Coral Diversity Research Articles

Pliocene corals from the Togopi Formation of the Dent Peninsula, Sabah, northeastern Borneo, Malaysia

Saw, J.V.M., Hunter, A.W., Johnson, K.G. & Abdul Rahman, A.H.B., November 2018. Pliocene corals from the Togopi Formation of the Dent Peninsula, Sabah, northeastern Borneo, Malaysia. Alcheringa 43, 291–319. ISSN 0311-5518The palaeobiology of the Malay Archipelago region remains poorly documented, despite its present-day significance as a modern global marine biodiversity hotspot. The Togopi Formation of the Dent Peninsula, situated in Borneo on the western Sulu Sea and eastern coast of Sabah, Malaysia, preserves Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary sequences interpreted to represent localized transgressive episodes, and which have a relatively high coral diversity. Fossil corals were sampled from three available quarries on the Dent Peninsula, the sediments of which have been previously dated as 4.5–3.4 Ma in age based on foraminiferal data and radiometric analyses. These Pliocene corals are identified here based on their macromorphology, micromorphology and microstructural characteristics. In total, this study describes 28 fossil coral taxa, with 16 genera recognized and 22 taxa identified to species level, 21 of which can be confidently assigned to extant species. These new data have resulted in revised stratigraphic ranges for eight of these species. As the most comprehensive systematic survey of corals from the Pliocene of the Indo-Pacific to date, this study indicates a high diversity of corals on the margin of the Sabah Sea, Borneo, at this time, including taxa found today, thus casting doubt on the local impact of the Plio-Pleistocene extinction previously reported from faunal analyses of the central Indo-Pacific.Jasmin V.M. Saw [varnmay@yahoo.com] Department of Petroleum Geosciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia; Aaron W. Hunter* [awh31@cam.ac.uk] Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK; Kenneth G. Johnson [k.johnson@nhm.ac.uk] Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK; Abdul Hadi B Abdul Rahman [hadi_rahman@utp.edu.my] Department of Petroleum Geosciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia. *Also affiliated with: School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

Recent coral reef conditions in Weh Island, Aceh Province, Indonesia

Abstract. Utama RS, Hadi TA. 2018. Recent coral reef conditions in Weh Island, Aceh Province, Indonesia. Ocean Life 2: 47-53. Over the past several decades the coral reef conditions have been declining globally due to human activities and natural disturbances. In the last decade, several natural phenomena such as a 2010 tsunami and 2016 coral bleaching event have been recorded in Weh Island and resulted in coral cover decline. The aims of this study are to observe current status of coral diversity and reef conditions at Weh Island. The study was carried out during February 2017 at ten study sites. The methods used were Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) analyzed with CPCe 4.1. software. Live coral coverage ranging from 10% to 57,33% with average live coral cover at Weh island at 28.48% ± 5.334 (moderate condition). 82 species, 31 genera, 13 families of coral were recorded in this study with four species found at all sites. No take and no anchor zones from Panglima Laot regulation at the Iboih areas provide a positive impact for maintaining coral health.

A seascape genetic analysis of a stress-tolerant coral species along the Western Australian coast

Genetic diversity and connectivity are key factors in determining a population’s resilience to future disturbance. This is especially relevant to corals, which are in global decline due to increasing frequency and strength of thermal anomalies and severe tropical cyclones. While many studies have investigated genetic diversity and population structure in corals, they focused on species being removed at the greatest rate from coral reefs, acroporids and pocilloporids, and it is unclear whether the patterns observed in these species reflects those found in more resilient species. Here, we use microsatellite markers and two Lagrangian models with differing resolutions, to investigate population structure in a stress-tolerant coral survivor Cyphastrea microphthalma, Family Merulinidae, along the north-western Australian coastline. We found evidence of four genetic clusters with some level of admixture among them. However, while there was evidence of population structure within the intensively sampled Pilbara region, the patterns of connectivity differed to those reported previously. WA populations of C. microphthalma were also characterised by lower levels of genetic diversity at higher latitudes. High- and moderate-resolution Lagrangian models did not significantly predict regional-scale genetic connectivity across the Pilbara and Ningaloo (500 km). Although the high-resolution model explained an order of magnitude more genetic variation, suggesting model resolution and resolving coastal processes are important. Over broad spatial scales (nearly 2000 km), all moderate-resolution model particle release durations significantly predicted the genetic differentiation, although over-water distance best-predicted the genetic distance across this spatial scale. This study improves the understanding of connectivity in this region by focusing on a stress-tolerant species incorporating a spatially more intensive sampling effort than previous coral studies. It also shows that further development of Lagrangian models is required, such as inclusion of multi-generational stepwise models and larval behaviour, to improve predictions of connectivity for this coral species in this region.

