations to warming events; individual susceptibility
to bleaching
was
mediated by life history strategy investment. Two distinct community responses
to the sequence
of
predicted warming events were detected. Between 0-40 years the community
composition changed
from
persistent, large, slow growing species to small, fecund fast growing species.
After 40 years
algae
dominated the community, constituting a phase shift. Population responses,
quantified as
changes
in population size structure of colonies, were categorised into four types,
these are discussed
within
the context of individual life histories. It is concluded that the future is
likely to herald
declines
in some of the main reef-building species of Caribbean coral reefs, such as Montastrea
annularis.
Populations of most coral species could be composed primarily of small colonies
in as
little
as 30 years. This has serious implications to diversity of corals and other
reef organisms,
including
commercially important species, and is likely to be accompanied by decreased
rates of reef
accretion
that could influence coastal erosion in some places. These predictions are
likely to be
exacerbated
by other features of climate change such as changes in aragonite saturation level
and sea
level
rise..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
134
HOW
DO CORAL REEF FISH LARVAE SENSORIALLY RECOGNISE THEIR
LOCATION
OF SETTLEMENT?
Lecchini
David
Ecole
Pratique des Hautes Etudes – UMR CNRS 8046
Université
de Perpignan
66860
Perpignan cedex – France
lecchini@univ-perp.fr
Many
coral reef fish produce pelagic larvae that develop in the ocean from days to
weeks prior to
returning
to the benthos, a complex life cycle common in the marine environment.
Settlement by
these
larvae onto the reef habitat is a critical step in the life cycle of coral reef
fish. During this step,
fish
larvae go through a selection of suitable habitats according to the refuge they
can provide, and to
their
co-existence with conspecifics as well as other species. But how can these
larvae recognise
sensorially,
at night, their location of settlement, and in particular how do they detect
the presence of
conspecifics?
We tested in experimental tanks, the role of 4 sensory aspects of fish larvae
(vision,
smell,
hearing and vibration) in the recognition of conspecifics and of suitable
habitats. Larvae are
captured
with crest nets and are then introduced into experimental tanks, which allow
testing of each
sensory
aspect separately. We carried out various types of experiments on 22 coral reef
fish species:
(i)
sensory recognition of conspecifics and (ii) of habitat, and (iii)
competition between the
recognition
of conspecifics and of habitat, (iv) between conspecifics of Moorea and
of Rangiroa (two
island
of French Polynesia), and (v) between the various sensory aspects used
by larvae for the
recognition
of habitat and (vi) of conspecifics. The results are variable according
to studied species
and
attraction factors. Some species use all the sensory aspects (except hearing)
in the recognition of
habitat
or of conspecifics (e.g. Ctenochaetus striatus, Acanthurus triostegus),
others use only smell
(e.g.
Parupeneus multifasciatus, Rhinecanthus aculeatus) or vision (Lutjanus
fulvus), and finally
some
use no sensory aspect (e.g. Apogon novenfasciatus, Abudefduf sexfasciatus).
Smell is the
sensory
aspect used in priority by fish larvae in the recognition of habitat and of
conspecifics. And
these
larvae are attracted more by conspecifics than by habitat (regardless of the
sensory aspect
tested).
On the other hand, no difference is observed in the recognition of conspecifics
of Moorea or
of
Rangiroa. These experiences in experimental tanks have been validated in
situ for the species
Chromis
viridis. These results demonstrate that many coral reef fish larvae could
in practice use
sensorial
cues for effective habitat selection during their settlement stage, and have
the ability to
discriminate
species-specific sensorial cues. The use of sensorial cues is put in relation
to the greater
or
lesser importance of the factors of habitat and conspecifics in the settlement
strategy of the species
concerned..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
135
GENETIC
EVIDENCE OF AN UNUSUAL BREEDING SYSTEM IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN
SOLITARY CORAL BALANOPHYLLIA EUROPAEA
(SCLERACTINIA,
DENDROPHYLLIIDAE)
Mezzomonaco
L., Goffredo S., Zaccanti F.
Department
of Evolutionary and Experimental Biology, University of Bologna,
via
F. Selmi 3, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
Histological
studies performed on samples of Balanophyllia europaea have shown that
it is a
simultaneous
hermaphrodite with no physical separation between male and female gametogenesis
and a
brooder species. We also observed that when the gonads reach full maturity
encounters may
occur
between gametes of the opposite sex produced by the same individual, an
indicatio n of possible
self-
fertilization. A gene-enzyme systems analysis has been undertaken on polyps
collected at
Calafuria
(Leghorn, eastern Ligurian sea) through cellulose acetate electrophoresis. We
assayed
eighteen
enzymes using three buffer systems, but resolution was good for only 10 of them
(PGI,
PGM,
PGD, HK, ME, MPI I, MPI ll, AK, SOD, LDH). Population genotypic frequencies for
the ten
loci
scored differed significantly from Hardy-Weinberg’s equilibrium, showing a
marked deficiency
of
heterozygotes. Preliminary studies on the existing genetic relationship between
adult polyps and
brooded
offspring were performed on 6 homozygous adults with 2-15 young per adult. The
offspring
were
identical to their parents. We have not up to now examined offspring of
heterozygous adults.
On
the whole, we have identified an unusual breeding system in B. Europaea in
which cross-fertilization
is
rare; the data thus fare collected does not, however, let us to determine which
among
the
different reproductive modes, i.e., self- fertilization, parthenogenesis, and
asexual reproduction, is
the
prevailing breeding system in this species. Studies in progress will contribute
to the
understanding
of the selected reproductive strategy in B. europaea..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
136
DETERMINATION
OF DIFFERENT BENTHIC REEF COMMUNITIES IN BROWARD
COUNTY,
FLORIDA (USA) USING ACOUSTIC REMOTE-SENSING AND IN SITU
TECHNIQUES
Ryan
P. Moyer, Bernhard Riegl
National
Coral Reef Institute
Nova
Southeastern University Oceanographic Center
8000
N. Ocean Drive
Dania
Beach, FL. 33019
moyerr@nova.edu
Typical
Caribbean reef communities of variable composition and density exist on four
parallel ridges,
at
varying depths along the Broward County (FL, USA) coast. Two of these ridges,
at 7-13m and
15-30m
depth, are drowned early Holocene coral reefs of 5 ky and 7 ky uncorrected
radiocarbon age,
respectively.
Previous work has shown that the reef communities overlying these reef-ridges
can be
detected
and mapped using acoustic remote sensing and has suggested that different
benthic
assemblages
may exist between each of the reef ridges. In this study, in situ community
data was
taken
for each reef-ridge using traditional 50m line- intercept transects. These data
were analyzed and
clustered
using multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) and compared with similarly clustered
data
obtained
from an acoustic survey of the same area. The in situ community data
show four distinct
benthic
communities, each corresponding to a single reef-ridge. This clustering agrees
well with the
acoustic
data which, when using principle components analysis (PCA), similarly show a
unique
habitat
type on each of the four reef-ridges. The reef-ridge community closest to shore
(5-7m depth)
showed
38% live cover, and was dominated by Alcyonaceans (15% total cover). The second
reef-ridge
(7-13m
depth) was dominated equally by Macroalgae and ecrusting zooanthids, with each
group
representing 15% of the total cover. Total live cover on the second reef-ridge
community was
about
49%. The third reef-ridge community from shore (13-16m depth) had about 60% living
cover
and
was dominated by Macroalgae, which accounted for 30% of total cover. On the
fourth and
deepest
(15-30m) reef-ridge community, Alcyonaceans were the dominant fauna (20% total
cover),
however,
sponges were nearly as abundant (14% total cover). Total living cover on the
deepest reef-ridge
community
was 42%. Total Scleractinian cover was generally low on all reef ridges (4%
mean
cover
for all reef-ridge communities), with the first reef-ridge having the highest
total scleractinian
cover
(6%) and the second reef-ridge having the lowest (3% total cover). This total
data set suggests
a
depth-dependant zonation pattern that does not occur across a single-reef
ridge, but rather on a
larger
spatial scale across the entire reef-ridge system of Broward County..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
137
THE
MICROBIAL ECOLOGY OF A PLAGUE-LIKE DISEASE AFFECTING
MONTASTREAE
ANNULARIS COLONIES IN THE CARIBBEAN
Olga
Pantos, Rory Cooney, John Bythell, Martin Le Tissier
University
of Newcastle, Department of Marine Sciences and Coastal Management,
Ridley
Building, Claremont Road,
Newcastle
Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
Since
the mid-1970’s when the first coral disease was classified in the Caribbean,
the level of interest
and
work carried out in this field has risen. Since their discovery and
classification, attempts have
been
made to identify the cause of diseases found affecting coral reefs around the
world. Different
methods
have been used to identify microbial communities association with disease but
it is still not
clear
whether those found are causal agents, or whether they are secondary invaders.