Distribution of deep-water corals, sponges, and demersal fisheries landings in Southern California, USA: implications for conservation priorities.

Deep-sea corals in Southern California are diverse and abundant but subject to multiple stressors, including bottom-contact fisheries using mobile and fixed gear. There is a need for more information on the distribution of these taxa in relation to the distribution of demersal fishing effort, and the distribution of marine protected areas, in order to improve spatial planning. There are many marine managed areas in Southern California, including essential fish habitat (EFH) areas, conservation areas, and a national marine sanctuary, but specific areas of overlap between bottom fishing and benthic epifauna are poorly known. Groundfish surveys were conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service using a remotely operated vehicle throughout Southern California between 2003 and 2011 to document abundance and distribution of deep-water rockfish and flatfish to a depth of 500 m. Corals and sponges were also common in these images, providing an opportunity to examine these communities. Analyses of 34,792 still images revealed abundance and diversity of coral and sponge taxa, as well as frequency of fishing debris. The occurrence data were overlaid in a geographic information system with landings data for deep-water (>50 m) demersal fisheries to identify areas of spatial overlap. Corals or sponges were observed in 23% of images. A total of 15 coral genera and six sponge morphotypes were identified. A total of 70 species codes were targeted by deep-water demersal fisheries operating below 50 m for years 2007–2011. A novel priority-setting algorithm was developed to identify areas of high richness, abundance, and fishing intensity (RAFi). Several highly-ranked areas were already protected as EFH (Footprint, Piggy Bank). Other highly-ranked sites (West Catalina Island, San Clemente Island, 9-Mile Bank, Santa Rosa Flats) were encompassed by transient gear restrictions, such as Rockfish conservation areas, but are now recommended for permanent protection by the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Impacts of a Regional, Multi-Year, Multi-Species Coral Disease Outbreak in Southeast Florida

Globally coral reefs have been declining at alarming rates as a result of anthropogenic stressors, leading to increased frequency and severity of widespread bleaching and disease events. These events are often associated with increased water temperatures due to climate change as well as regional and local stress from nutrient enrichment through runoff and sedimentation from coastal development. In late 2014, a white syndrome disease outbreak was reported off the coast of southeast Florida and was subsequently documented spreading throughout the region. This study examined the regional impacts of the disease event on the southeast Florida stony coral population utilizing stony coral demographic data from the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (SECREMP). SECREMP is a long-term monitoring project examining 22 sites distributed from Miami-Dade County north to Martin County, Florida. The results revealed significant region-wide declines in stony coral diversity, density, and live tissue area corresponding with increased disease prevalence, which reached its maximum for the study period in 2016. Regional declines in coral density approached 30% loss and live tissue was upwards of 60% as a result of the disease outbreak. Additionally, multiple species were severely impacted, especially the reef building, complexity-contributing species Montastraea cavernosa, Meandrina meandrites, and Siderastrea siderea. The disease outbreak resulted in acute mortality and altered the ecosystem function to a point such that recovery is uncertain. This multiyear, region-wide disease outbreak has been indiscriminate relative to coral species impacted and was arguably the most devastating disturbance event documented on the Southeast Florida Reef Tract.