Microbes
associated
with diseased corals have been investigated using microscopy, culturing and
inoculation
experiments
but these methods have not proved successful in every case. A disease similar
to White
Plague
disease, which was reported and described by Dustan in 1977, was identified on
several reefs
off
the coast of Barbados and St Croix in the Caribbean. Patchy areas of clear
white skeleton were
found
on colonies of Montastreae anullaris where areas of tissue had recently
sloughed off. There is
no
obvious starting point for the tissue loss. The surrounding tissues appear
healthy with no signs of
surface
tissue degradation. Histological studies have shown that the tissue remains
intact and still
contains
zooxanthellae up to the skeletal interface although the lower tissue layers
have been found to
be
absent. A defined line exists between the tissue and the bare skeleton with
tissue remnants still
present
on the skeleton. There is no obvious microbial biomass present at this
interface, similar to
White
Plague and White Band Disease. With the use of modern molecular techniques, the
microbial
ecology
of the diseased and healthy tissue of M. annularis colonies collected
from St Croix and
Barbados
have been identified. Sequence data of the bacterial community from diseased
and healthy
tissue
showed a change in the bacterial group diversity. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation
was used
to
identify bacteria present within the coral tissue. Results showed that bacteria
were not found in the
healthy
control tissue samples or in the tissue adjacent to the bare skeleton but were
found on the
remnant
tissue patches that were found on the bare skeleton. Although these diseased
corals share
symptoms
similar to both types of White Band Disease and Plague, we suggest that this
disease is
unique
to those previously described as no similar microbes were identified and some
differences in
pathology
exist..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
138
THE
MEDITERRANEAN CORAL CLADOCORA CAESPITOSA: A PROXY
FOR
PAST CLIMATE FLUCTUATIONS?
Peirano
A.1 , Morri C.2 , Bianchi C.N.1 , Aguirre J. 3 ,
Antonioli F.4 , Calzetta G. 5 ,
Carobene
L.2 , Mastronuzzi G.6 , Orrù P. 7
1 ENEA, Centro Ricerche Ambiente Marino, POBox
224, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
2 DipTeRis, Università di Genova, Corso Europa
26, 16132 Genova, Italy 3 Dep.to
Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
4 ENEA, Dipartimento Ambiente, Via Anguillarese
301, S.Maria di Galeria, 00060 Roma, Italy 5
Studio Eco-X, Via del Corso, 19038 Sarzana (La Spezia), Italy 6 Dipartimento di Geologia e Geofisica, Via E.
Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
7 DiSTer, Università di Cagliari, Via Trentino
51, 09127 Cagliari, Italy
Sclerochronology
was applied to recent, Holocene and Pleistocene samples of Cladocora
caespitosa.
Late
Pliocene samples were recrystallised and thus unsuitable for sclerochronology.
Quaternary
samples
showed a clear, alternating banding pattern as in the living coral, confirming
a marked
seasonality
of past climate. The computed mean annual growth rates ranged from 2.1 to 6.9
mm ·
year -1 , with highest growth rates during the warmer
phase (isotope stage 5e) of the first climate cycle.
It is
hypothesised that the largest fossil banks of C. caespitosa grew in a
coastal environment with
considerable
alluvial inputs and warmer temperatures than today..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
139
DIFFERENTIAL
REEF-BUILDING CAPACITY OF CORAL-DOMINATED
ASSEMBLAGES
IN THE LATE MIOCENE CARBONATE PLATFORM
OF
MELLILA-NADOR (MAROC)
Christine
Perrin
Laboratoire
de Paléontologie, 8, rue Buffon,
Muséum
National d’Histoire Naturelle, 75005 Paris, France
The
last decade has seen an increasing interest for the detailed study of reef
architecture and internal
structure.
Mapping of spatial distribution of reef-builders within individual sedimentary
bodies has
shown
the high variety of three-dimensional frameworks and the existence of a
continuous spectrum
from
scattered potential reef-builders to true dense frameworks. Characterization of
reef frameworks
and reef-building
capacity of fossil assemblages also allow the relative importance of
bioaccumulation
rate and reef- growth in carbonate production to be quantitatively estimated.
The
Late Miocene carbonate complex of Mellila-Nador, which evolved from a bioclastic
carbonate
ramp
to a reef-rimmed carbonate platform, show a very gradational development of
coral frameworks
in
the prograding and aggrading units of the upper carbonate sequences. Individual
sedimentary
bodies
containing coral-dominated assemblages were carefully mapped in the field and
sampled.
Particular
attention was paid to organisms with preserved growth position. These
individual
sedimentary
bodies include: prograding non reef-building coralgal sigmoids, which have been
previously
described as coral reefs, fringing coral reefs, and metric coral patches
alternating with
oolites
and stromatolites in the upper carbonate unit.
Prograding
non reef-building coralgal sigmoids typically show a basal thin layer mainly
composed by
serpulids
occurring either in growth position or as fragments, followed upwards by
well-bedded
Halimeda
facies. This is ovelain by branching Porites rudstones and
packstones, which form the
main
volume of the sigmoid. Scattered colonies of branching and massive Porites are
found most
frequently
near the top and the seaward margin of the sigmoid where they occur with
branching and
encrusting
coralline algae, but never consitute a reef- framework. In addition, mapping
revealed that
the
proportions of Porites and coralline algae in growth position within
individual sigmoids tend to
increase
upward in the overall sequence. By constrast, the overlying prograding fringing
reefs display
well-developped
coral framework dominated by large colonies of branching Porites.
Although
the sedimentary and biological components and the general geometry of the
bioclastic
sigmoids
and the overlying fringing reefs remain very similar, their internal
architecture, which
depends
on the reef-building capacity of their coralgal communities, strongly differs
suggesting
different
bioaccumulation / growth rates for these bodies..Poster
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
140
LET’S
SEE UNDERWATER PARADISE
AT
TELUK CENDRAWASIH MARINE NATIONAL PARK
Juniawan
Priyono
World
Wide Fund for Nature Indonesia Programme – Sahul Bioregion, Papua, Indonesia
Jl.
Angkasa Indah No. 10 PO Box 1245 Jayapura 99113, Indonesia
jpriyono@scientist.com
The
Teluk Cendrawasih Marine National Park (TCMNP) is located in the southwest
quarter of
Cendrawasih
Bay on the north of Papua, and lies within the coordinates 1°43' - 3°22' S and
134°06' -
135°10'
E. The park covering 1.453.500 ha extends from just east of Kwatisore Peninsula
in the
south,
to just above Rumberpon Island in the north and includes approximately 500 km
of mainland
coastline
and reefs. TCMNP also includes the 18 islands of the Kepulauan Auri island
chain. The
Teluk
Cendrawasih area was first proposed as a marine reserve in 1982. Its status was
later
recognized
as a Marine National Park by Decree of Forest Ministry No. 472/Kpts-II/1993 in
September
2 nd , 1993.
The
park holds large potential on marine tourism due to its highly diverse of
marine natural
resources.
Outdoor activities such as diving, snorkelling, underwater photography, and
fishing are the
most
common in the area. This potential should be well managed, planned and design,
through
appropriate
authority to guarantee the vision and mission of nature conservation. Tourism
should be
design
to improve benefit for local people. Main objective of the management of the
park is to
support
sustainable natural resource exploration by local people and to conserve the
marine
biodiversity.
The best way to explore the area is from a well-equipped boat. Additionally the
tourist
can
go a shore for jungle/bird watching safari or to visit the local cultural
communities. The ideal
time
for a visit to the area is about 10 days.
The
TCMNP's schleractinian corals show a high diversity with 67 genera and sub-
genera and 145
species
represented. Coral colonies, such as Porites lutea, P. cylindrica,
and Acropora palifera are
occasionally
dominant on the reef crest and upper reef slope. The fish fauna of the TCMNP
shows a
high
diversity including estuarine, mangrove, coral reef, and schooling species. The
common
important
families include lethrinids, lutjanids, serranids, carrangids, and
reef/shoal-associated
species
such as Scomberomorus and Katsuwonus. There are diverse molluscs
fauna of the 196
species
so far identified, contain of: 153 species of gastropod mollusc (36 families
and 58 genera), 40
species
of bivalve mollusc (18 families and 30 genera), and 3 cephalopod molluscs (2
families and 2
genera).
Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and Green turtles (Chelonia
mydas) are
frequently
encountered swimming or resting on the reefs and nest on the mainland
coastline. Olive
ridley
(Lepidochelys olivecea) and Leatherback turtles visit to the area
occasionally..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
141
SEXUAL
REPRODUCTION IN SOLITARY CORALS OF THE GENUS BALANOPHYLLIA
(SCLERACTINIA,
DENDROPHYLLIIDAE): IS THERE A CORRELATION BETWEEN
SEXUAL
CONDITION AND MODE OF ENVIRONMENTAL COLONIZATION?
Radetic’
J., Goffredo S., Zaccanti F.
Department
of Evolutionary and Experimental Biology,
University
of Bologna, via F. Selmi 3, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
Balanophyllia
pruvoti is a common azooxanthellate scleractinian coral living in the
Mediterranean
Sea
and along the Atlantic coast from Portugal to southwestern of England. It lives
in shaded habitats
at
depths ranging from shallow water to a depth of more than 100 meters. We are
currently studying
the
annual cycle of the sexual reproduction in this coral in Calafuria (Leghorn,
Tuscany, Italy), the
same
locality where we studied the reproductive biology of the Mediterranean
congeneric species B.
europaea,
a zooxanthellate coral living in shallow water in open habitats. B. pruvoti is
a gonochoric
species
with a 1:1 sex ratio and very high population density. On the contrary, B.
europaea is a
simultaneous
hermaphrodite with very low population density. We hypothesize that the
presence of
opposite
sexual conditions in these congeneric species could be related to their
different modes of
environmental
colonization. In the case of B. pruvoti, the adaptive sexual condition
could be
gonochorism
because, in conditions of high population density, it allows for reproductive
success
with
low energy cost for the individual. On the contrary, although energetically
more expensive for
the
individual, in conditions of low population density, the adaptive sexual
condition could be
hermaphroditism
in B. europaea because it maximizes the rate of fertilization..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
142
EFFECTS
OF THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ON THE CROSS-SHELF
BIODIVERSITY
AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF REEF CORALS FROM THE GREAT
BARRIER
REEF AND THE NORTH WEST SHELF OF AUSTRALIA
Radford,
B. , K. Anthony, J. Delaney , T. Done , L. Marsh, B. Willis
Department
of Marine Biology, James Cook University
Townsville,
Qld 4810, Australia
In
recent years there has been much concern over reduction of biodiversity and
degradation of coral
reefs
due to sedimentation, turbidity and associated factors (e.g. decreased light
levels). However,
many
coral reefs prosper in naturally high sediment regimes where suggested
thresholds for
sedimentation/turbidity
stress are frequently exceeded. These conflicting observations raise
important
questions as to the role of abiotic environmental factors on coral community
structure,
species
distribution and biodiversity. In an effort to answer these questions, we
examine the
relationship
between a suite of physical and spatial factors (including reef location,
slope, aspect and
depth;
sediment type and wave exposure) and the distribution of 100 coral species
along inshore-offshore
gradients
on the Great Barrier Reef and on reefs of NW Australia. GIS techniques were
used
to combine these data sets over a range of spatial scales and multivariate
statistical techniques
were
employed to group species in relation to their occurrence along gradients of
the physical
variables.
Although some species groups were ubiquitous, a number of groups showed
characteristic
relationships
along gradients of water depth and sediment regime. Species-environment
associations
were
consistent across the continent, strongly suggesting that physical regime in
particular sediment
regime
and depth our key forcing factor shaping the cross-shelf structure of coral
assemblages.
These
results have important implications applications for habitat classification and
reef zoning..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
143
VILLAGES
OF THE CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO
Ralph
Rayner
Fugro
GEOS
Swindon
SN25 5AL
r.rayner@geos.com
The
islands of the Chagos Archipelago have been much in the news over the past two
years following
the
court ruling that the original polulation of the region, removed when Diego
Garcia became a US
military
base in the 1970’s, should be permitted to return home.
This
poster will present a historical perspective on the inhabitation of Chagos, and
a photographic
tour
of the villages of the archipelago. This tour will be illustrated with
photographs taken shortly
after
the islanders were removed, and some twenty years later, when the buildings
have fallen into
ruin..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
144
UNEXPECTED
TEMPERATURE AND LIGHT INFLUENCE UPON RESPECTIVELY
CARBON
AND OXYGEN ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION OF THE CORAL SKELETON
S.
Reynaud 1 , A. Juillet-Leclerc 2 , and J.-P. Gattuso 3
1 Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue Saint
Martin, MC-98000, Principality of Monaco
sreynaud@centrescientifique.mc
2 Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de
l'Environnement, Laboratoire mixte CNRS-CEA, F-91180
Gif-sur-Yvette
Cedex, France
3 Observatoire Océanologique, Laboratoire
d'Océanographie, CNRS-UPMC, BP 28, F–06234
Villefranche
-sur-mer Cedex, France
The
coral cultures were carried out in order to support the great laws, commonly
admitted by
geochemists,
linking stable isotopes and environmental parameters. Since in such laboratory
experiments,
we were able to change only one parameter at a time, it was possible to
investigate
specifically
the effect of this single factor on the coral skeletal isotopic composition.
Thus, the
skeletal
18 O/16 O
and 13 C/12 C
isotopic ratio were tested respectively against SST and light. Although
usually
the mass spectrometer measured both carbon and oxygen isotopes, we only
considered the
effect
of temperature on ? 18 O or the influence
of light on ? 13 C. Then, highlighted by in
situ results,
we
unearthed the laboratory measurements and we reconsidered the influence of
temperature and
light
upon respectively carbon and oxygen isotopic composition.
As it
was expected, Acropora results showed a highly significant linear
relationship confirming the
skeletal
oxygen isotopic composition dependence versus the seawater temperature.
Curiously, carbon
isotopic
ratio exhibits also a significant correlation with temperature. On the other
hand, almost all
the
long time oxygen and carbon isotopic series published, show a strong co-
variation. Moreover this
signal,
which may be extracted by a mathematical treatment, follows the long-term sea
surface
fluctuations.
Oxygen and carbon co-variation can be explained by a kinetic process, which
modulates
oxygen
and carbon isotopic disequilibrium. The carbon response to different light
intensities was
more
difficult to explain. As for other in situ experiments, the isotopic
consequence of light and
photosynthetic
activity was not associated with a clear isotopic increase. In opposite, an
increase of
oxygen
ratio appeared significant. Except in area where seasonal temperature excursion
exceeds 4°C,
the
slope calculated for oxygen calibrations against temperature, based on seasonal
samples, are
lower
that the same value derived from interannual samples.