Spongivory by Fishes on Southwestern Atlantic Coral Reefs: No Evidence of Top-Down Control on Sponge Assemblages

Predator-prey dynamics can affect assemblage structure and ecosystem processes representing a central theory in ecology. In coral reef ecosystems, recent evidences have suggested that sponge assemblages in regions with high diversity, like the Caribbean, are controlled by reef fishes (i.e. top-down control); however, this has been poorly studied in low diversity coral reefs. This study investigated the influence of fish predators on sponge assemblage structure in South Atlantic coral reefs, systems with high endemism and relatively low hermatypic coral diversity. We investigates (i) whether sponge cover is negatively correlated to spongivorous fish density, (ii) potential spongivory effects on competitive interactions between sponges and hermatypic corals and (iii) foraging preferences of spongivorous fishes. Benthic cover and spongivorous fish density were assessed by photo samplingt and visual census, respectively. We did not observe a negative correlation of the total density of sponge fish with total sponge cover . However, a significant negative correlation between density of fish species Pomacanthus arcuatus and cover of sponge species Scopalina ruetzleri was found. Spongivorous fish consumed preferentially the sponges Desmapsamma anchorata, Niphates erecta, Aplysina cauliformis and Scopalina ruetzleri, the first two species considered palatable and the second two with chemically defense mechanism. An increase to angelfish density was not related with the number of coral-sponge encounters. Thus, the effects of spongivorous fishes on sponges cover and competitive interactions with hermatypic corals is weaker in Southwestern Atlantic than previously reported in Caribbean coral reefs. We discuss how local human impacts (e.g. fishing and nutrients input) can influence the observed patterns.

Ecosystem restructuring along the Great Barrier Reef following mass coral bleaching.

Global warming is markedly changing diverse coral reef ecosystems through an increasing frequency and magnitude of mass bleaching events1-3. How local impacts scale up across affected regions depends on numerous factors, including patchiness in coral mortality, metabolic effects of extreme temperatures on populations of reef-dwelling species4 and interactions between taxa. Here we use data from before and after the 2016 mass bleaching event to evaluate ecological changes in corals, algae, fishes and mobile invertebrates at 186 sites along the full latitudinal span of the Great Barrier Reef and western Coral Sea. One year after the bleaching event, reductions in live coral cover of up to 51% were observed on surveyed reefs that experienced extreme temperatures; however, regional patterns of coral mortality were patchy. Consistent declines in coral-feeding fishes were evident at the most heavily affected reefs, whereas few other short-term responses of reef fishes and invertebrates could be attributed directly to changes in coral cover. Nevertheless, substantial region-wide ecological changes occurred that were mostly independent of coral loss, and instead appeared to be linked directly to sea temperatures. Community-wide trophic restructuring was evident, with weakening of strong pre-existing latitudinal gradients in the diversity of fishes, invertebrates and their functional groups. In particular, fishes that scrape algae from reef surfaces, which are considered to be important for recovery after bleaching2, declined on northern reefs, whereas other herbivorous groups increased on southern reefs. The full impact of the 2016 bleaching event may not be realized until dead corals erode during the next decade5,6. However, our short-term observations suggest that the recovery processes, and the ultimate scale of impact, are affected by functional changes in communities, which in turn depend on the thermal affinities of local reef-associated fauna. Such changes will vary geographically, and may be particularly acute at locations where many fishes and invertebrates are close to their thermal distribution limits7.

Uncovering hidden coral diversity: a new cryptic lobophylliid scleractinian from the Indian Ocean.

Extant biodiversity can easily be underestimated owing to the presence of cryptic taxa, even among commonly observed species. Scleractinian corals are challenging to identify because of their ecophenotypic variation and morphological plasticity. In addition, molecular analyses have revealed the occurrence of cryptic speciation. Here, we describe a new cryptic lobophylliid genus and species Paraechinophyllia variabilis gen. nov., sp. nov., which is morphologically similar to Echinophyllia aspera and E.orpheensis. The new taxon occurs in Mayotte Island, Madagascar, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Six molecular markers (COI, 12S, ATP6-NAD4, NAD3-NAD5, histone H3 and ITS) and 46 morphological characters at three different levels (macromorphology, micromorphology and microstructure) were examined. The resulting molecular phylogenetic reconstruction showed that Paraechinophyllia gen. nov. represents a distinct group within the Lobophylliidae that diverged from the lineage leading to Echinophyllia and Oxypora in the Early Miocene, approximately 21.5Ma. The morphological phylogenetic reconstruction clustered Paraechinophyllia gen. nov., Echinophyllia and Oxypora together in a single clade. A sole morphological character, calice relief, discriminated Paraechinophyllia gen. nov. from the latter two genera, suggesting that limited morphological variation has occurred over a long period. These results highlight the importance of cryptic taxa in reef corals, with implications for population genetics, ecological studies and conservation.