In
the field, the oxygen ratio increased according to light intensity, which one
increases temperature.
On
the other hand, this elevation of temperature induces a decrease of the oxygen
ratio. Therefore,
the
light effect is partly masked by temperature consequences. The process
governing this
mechanism
is not yet totally understood..Poster
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
145
OXYDATIVE
STRESS IN SYMBIOTIC CNIDARIAN?
Sophie
Richier 1 , Pierre -Laurent Merle 1 , Paola Furla 1 , Francois Sola 1 ,
Denis Allemand 1,2
1 UMR UNSA-INRA 1112, Faculte de Science,
Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, BP71, F-06108
Nice
Cedex 02, France
2 Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Avenue
St-Martin, MC-98000 Monaco, Monaco
Symbiotic
Cnidarians, as well as photosynthetic organisms, are daily submitted to O2 variations due
to
the photosynthetic activity of the endosymbiotic Dinoflagellates. Tissues of
those symbiotic
system
go through an anoxia state in dark period (0.82 % O2)
to hyperoxia (60 % O2) during the
day-time,
two
conditions which can likely induce an oxidative stress. Superoxide dismutase
(SOD) has
been
characterized as one of the first enzyme occurring in the anti-oxidant defense.
Previous results
have
demonstrated a high SOD diversity in the symbiotic cnidarians, which is typical
to
photosynthetic
organisms. In the present study, we analyzed the oxidative stress state of the
Cnidarian
and Dinoflagellate cells (using biomarkers such as lipid peroxidation and
protein
carbonylation)
and the variation of isozyme SOD activities. Measurements have been perfo rmed
during
the nychtemeral cycle and during environnemental stress such as elevated
temperature, UV,
pO2, pCO2 conditions.
Experiments have been performed comparing symbiotic Cnidarians (the sea
anemone,
Anemonia viridis and the hermatypic coral, Stylophora pistillata)
with the azooxanthella
sea
anemone (Actinia equina). The results show a high resistance of the
symbiotic organism to both
natural
anoxia/hyperoxia transition and environmental parameter variations. In control
conditions
(defined
as the day-time period), the animal cells (ectodermal and endodermal cells) and
the
zooxanthellae
present specific characteristics in protein or lipid degradation. However, no
variation
within
the same compartment is observed during the light/dark transition or during any
of the
environnemental
stress. Analyze of isozymes on native polyacrylamide gels confirms the
stability of
SOD
activities during natural and induced stress. The azooxanthelate species
studied, Actinia equina,
is
however sensitive to the environmental parameter variations such as an increase
in hyperoxia and
temperature.
Those results show a high adaptation of the symbiotic models to environmental
stress
compared
to an asymbiotic one without hyperoxia adaptation system. This adaptation could
be
explained
by over-expression and diversity of SOD in both partners of the symbiosis..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
146
RECORD
OF NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC CHANGES IN REEF
ENVIRONMENTS
BARBADOS WEST INDIES, USING LASER ABLATION ICP-MS AND
SCLEROCHRONOLOGY
ON CORAL CORES.
Lesley
A Runnalls, Max L Coleman
Postgraduate
Research Institute for Sedimentology,
University
of Reading, UK
Rates
of growth of corals are affected by environmental parameters such as water
temperature, depth
and
light intensity. The natural reef environment is also disturbed by human
influences such as
anthropogenic
pollutants which in Barbados are released close to the reefs. Here we describe
a new
method
to assess how the pollution effects have influenced the coral communities off
the west coast
of
Barbados. We have evaluated the relative impact of both anthropogenic
pollutants and natural
stresses.
Sclerochronology documents framework and skeletal growth rate and records
pollution
history
(recorded as reduced growth) for a suite of sampled Montastrea annularis coral
cores. X-radiography
shows
annual growth band patterns of the corals extending back over several decades
and
shows significantly lower growth rate in polluted sites. Results using Laser
Ablation Inductively-Coupled
Plasma
Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), on the whole sample (aragonite, organic, trapped
sediment
etc.) has shown contrasting concentrations of the trace elements (Cu, Sn, Zn,
and Pb) within
the
corals at different locations. Deepwater corals 7km apart record element levels
for Pb
2ppm/20ppm,
and Sn 10ppm/220ppm indicative of flow of pollution and current direction. A
climatic
event,
the 1995/96 hurricane is indicated by anomalous values for Sn and Cu for all
sites..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
147
BIOEROSION:
TO CUT THE GROUND FROM UNDER ONE’S FEET – AND TO TAKE
PRECAUTIONS
Christine
H.L. Schönberg
Carl
Von Ossietzky University Oldenburg
Department
of Zoosystematics and Morphology
FB7
– Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences
PF
2503, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
christine.schoenberg@mail.uni-oldenburg.de
Present
address:
Max
Planck Institut für marine Mikrobiologie
Microsensor
Research Group, Celsiusstr. 1
D-28359
Bremen, Germany
A
bioeroding sponge was found on a sabellariid worm reef in Florida, USA. It was
identified to be the
clionid
Pione lampa (Laubenfels, 1950), which is better known as a fast-groing,
strong eroder on
Caribbean
coral reefs. The sponge contained numerous gemmules, which were attached to
erosion
chamber
walls. They were subspherical to lentil- shaped and had an aspicular,
unstructured, smooth and
rigid
coat. It enclosed dense cell material and various spicule types. Gemmules are
dormant structures
likely
to ensure survival under adverse conditions such as smothering, exposure to air
and high
temperatures.
Gemmules from this site might occasionally be freed and scattered, since the
Florida reef
can
suffer severe damage during periods of heavy wave activity such as that created
during hurricane
season.
Bioerosion activity of the sponge increases the chance to free gemmules, as the
sponge not only
etches
into calcareous particles cemented into the matrix produced by the worms, but
also into the
matrix
itself. This ability enables the sponge to utilise the worm reef as substrate.
Within
the Clionidae, Cliona annulifera and three species of the genus Pione
are the only species
known
to produce typical gemmules. Possible reasons are 1. reproduction of bioeroding
sponges is
understudied
and asexual bodies may have been overlooked in other species, and 2. clionid
gemmules
are an adaptation to survive life in risky environments. Sponges of the genus Pione
are
comparatively
successful in environments, in which they are close to their physical limits or
in
potentially
unstable or mobile substrates..Poster
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
148
PROBABILITIES
OF REPEAT EPISODES OF THE 1998 MORTALITY IN THE INDIAN
OCEAN
Charles
Sheppard
Dept
Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, UK
csheppard@bio.warwick.ac.uk
A
spreadsheet with associated macros was constructed to generate SST curves
(monthly data) for any
location
for 230 years (1871-2099). SST input data are the Hadley Centre’s HadISST
(1871-1999)
and
HadCM3 (1950-2099). Other data sets can be substituted. Techniques including
standardisation
of
residuals adjusted forecast SSTs to historical SSTs in terms of mean trends and
annual
fluctuations.
Curves are also generated showing the probability that any month or year will
reach the
critical
temperatures of 1998 (or other temperature, if required). Only lats and longs
of any location
are
needed to generate these curves, for any reefal site.
Indian
Ocean patterns were explored. Corals there were worst affected in 1998, with
> 90% dying to
40 m
depth in many locations. Critical temperatures differ by >6 o C across the region; corals in the
Arabian
Gulf for example experience temperatures every year which were fatal to the
same species in
oceanic
atolls. Patterns along three latitudinal transects and one sub-region are
plotted: (1) east
Africa,
(2) Seychelles, ‘Shoals of Capricorn’, Mascarenes, (3) Lakshadweep, Maldives,
Chagos, with
Sri
Lanka and Cocos Keeling, and (4) the sub-region of Arabia. Two consistent
‘terminal points’ are
selected
to allow for comparison between and within transects: the probability of 0.1
recurrence for
all
months, and the probability of 0.5 recurrence for the warmest month at each
location. Both
correspond
roughly to a certainty of the critical SST being reached each year: in the all-
months
approach
there are 12 ‘throws of the 0.1 dice’ each year; for the latter, months either
side of the
warmest
add smaller probabilities to the total.