Crescentiella-microbial-cement microframeworks in the Upper Jurassic reefs of the Crimean Peninsula

In the Upper Jurassic reef successions of the Crimean Peninsula (Sudak and Jalta areas), the microencruster Crescentiella morronensis (Crescenti), microbialites, and multiple generations of cements, form microframeworks. They were observed in two stages of the carbonate platform evolution, in the Middle–Upper Oxfordian, and in the Upper Kimmeridgian–Tithonian. Generally, in both stages, the features of the microframeworks are similar and consist of densely packed Crescentiella associated with microbialites and branched colonies of the sclerosponge Neuropora lusitanica Termier. The difference between the occurrences of the two stages is the variable amount of nubecularid foraminifera and enigmatic tube-shaped structures forming the central cavities of Crescentiella. The Crescentiella-microbial-cement microframeworks formed under phreatic conditions in the upper slope and seaward marginal depositional settings where intensive synsedimentary cementation took place. They formed in the initial stages of long cycles of restoration and blooming of the reefs. The late Jurassic examples resemble the Permian algae-microbial-cement reefs as well as the Triassic Tubiphytes and cement crust-dominated reefs. Concurrently, all these examples formed a transitional facies zone between typical slope facies to shallow subtidal platform margin facies characterized by high taxonomic diversity of calcified sponges, corals, and microencrusters forming the principal part of the reefs.

New host records of scleractinian-Zanclea symbiosis from Fiji

Scleractinian corals are the host group with the greatest number of species associated with hydroids in the genus Zanclea. There are 34 nominal species and 31 genera of scleractinians reported as Zanclea hosts from a few localities across the Red Sea, Indo-Pacific, and Caribbean. However, little is known about how consistent and cosmopolitan scleractinian-Zanclea relationships are. To test their geographical consistency, we surveyed Fijian corals for Zanclea presence using both field-based surveys and analysis of in situ coral photographs. Surveys targeted 16 species and seven genera of reported Zanclea hosts and five other corals commonly found at the sites. We observed Zanclea hydroids associated with 22 species in seven genera of scleractinian corals with 17 (77%) of the species being newly reported hosts. Our findings suggest that a broad diversity of scleractinian corals hosting Zanclea remains to be documented, and although Zanclea-scleractinian associations are likely cosmopolitan in their distribution across localities, associations with specific coral species may not be.

Comparing patterns of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity in reef coral communities

Biodiversity defines the variety of living organisms on this planet and is often quantified by the total number of species. However, species richness is insufficient in accounting for the differences in evolutionary history and the functions species contribute to the ecosystem. To address this shortcoming, phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity are increasingly being quantified and studied to inform ecological theory and conservation prioritisation. For scleractinian reef corals, congruence, mismatch and complementarity among different biodiversity components remain unknown, but recently available trait and phylogenetic data provide a robust test of these relationships. Here, we examine the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of corals across a gradient of diversity in Singapore. Relationships among the biodiversity components at 25 reef sites are compared to identify patterns of mismatch or congruence for testing the precision of using one as a proxy for another. Furthermore, we examine community assembly of corals using null models derived from randomised community data. Our results show that correlations among biodiversity components are generally positive but weak, with species-dependent (non-abundance-weighted) metrics more strongly correlated with one another than species-independent (abundance-weighted) measures. No single biodiversity component could predict another precisely to be used as a reliable proxy for coral communities. Therefore, if trait diversity and evolutionary history were to be set as conservation targets, it is essential to maximise functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity explicitly when identifying areas or assemblages for management. Null models reveal the presence of more-than-expected similarities in trait combinations and evolutionary relationships among species in most reef communities. These findings suggest that environmental filtering under high levels of coastal development and sedimentation may be associated with coral community composition on Singapore’s reefs. Our approach provides new insights into the relationships between different components of coral diversity and has important applications for marine conservation planning.