In
each transect or group, curves of latitude with time to terminal point are
highly significant.
Highest
latitude sites (N and S) reach their terminal points after 40-80 years, and
sites central in each
after
only 25-35 years. Curves are not symmetrical about the equator in transects
1-3; sites between
5-20 o South reach terminal points soonest. The
Arabian group have a similar curve, with sites of
highest
and lowest latitudes (temperature controlled both by high latitude and Arabian
Sea upwelling)
reaching
this point after 50-80 years, with central sites reaching it as soon as 2010.
Adaptation
by corals to warming is examined. An optimist’s view is that raising critical
temperature
at
the most precarious sites by only 1 o C
prolongs the time to terminal point by >30 years. The
pessimist’s
view, however, is that the critical temperature for a site does not need to be
reached every
single
year, and that temperatures started rising 35 years ago yet corals did no t
adapt sufficiently to
survive
1998..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
149
SUSPENSION
FEEDER-DOMINATED BIOHERMS ON SUBLITTORAL SOFT BOTTOMS
IN
THE NORTHERN ADRIATIC SEA
Michael
Stachowitsch, Martin Zuschin
Institute
of Ecology and Conservation Biology, University of Vienna,
Althanstrasse
14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
stachom5@univie.ac.at
The
aggregated biomass of sublittoral soft-bottom epifaunas can show interesting
parallels to coral-dominated
communities.
In particular, the build-up and destruction of bioherms is a general process
that
is not limited to reef corals. In the Northern Adriatic Sea, for example, the
biomass is strongly
concentrated
on benthic islands (isolated and small-sized rockgrounds and shellgrounds
embedded in
or
lying on the sediment). As in coral reefs, the “background fauna“ consists of
low biomass deposit-feeders
and
predators. Moreover, the sessile fauna of the bioherms is exclusively
represented by
suspension
feeders. Serpulids are strongly dominant, followed by ascidians, sponges,
anemones and
bivalves.
The associated vagile organisms are also mostly made up by suspension feeders.
The brittle
star Ophiothrix
quinquemaculata and the sea cucumber Ocnus planci are the two
dominant forms;
crustaceans
and echinoids are of subordinate importance.
The
bioherms grow on clayey-silty soft-bottoms with very high sedimentation rates
of up to
5mm/year
and the supply of benthic substrates is clearly a limiting factor for their development.
They
are
interpreted to form in response to the abundant food supply provided by the
extreme high pelagic
productivity
in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Thus, in contrast to coral reefs, the biomass is
adapted to a
nutrient-rich
environment. On this flat sediment bottom, important advantages for the
organisms
concentrated
in these complex build-ups include access to unexploited and more oxygen-rich
water
levels.
In
the past few decades, oxygen crises, marine snow events and benthic fisheries
have severely
altered
the bioherm-dominated community, reducing total biomass and changing species
composition.
A key perturbation is hypoxic or anoxic conditions, which typically affect the
lower,
subpycnocline
layer..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
150
DEVELOPMENT
AND APPLICATION OF A GIS-BASED MULTI CRITERIA
EVALUATION
(MCE) MODEL TO ANALYSE AND MAP PRESSURE IMPOSED ON
CORAL
REEF SYSTEMS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS
Paul
F. Stampfl
Department
of Geography /TCD Centre for the Environment
Museum
Building, Trinity College
University
of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
paulstampfl@eircom.net
Much
of the uncertainty in describing and predicting environmental change and its
implications on
sustainable
management of coral reefs and associated ecosystems stem from a lack of
adequate tools
and
methodologies for the integration of data associated with the spatial and
temporal pattern of
naturally
occurring ecosystem variations and human activities.
This
research project looks to address these issues through the development and
application of a
raster
based impact evaluation model. The impact model is based on the creation of a
GIS database
and
the integration of GIS based data processing and spatial analysis methods with
state of the art
Multi
Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques. Applied to the Florida Keys the model is
used to
spatially
analyse and map the level of pressure imposed on coral reef sys tems within the
Florida Keys
National
Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS)..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
151
CORAL
DAMAGE AND RECOVERY AT ALDABRA ATOLL, SEYCHELLES,
FOLLOWING
THE 1998 EL NIÑO EVENT
Ben
Stobart, Raymond Buckley, Larry LeClair, Kristian Teleki, Nigel Downing,
David
Souter, Martin Callow
Cambridge
Coastal Research Unit
Department
of Geography
University
of Cambridge
Cambridge,
CD2 3EN
UK
The
1998 El Niño event caused extensive bleaching and severe damage to coral reefs
in the Indian
Ocean.
Following this event the Aldabra Marine Programme (AMP) set up eleven permanent
monitoring
sites to follow reef recovery at Aldabra Atoll, southern Seychelles. Sites were
surveyed
using
permanently marked video transects in November 1999 and February 2001 and 2002.
In
February
2002 further permanent monitoring sites were also established at Assomption,
Astove and
St.
Piere East of Aldabra. Comparison of coral cover data collected by the
Cambridge Southern
Seychelles
Atoll Research Programme just after the bleaching, with data collected by AMP,
indicates
that
the event caused at least 22% mortality of corals in shallow (10m) water, but
that mortality in
deeper
water (20m) was negligible in spite of very severe bleaching in 1998. At St.
Piere, an island
approximately
450 kilometres ENE of Aldabra, bleaching led to in excess of 50% mortality.
Percent
live
coral cover at sites around Aldabra ranges between 3-28% in shallow water and
0.2-36% in deep
water.
Coral cover is greatest on the sheltered north western tip of the atoll and
decreases steadily
towards
the more exposed south eastern coastline. Coral cover at islands east of
Aldabra ranges
between
12-32% in shallow water and 17-30% in deep water. Live coral cover at Aldabra
has not
increased
significantly between 1999 and 2001, though the percentage figures are tending
to rise
from
year to year suggesting recovery. Coral recruitment is high at Aldabra, colonies
<5cm diameter
ranged
from 1-13 per metre square in 2001 and 1-14 in 2002. St. Piere and Assumption
islands also
have
high recruitment but levels at Astove are low at only 1% in both shallow and
deep water.
There
are good indicators that reef recovery is underway at Aldabra Atoll and healthy
recruitment
should
accelerate the process in the next few years. Aldabra Atoll is a UNESCO world
heritage site
and
has recently been identified as a marine biodiversity hotspot. Reefs around
Aldabra are as free
from
anthropogenic disturbance as one could hope to find, study of their recovery
will therefore
provide
a benchmark for measuring changes and recovery of impacted reef systems. The
AMP is
committed
to the long term monitoring of reefs at Aldabra Atoll and other locations in
the Seychelles..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
152
EVOLUTION
AND ECOLOGY OF CLOSELY RELATED MADRACIS SPECIES
M.J.A.
Vermeij, R.P.M. Bak
Cooperative
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (University of Miami)/ NOAA
Fisheries,
Southeast Science Center
75
Virginia Beach Dr, Miami, FL 33149 USA
To
understand variation between coral species we studied six closely related Madracis
morphospecies,
whose taxonomical status is uncertain at present for their interaction between
environmental
factors and species life-history strategies (e.g. reproductive isolation,
distributional
patterns,
morphological variability and ecological characteristics). Population structure
and depth
distribution
prove to be species specific. The distribution of colonies relates to the light
they receive
at a
small spatial scale (<10cm) and three different ecological strategies
towards light exist affecting
both
morphology and distribution. Depth can be a useless proxy for light in species
whose light
strategy
is not determined first. We studied gametogenesis on a monthly basis and coral
larvae
(planulae)
release on a daily basis. All species are hermaphroditic brooders and sho w
similar patterns
in
gamete development. Temporal reproductive isolation is absent in the genus and
all species show
gamete-
maturation in relation with increasing seawater temperature. Based on the
absence of
planulae
in thousands of fertile polyps (histological analyses), we hypothesize that the
term
“brooding”
does not apply for Madracis species and propose the term
“quick-releasing” as its
alternative.
Madracis senaria differs from all other species because it (mass)
released planulae
according
to a lunar cycle, whereas all other species release planulae gradually and in a
non
organized
pattern. Our data defines M. mirabilis and M. senaria as “true”
species, since they differ in
ecological
characteristics and morphology from all other species. M. formosa relates
to M. decactis
through
hybridization resulting in a new species: M. carmabi. The new species
shares morphological
characteristics
with M. decactis (10 septs) and M. formosa (branching morphology)
as well as
intermediate
ecological characteristics (depth distribution). The status of two species
remains
unclear:
that between the genetic similar species M. pharensis and M. decactis.
Encrusting colonies
are
(sigmoidally) increasing with the increasing availability of vertical surface.
Maximum likelihood
analysis
indicates that a polymorphism model describes the observed relation best. We
show that
underlying
genetic variation for colony morphology responds to habitat complexity at a
small spatial
scale
(i.e. reef). Only M. mirabilis and M. senaria represent discrete
evolutionary units to study coral
ecology,
morphology or genetics. Since they do not relate to other species, they are
useless to
describe
speciation processes. The other four morphospecies show interspecific overlap
in
morphological,
genetic and ecological characteristics. Therefore they provide a much better
opportunity
to study organizational processes in coral evolution. We found indications of
two of such
organizational
processes in Madracis: introgressive hybridization (M. carmabi)
and the controlled
expression
of genetic polymorphisms (M. pharensis/M. decactis-complex). The
evolutionary status of
coral
morphospecies can therefore not be determined a priori because of
differences in their
ecological
and evolutionary dynamics.
References
Diekmann
OE, Bak RPM, Stam WT and Olsen JL (2001) Molecular genetic evidence for
reticulate
speciation
in the coral genus Madracis from a Caribbean fringing reef slope. Mar
Biol 139:221-233.Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
153
THE
QUANTIFIABLE ECONOMIC VALUE OF CORAL REEFS IN MAURITIUS
Helge
Peter Vogt
24
Doddington Grove, London SE17 3TT, UK
HelgePeterVogt@aol.com
Coral
reefs are a valuable natural resource and an important source of revenue
particularly for small
island
nations. In Mauritius, the reefs and the extensive lagoons of the various
islands provide fishing
grounds
which form the livelihood of many fishermen. Tourists enjoy the beauty of the
reefs and
international
tourism provides a major contribution to the country’s economy. This article
summarises
the main economic values of coral reefs in Mauritius, and quantifies the
benefits in
monetary
terms wherever possible. The major reef fishing grounds surround the islands of
Mauritius
(300
km 2 ), Rodrigues (240 km 2 ), Cargados Carajos (190 km 2 ), Agalega and smaller islands. In 1997,
about
2,400 artisanal fishermen from the main island of Mauritius account for 1,246 t
or about 10 %
of
the total fish catches in Mauritius. The financial value of these catches was
estimated at € 4.5
million.
Bad weather and closed season allowances worth a total of € 870,000 provided an
additional
source
of income to registered fishermen. The overall economic importance of reef
fishery on the
main
island is low if compared to other sectors of the economy such as tourism or
sugar cane
production.
However, in Rodrigues reef fishery constitutes a major part of the economy of
the island
and
provides the livelihood to about 2,000 registered fishermen and their families,
approximately one
third
of the island’s population. In Mauritius, international tourism has developed
into a major
economic
force. In 2000, about 915,200 arrivals were registered in Mauritius and tourism
generated €
605
million as gross receipts. Every year, approximately 50,000 tourists and
Mauritians enjoy Scuba
diving
in the reefs which is estimated to earn Scuba dive tour operators about €
4,180,000/year. The
quantifiable
economic value of reefs in Mauritius based on artisanal fishery in Mauritius
(main island
only)
including bad weather allowance and SCUBA diving by tourists amounts to €
9,550,000/year.
This
means that the coral reefs in Mauritius generate € 10,977 of income per square
kilometre every
year.
The true total economic benefits of reefs in Mauritius are considerably higher
if (1) costs for
tourist
travel, accommodation, food, (2) reef fishery off other Mauritian islands and
(3) the value of
coral
reefs for the protection of the shoreline would be included in an evaluation..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
154
GLOBAL
MARINE ANIMAL DATING – GMAD, THE GLOBAL MARINE AQUARIUM
DATABASE
Colette
Wabnitz, Edmund Green, Michelle Taylor
UNEP
World Conservation Monitoring Centre
219
C Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB1 3QB
colette.wabnitz@unep-wcmc.org
The
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna
(CITES) attempts
to
assess the trade in species, listed in Appendix II of the Convention, which are
believed to be
vulnerable
to exploitation but not yet at risk of extinction. All species of hard coral
and giant clams
are
listed under Appendix II of CITES and parties to CITES are then obliged to
produce annual
reports
specifying the qua ntity of trade that has taken place in each listed species.
The magnitude
and
taxonomic composition of the international trade can then be calculated.
By
contrast no marine ornamental fish or invertebrates, other than clams or
corals, are listed under
CITES.
Therefore existing calculations of 15-30 million fish from approximately 1000
species
(Wood,
2001) are based on extremely limited quantitative data, indicating these
figures should be
used
with caution. The trade in individual species of fish and invertebrates, other
than corals and
clams,
is unknown. Since April 2000 the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(UNEP-WCMC)
and
the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) have been collaborating with members of trade
associations
(e.g. AKKII, OFI and OATA) to establish a Global Marine Aquarium Database
(GMAD)
as a freely available source of information on the global aquarium industry.
Our common
objective
is to centralise, standardise and provide fast and easy access to information
on the aquarium
trade.
The
core data in GMAD are the sales records of wholesale import and export
companies,
specifically:
· Species traded (fish,
corals, invertebrates)
· Quantity traded (numbers)
· Country of export
· Country of import
· Date (year)
As of
June 2002 a total of 43 wholesale export and import companies including many
industry
leaders,
and 4 national management authorities, have provided their data to GMAD.
To
date, surprisingly little information has been compiled about the marine
ornamental market in
Europe,
especially when compared to the wealth of information available about their
trade in the
USA.
Thus, since early 2002, efforts have been concentrated on ‘mapping’ the
aquarium industry in
Europe
by developing a detailed list of wholesalers for individual countries. Data
collection will
continue
throughout the summer. Topics discussed will cover:
· principal species in trade
· trade links between
European markets
· trade links between
European and international markets
· how the marine ornamental
trade differs between European countries.Poster
Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4 th – 7 th September,
2002
155
CORRELATING
QUATERNARY SEA-LEVEL RISE TO PROBABLE ANCIENT
HOLOCENE
REEF MORPHOLOGY USING REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES
B.K.
Walker, R.E. Dodge
Nova
Southeastern University Oceanographic Center,
National
Coral Reef Institute
8000
North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL 33004-3078 USA
walkerb@nova.edu
Two
bathymetric surveys were recently conducted in Southeast Florida (Broward
County) using
remote
sensing devices: Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (LADS) and Multibeam sonar. The
two
surveys
were at four- meter resolution and encompassed an area defined by approximately
28 km in
the
N-S direction along the coast (from northern Dade County, along the Broward
County coastline,
North
to Pompano) and from the shore eastward 7-9 km. Depths ranged from 0 to
approximately 240
m.
The georeferenced xyz data was merged, gridded, and sun-shaded at 45° angle and
azimuth, and
draped
with a NOAA NAPP 1:24,000 georeferenced air photograph mosaic for coastal
reference.
The
model was zoomed and tipped to desired orientations and processed into
three-dimensional
perspectives.
Multiple view options were useful for identifying benthic features including
coral reefs
and
associated habitats.