Thermal energy and stress properties as the main drivers of regional distribution of coral species richness in the Indian Ocean

AbstractAimLarge‐scale variation in species richness results from multiple environmental controls. We proposed to identify the main factors that influence species richness of reef corals to provide insight into natural forces and their implications for future climate impacts.LocationIndian Ocean.MethodsWe applied quantile regression (QR) to predict coral species richness and to evaluate the influence of reef area, biogeographical connection – represented by reef area up‐current, geological provinces defined by plate tectonics, latitude, longitude and mainland‐island separation, the physico‐chemical factors of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), salinity and primary productivity and seven properties of sea surface temperature (mean, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, range, kurtosis and skewness) on coral species richness. Predictions at three quantiles (0.50, 0.75 and 0.95) were compared against ordinary least squares regression (OLS) analysis.ResultsAll four models successfully predicted species richness, with the 95% QR model showing the best fit. According to this model, reef area, number of reefs up‐current and mean‐SST had positive effects while maximum and kurtosis‐SST had negative effects on richness. The distribution of observed richness values in relation to the regression line suggested this model revealed the main limiting factors. High predicted richness sites were located in the region from Western Australia to Central Indian Ocean Islands and southern India, the Mozambique Channel and East Africa and Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Sites with low predicted richness were Arabian/Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, South Africa and south‐west Madagascar, Gulf of Kutch, Bay of Bengal and the Mascarenes.ConclusionsTemperature properties played a prominent role in influencing species richness mainly as latent energy and stress rather than thermal stability. These thermal properties indicate the conditions needed to promote coral diversity and selecting climate refugia for conservation management.

THE EFFECT OF ORGANIC SEDIMENT CONTENT ON CORAL DIVERSITY IN KARIMUNJAWA ISLAND, INDONESIA

Coral reef now are under threats due to sedimentation. Fatal effect of organic rich sediment, leading corals mortality. Therefore, the study was conducted to investigate effect of organic sediment content to the coral diversity in Karimunjawa Island, Central Java, Indonesia. Field data was conducted at 6 locations. Three sediment traps were deployed at each sites to measure organic sediment content. Twenty replicated quadrant transects were used to estimate coral density and coral diversity. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the differences of organic sediment content in each station. The linear regression was used to assess the relationship between organic sediment content and coral diversity. Our field result demonstrated that sediment content significantly different between sites with value range from 0.42 mg/800 ml - 1.32 mg/800 ml. Based on the Simson’s Diversity Index, the highest coral diversity found at Alang-alang as site with low sedimentation while the lowest coral diversity was found at Legon Lele as site with high sedimentation. The study shown significant negative correlation between organic sediment content and coral diversity with the coefficient of regression 0.68. This study convinces that disturbance on coral reefs might affect coral diversity in Karimunjawa Island, in addition to other factors such as the influence of human activities, natural disruption and climate change. Keywords: sedimentation, organic, coral, diversity, Karimunjawa

Assessing land use, sedimentation, and water quality stressors as predictors of coral reef condition in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Coral reef condition on the south shore of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, was assessed at various distances from Charlotte Amalie, the most densely populated city on the island. Human influence in the area includes industrial activity, wastewater discharge, cruise ship docks, and impervious surfaces throughout the watershed. Anthropogenic activity was characterized using a landscape development intensity (LDI) index, sedimentation threat (ST) estimates, and water quality (WQ) impairments in the near-coastal zone. Total three-dimensional coral cover, reef rugosity, and coral diversity had significant negative coefficients for LDI index, as did densities of dominant species Orbicella annularis, Orbicella franksi, Montastraea cavernosa, Orbicella faveolata, and Porites porites. However, overall stony coral colony density was not significantly correlated with stressors. Positive relationships between reef rugosity and ST, between coral diversity and ST, and between coral diversity and WQ were unexpected because these stressors are generally thought to negatively influence coral growth and health. Sponge density was greater with higher disturbance indicators (ST and WQ), consistent with reports of greater resistance by sponges to degraded water quality compared to stony corals. The highest FoRAM (Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring) indices indicating good water quality were found offshore from the main island and outside the harbor. Negative associations between stony coral metrics and LDI index have been reported elsewhere in the Caribbean and highlight LDI index potential as a spatial tool to characterize land-based anthropogenic stressor gradients relevant to coral reefs. Fewer relationships were found with an integrated stressor index but with similar trends in response direction.