These
three-dimensional perspectives, resultant maps, and reef profiles derived from
the multibeam
SONAR
and LADS surveys were used as a basis in GIS to detect probable Holocene reef
morphology
formed during different Quaternary sea levels resulting from the meltwater
pulses
estimated
by Bard et al. (1996). The deepest assumed reef is visible at approximately 85m
depth and
seems
to have initiated shortly after the end of the first meltwater pulse (Meltwater
Pulse 1A)
(~13,000
yr BP). This reef may have “given up” (drowned) during the initiation of the
second
meltwater
pulse (Meltwater Pulse 1B) (~11,000 yr BP) or may have occurred as sheet growth
upslope
during the rapid sea- level rise. The base of another reef-consistent
morphological structure
occurs
in approximately 45 meters depth. This correlates to sea- level height at the
end of the second
meltwater
pulse (1B) (~10,500 yr BP). In more shallow water, a clear Holocene reef is
present
cresting
in approximately 16-20m depth. This is a substantial Acropora palmata structure
originally
formed
in shallow water (Lighty et al., 1978). A. palmata growth ceased here
about 7000 yrs BP ( 14 C
date)
(Lighty et al., 1978). Presently, this reef sustains a low density
Scleractinian community
interspersed
between high densities of octocorals and sponges. More shallow reefs, some
containing
an A.
palmata framework are present westward. All of these reefs may be a result
of backstepping
during
the Holocene rising sea levels. This work demonstrates the utility of remote
sensing for
identifying
features of potential importance in determining Holocene sea level rise
history.
Further
productive work on this topic may involve subbottom profiling to characterize
the sand-draped
Holocene
reef morphology as well as in situ coring for determining stratigraphy
and
timelines..Poster Presentation
Abstracts Volume
International Society for Reef Studies
European Meeting – Cambridge, 4-7 th September,
2002
156
DYNAMIC
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CARBONATES AND
SILICI/VOLCANICLASTICS
IN EQUATORIAL AREAS
1 Moyra E.J. Wilson, 2 Stephen W. Lokier
1 Department of Geological Sciences, Durham
University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE
moyra.wilson@durham.ac.uk
2 Badley Ashton and Associates
Ltd., Winceby House, Winceby, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9
6PB
In
active tectonic areas of humid equatorial regions near-shore, shallow-water
environments are
commonly
sites of near-continuous siliciclastic influx and/or punctuated volcaniclastic
input.
Despite
significant clastic influence, considerable Neogene carbonate successions
developed in SE
Asia
adjacent to major deltas or volcanic arcs, and are comparable to modern mixed
carbonate-clastic
deposits
in the region. Research into delta- front patch reefs from Borneo and fore-arc
carbonate
platform
development from Java is described and used to evaluate the effects of clastic
influx on
regional
carbonate development, local changes in carbonate producing biota and sequence
development.
Regional carbonate development in areas of high clastic input was influenced by
the
presence
of antecedent highs, changes in amounts or rates of clastic input, delta lobe
switching or
variations
in volcanic activity, energy regimes and relative sea level change. A variety
of carbonate
producing
organisms, including larger benthic foraminifera, some corals, coralline algae,
echinoderms
and molluscs could tolerate near-continuous clastic influx approximately equal
to their
own
production rates. These organisms adopted various 'strategies' for coping with
clastic input,
including
a degree of mobility, morphologies adapted to unstable-substrate inhabitation,
shedding
sediment
or low- light levels. Locally carbonate production was also affected by energy
regimes,
clastic
grain sizes and associated nutrient input. Clastic input influenced the
inhabitable depth range
for
photoautotrophs, the zonation of light dependant assemblages, and the
morphology and sequence
development
of mixed carbonate-clastic successions. This study provides data on the dynamic
interactions
during mixed carbonate-clastic sedimentation and, when combined with
information
from
comparable modern environments, allows better understanding of the effects of
clastic influx on
carbonate
production..Author Index.Author Index
First Author indicated in bold
158
A
Abelson, A. 12
Aguirre, J. 138
Al-Hazeem, S.H. 124
Allemand, D. 80, 118, 145
Allison, N. 7, 119
Allison, W.R. 8
Al-Moghrabi, S.M. 29
Al-Rousan, S.A. 29
Alsvaag, J. 120
Antonioli, F. 138
Antony, K. 142
Applegate, B. 105
Ashworth, J.S. 72, 115
Auster, P. 104
Azam, F. 84
Azem, A. 19
B
Babb, I. 104
Baird, J.H. 41
Bak, R.P.M. 9, 62, 71, 87,
102, 152
Baker, A.C. 10
Baldelli, G. 14
Banks, K. 37
Barnes, D. 65
Baums, I.B. 116
Ben-Haim, Y. 11
Ben-Tzvi, O. 12
Benzoni, F. 13
Berkelemans, R. 23
Bernardini, G. 14
Berndt, C. 59
Bianchi, C.N. 13, 14, 138
Blohm, D. 55
Boisson, F. 118
Bothner, M. 30
Braithwaite, C.J.R. 15
Breitbart, M. 54
Brodie, J. 16
Brooke, S.D. 17
Brown, E. 30
Brown, K. 48
Buckley, R. 151
Bythell, J.C. 20, 26, 117, 137
C
Callow, M. 151
Calzetta, G. 138
Carobene, L. 138
Carter, B. 57
Celliers, L. 89
Chadwick-Furman, N.E. 35
Chapman, N. 18
Choresh, O. 19
Chou, L.M. 41
Cochran, S. 30
Colantoni, P. 14
Coleman, M.L. 146
Colley, S.B. 131
Cooney, R.P. 20, 137
Corain, L. 68
Cote, I.M. 48
Cowan, V. 34
D
Dalmasso, H. 15
Davies, H. 105
Davies, J. 105
De Putron, S. 21
De’Ath, G. 16
Degnan, B.M. 108
Delaney, J. 142
DeVantier, L.M. 22
Devlin, M. 16
Diekmann, O.E. 102
Dodge, R.E. 155
Done, T. 23, 142
Dorgan, K. 105
Douglas, A.E. 3
Dove, S. 24
Downing, N. 151
Driscoll, M. 99
Dubinsky, Z. 35
Dulbahri 76
Dullo, W.-Chr. 109
Dulvy, N.K. 25, 67
Dunn, S.R. 26
Dunstan, P.K. 50
E
Eisenhauer, A. 109
Eisinger, M. 27
Esteban, N. 34
F
Fabricius, K. 1
Fahy, D.P. 125
Fallon, S. 65
Feingold, J.S. 28, 131
Felis, T. 29
Ferrier-Pages, C. 118, 126, 132
Field, M.E. 30.Author Index
First Author indicated in bold
159
Finch, A. 7, 119
Fine, M. 31
Fisher, L.E. 37
Flot, J-F. 32
Fossa, J.H. 120
Freiwald, A. 122
Furevik, D.M. 120
Furla, P. 80, 145
G
Gagan, M.K. 69
Gage, J.D. 83, 121
Gallup, C. 105
Galzin, R. 33
Garaway, C. 34
Gattuso, J-P. 144
Gektidis, M. 35, 122
George, J.D. 36
Gilbert, M. 123
Gilliam, D.S. 37, 103
Gischler, E. 70, 124, 129
Glynn, E.A. 125
Glynn, P.W. 10
Goffredo, S. 35, 38, 135, 141
Goh, B.P.L 41
Grayston, L. 91
Green, E. 40, 154
Grover, R. 126
Guest, J.R. 41
H
Hall-Spencer, J.M. 42, 127
Halter, H.A. 128
Hart, D.E. 43
Hattenberger, S. 105
Hawkridge, J.M. 86
Hayes, M.L. 44
Heidelberg, K.B. 117
Heiss, G. 45
Hellberg, M. 116
Hellin, D. 91
Hendy, E. 65
Hepburn, L. 121
Hodgson, G. 45
Hoegh-Guldberg, O. 46, 50
Hoeksema, B.W. 53, 130
Hohne, S. 129
Hoke, S.M. 131
Hooper, J.N.A. 108
Houlbreque, F. 132
Hueerkamp, C. 47
Hutchings, P.A. 97
Hutchinson, D.J. 48
J
Jackson, J.B.C. 2
Jacobs, J.R. 49
John, D.M. 36
Johnson, C.R. 50
Jokiel, P. 30
Jones, R. 23
Juillet-Leclerc, A. 144
Jupiter, S. 105
K
Keller, B.D. 51
Kenter, J. 78
Khalaf, M.A. 55
Klaus, R. 52
Kleeman, K. 53, 130
Kline, D. 54
Knowlton, N. 54, 84
Kochzius, M. 55
Koenig, C. 17
Kramarsky-Winter, E. 56
Kramer, D.L. 123
Kuhnert, H. 29
L
Labas, Y. 64
Lamont, P.A. 121
Langmead, O. 133
Larcombe, P. 57, 92
Le Goff-Vitry, M. 39
Le Tissier, M.D.A. 20, 26, 137
Lecchini, D. 33, 134
LeClair, L. 151
Ledesma, G.L. 58
Liebeler, J. 45
Lindberg, B. 59
Liu, G. 90
Lokier, S.W. 156
Lough, J.M. 65, 69
Loya, Y. 12, 19, 31, 56
Lukyanov, K. 64
Lukyanov, S. 64
Lundberg, J. 70
M
Macdonald, I.A. 60
Macintyre, I.G. 61
MacLaughlin, L. 86
Maguer, J-F. 126
Maier, C. 62
Mallela, J. 63
Marsh, L. 142
Mastronuzzi, G. 138
Mattioli, G. 38.Author
Index
First Author indicated in bold
160
Matz, M.V. 64
Mazzoli, C. 68
McClanahan, T.R. 10
McCorry, D. 22
McCulloch, M. 65
McKenna, S. 91
McLean, R. 66
Meldrum, D.T. 83
Mercer, D.J. 83
Merle, P-L. 80,145
Mezzomonaco, L. 135
Mienert, J. 59
Miller, M.W. 116
Mitchell, R.E. 25, 67
Montaggioni, L.F. 15
Montagna, P. 68
Moore, C. 18
Morri, C. 13, 14, 138
Mortensen, P.B. 120
Mosusu, N. 105
Moyer, R.P. 136
Mueller, E. 86
Muller, A. 69
Multer, H.G. 70
Murdoch, T. 91
N
Newville, M. 119
Nieuwland, G. 9, 87
Nugues, M.M. 71
O
Ogston, A. 30
Oliver, J. 40
Ormond, R.F.G. 72, 115
Orru, P. 138
P
Pantos, O. 20, 137
Paster, M. 27
Patzold, J. 29, 62
Peppe, O.C. 83
Perrin, C. 73, 139
Perry, C. 74
Peyrot-Clausade, M. 97
Pichon, M. 14
Pierano, A. 138
Polunin, N.V.C. 25, 67, 75
Porter, J. 94
Potts, D.C. 49, 105
Priyono, J. 76, 140
Purdy, E.G. 77
Purkis, S. 78
Q
Quarles, R.L. 86
Quinn, T.P. 125
R
Radetic, J. 141
Radford, B. 142
Raines, P. 58
Ravillious, C. 40
Rayner, R. 143
Reinecke, G.B. 79
Reynaud, S. 144
Reynaud-Vaganay, S. 126
Richier, S. 80, 145
Riegl, B. 81, 128, 136
Riker-Coleman, K. 105
Risk, M.J. 42, 82
Roberts, J.M. 121
Roberts, J.M. 83
Rogers, A. 39
Rohwer, F. 54, 84
Rosenberg, E. 11, 85
Runnalls, L. 146
S
Saied, A. 94
Santavy, D.L. 86
Scheffers, S.R. 87, 99
Schelten, C.K. 88
Schierwater, B. 93
Schleyer, M.H. 89
Schonberg, C.H.L. 147
Schuhmacher, H. 27, 79
Sebens, K.P. 117
Seguritan, V. 84
Sheppard, C.R.C. 133, 148
Shinn, E.A. 70
Silenzi, S. 68
Silver, E. 105
Simeon, O. 105
Simmons, K.R. 70
Skinder, C. 104
Skirving, W. 90
Smith, D.C. 73
Smith, S.R. 91
Smithers, S. 92
Sola, F. 80, 145
Solandt, J-L. 58
Soller, R. 55
Souter, D. 151
Spalding, M. 40
Spieler, R.E. 125
Stachowitsch, M. 149
Stampfl, P.F. 150.Author Index
First Author indicated in bold
161
Stamski, R. 105
Stanley, A.M. 91
Starger, C.J. 10
Stobart, B. 151
Stoletzki, N. 93
Storlazzi, C. 30
Strong, A. 90
Sutton, S. 119
Svellingen, I. 120
Swart, P.K. 94
Szmant, A.M 94
T
Tambutte, E. 118, 132
Taylor, M. 154
Teleki, K. 151
Thomas, F.I.M. 99
Thomas, J.D. 95, 101
Thomason, J.C. 26, 117
Thornton, S.L. 37
Todd, P. 96
Tougas, J. 94
Tribollet, A. 97
Tsuchiya, M 32
Tudhope, A.W. 4
Turner, J. 52
U
Ulstrup, K.E. 98
V
Van Der Geest, M. 71
Van Duyl, F.C 87, 99
Van Oppen, M.J.H. 98
Van Treeck, P. 27, 100
Vargas-Angel, B. 101
Velterop, R.J. 72
Vermeij, M.J.A. 102, 152
Vernacchio, J.A. 103
Vignola, M.J. 44
Vogel, K. 122
Vogt, H.P. 153
W
Wabnitz, C. 154
Walker, B.K. 155
Wallace, L. 105
Waska, H. 71
Watling, L. 104
Webster, G. 91
Webster, J. 105
Wefer, G. 29
Weil, E. 47
Whetton, P. 23
Williams, I. 75
Willis, B. 142
Wilson, M.E.J. 156
Wilson, S.C. 106
Winterer, E.L. 77
Woodley, J.D. 107
Wooldridge, S. 23
Worheide, G. 108
Wyndham, T. 65
Y
Young, C.M. 17
Z
Zaccanti, F. 38, 135, 141
Zinke, J. 109
Zlatarski, V.N. 110
Zuschin, M. 111, 149...PROGRAMME AT-A-GLANCE
Wednesday 4 th
September
1200
onwards Registration
1300
Lunch
1415
Meeting Opening
1430
Plenary 1 - Fabricus
1530
Coffee
1600
Scientific Sessions (Mariginal Reefs/Disease)
1830
Drinks Reception
1900
Dinner
2030
After-Dinner Talk
Thursday 5 th
September
0830
Plenary 2 - Jackson
0930
Scientific Sessions (Reef Dynamics/Marginal Reefs)
1050
Coffee
1130
Scientific Sessions (Reef Dynamics/Marginal Reefs)
1250
Lunch
1400
Scientific Sessions (Reef Dynamics/Marginal Reefs)
1520
Tea
1600
Scientific Sessions (Reef Dynamics/Bioerosion)
1820
Poster Session and Drinks Reception
1930
Dinner
2030
After-Dinner Talk
Friday 6 th
September
0830
Plenary 3 - Douglas
0930
Scientific Sessions (Environmental Stress/Reef Geology)
1050
Coffee
1130
Scientific Sessions (Environmental Stress/Reef Geology)
1310
Lunch
1400
Scientific Sessions (Management/Molecular Biology)
1520
Tea
1600
Scientific Sessions (Management/Molecular Biology)
1830
ISRS General Meeting
1930
Conference Dinner
Saturday7 th
September
0830
Plenary 4 - Tudhope
0930
Scientific Sessions (Palaeoclimatology/Cold Water Corals)
1050
Coffee
1130
Scientific Sessions (Palaeoclimatology/Cold Water Corals)
1300 Lunch