Biogeographical disparity in the functional diversity and redundancy of corals

Corals are major contributors to a range of key ecosystem functions on tropical reefs, including calcification, photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, and the provision of habitat structure. The abundance of corals is declining at multiple scales, and the species composition of assemblages is responding to escalating human pressures, including anthropogenic global warming. An urgent challenge is to understand the functional consequences of these shifts in abundance and composition in different biogeographical contexts. While global patterns of coral species richness are well known, the biogeography of coral functions in provinces and domains with high and low redundancy is poorly understood. Here, we quantify the functional traits of all currently recognized zooxanthellate coral species (n = 821) in both the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic domains to examine the relationships between species richness and the diversity and redundancy of functional trait space. We find that trait diversity is remarkably conserved (>75% of the global total) along latitudinal and longitudinal gradients in species richness, falling away only in species-poor provinces (n < 200), such as the Persian Gulf (52% of the global total), Hawaii (37%), the Caribbean (26%), and the East-Pacific (20%), where redundancy is also diminished. In the more species-poor provinces, large and ecologically important areas of trait space are empty, or occupied by just a few, highly distinctive species. These striking biogeographical differences in redundancy could affect the resilience of critical reef functions and highlight the vulnerability of relatively depauperate, peripheral locations, which are often a low priority for targeted conservation efforts.

THE DIVERSITY OF STONY CORAL AND THE TENDENCY TO BLEACH BASED ON LIFEFORM IN THE TENGAH PATCH-REEF OF KARIMUNJAWA ISLANDS

Coral reefs, the habitat of tens of thousands of marine species, are an ecosystem with the highest biodiversity. Several threats, however, have impaired coral reefs. One having a potentially catastrophic effect is the increasing temperature of the ocean that leads to a coral bleaching event. This study aimed to determine the diversity of stony coral based on their lifeform, to assess the condition of reefs by measuring percent cover of live coral, and to determine the bleaching occurrence based on the stony coral lifeform in the Tengah patch-reef of Karimunjawa National (Marine) Park. The research was a visual survey with line intercept transects (LIT) used to collect data. The data were presented as percent cover of living coral and their lifeforms. The result showed the diversity of coral in the Tengah patch-reef was very high as indicated by the presence of all coral lifeforms in the study site. The most diverse lifeform was found at 10 m depth with 13 lifeforms, while the lowest lifeform was found at 3 m depth with ten lifeforms. The most extensive live coral cover was found at 3 m depth estimated around 73.71%, and the the lowest coverage was found at 10 m depth, no more than 50.42%. The bleaching event was found in Acropora branching and Acropora digitate at the 3 m depth

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR IN MARINE ECOTOURISM RELATED TO CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY IN SERIBU ISLANDS

Ecotourism has relation with conservation of biodiversity which recently shows bad condition onthe marine ecosystem. This research analyzed how the role of government compared to the private sector wasconducted in Pramuka and Air Island based on the type of ecological zone and further conformity of ecotourismwas assessed based on biodiversity of living organisms in both islands. Line intercept transect method was usedin this study stretched along the parallel 85 m into the coastline with three replications over 25 m. Combinationof 100 m Line intercept transect method and 20 m diameter of circular transect method inside were used tomeasure identify plants. Bird species was observed by the distance sampling point count method. Interview withlocal people surrounding islands was also conducted to get the information on anthropogenic activities. Thestudy showed that coral diversity in Pramuka and Air Island were in moderate level (1.00 <H '<3.00),nevertheless live coral coverage in Pramuka Island was 29.17% of 73.44% total coral coverage lower than AirIsland (49% of 55.62%). Seagrass species found in Pramuka Island were 6 species and only 3 species were foundin Air Island whereas mangrove species was lower in Pramuka Island than Air Island. For ecotourism conformity,Pramuka Island was confirmed for recreation and seagrass ecotourism category whereas all tourism categorieswere confirmed in Air Island. Despite ecotourism in both islands likely destroyed the environment, conservationof biodiversity on marine ecosystem seemed ineffectively managed or even ignored by government neitherprivate sector. Recovery by nature seems to play a greater role in biodiversity conservation in both islands.

The potential effects of substrate type, currents, depth and fishing pressure on distribution, abundance, diversity, and height of cold-water corals and sponges in temperate, marine waters

Deep-sea benthic environments can be home to diverse communities of corals and sponges which are important habitat for marine fishes and invertebrates. From 2010 to 2014, underwater camera surveys in the Aleutian Islands were completed with the objective of evaluating potential effects of substrate type, tidal currents, depth, and fishing pressure on distribution, abundance, diversity, and size of structure-forming invertebrate (SFI) communities. The presence of rocky substrates was associated with higher probability of presence, higher density, and taller SFI. Multivariate analyses showed community structure changed over gradients of substrate, tidal currents, and longitude, with sea whips typically occupying deeper depths and mostly unconsolidated substrates, while other corals were largely found in rocky, shallower areas. These patterns were also reflected in co-occurrence analyses indicating sea whips were negatively associated with other SFI taxa. Most SFI occupied areas of swift tidal currents; however, heights of individual SFI decreased with increasing tidal currents. Coral and sponge densities at some sites in this study exceeded densities reported from other global coral and sponge habitats. Identifying the environmental conditions leading to high-density and high-diversity SFI communities is important for management of fisheries and evaluating potential impacts of climate change in benthic marine ecosystems.

Physiological integration of coral colonies is correlated with bleaching resistance

Inter-module physiological integration of colonial organisms can facilitate colony-wide coordinated responses to stimuli that strengthen colony fitness and stress resistance. In scleractinian corals, whose colonial integration ranges from isolated polyps to a seamless continuum of polyp structures and functions, this coordination improves responses to injury, predation, disease, and stress and may be one of the indications of an evolutionary origin of Symbiodinium symbiosis. However, observations of species-specific coral bleaching patterns suggest that highly integrated coral colonies may be more susceptible to thermal stress, and support the hypothesis that communication pathways between highly integrated polyps facilitate the dissemination of toxic byproducts created during the bleaching response. Here we reassess this hypothesis by parameterizing an integration index using 7 skeletal features that have been historically employed to infer physiological integration. We examine the relationship between this index and bleaching response across a phylogeny of 88 diverse coral species. Correcting for phylogenetic relationships among species in the analyses reveals significant patterns among species characters that could otherwise be obscured in simple cross-species comparisons using standard statistics, whose assumptions of independence are violated by the shared evolutionary history among species. Similar to the observed benefits of in creased coloniality for other types of stressors, the results indicate a significantly reduced bleaching response among coral species with highly integrated colonies.

Atlas of benthic foraminifera from coral reefs of the Raja Ampat Archipelago (Irian Jaya, Indonesia)

Raja Ampat (Indonesia) is a remote archipelago west of Papua mainland and situated at the eastern edge of the Coral Triangle. The archipelago is considered one of the species-richest and most pristine localities and home to the world’s most diverse coral reefs. For centuries, reefs of Raja Ampat have enjoyed natural protection and remained largely untouched due to their isolated location. The region represents a key area for evaluating richness and biogeographic patterns of tropical shallow-water organisms, yet the foraminiferal fauna of Raja Ampat is virtually unexplored. Benthic foraminifera are an integral part of the reef fauna, prolific carbonate producers and essential for reefal accretion and substrate stability. Previous studies on Indo-Pacific benthic reef foraminifera indicate that diversity is highest in the Central Indo-Pacific and broadly correlates with diversity patterns of other tropical marine taxa. This report presents the first illustrated catalog and comprehensive analysis of the structure, composition, and diversity of the species-rich benthic foraminiferal biotas of the Raja Ampat Archipelago including an assessment of local reef vitality with the Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring (FoRAM) Index. We examined shallow-water sediment samples from fringing reefs, reef platforms, sheltered bays and reef-associated environments to cover the full range of existing micro- and macrohabitats. Atotal number of 421 species were recovered, among them five new species and one newly described genus of the porcelaneous Miliolida. The fauna is dominated by hyaline taxa but the Miliolida represent the species-richest order and are especially diverse in fine-grained sediments of deep fore-reef slopes. Extraordinary high diversity of the benthic foraminiferal communities indicates that the waters of Raja Ampat probably represent one of the world’s biologically richest locations in reefs.We identified a total of 35 species of larger symbiont-bearing benthic foraminifera, a number that is among the highest reported so far for reefs in modern oceans. The analysis of the FoRAM Index revealed that water quality at all sites examined is suitable for reef growth and recovery. The results of our study show that the Raja Ampat Archipelago harbors unique and particularly diverse assemblages of modern benthic foraminifera and provides a protistan perspective for the hotspot of diversity in the Central Indo-Pacific.