Mesophotic corals on the subtropical shelves of Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid, south-western Pacific Ocean

Subtropical reefs are predicted to be dynamic areas of change under increased warming of global sea-surface temperature. A critical knowledge gap exists for deeper, mesophotic corals in these higher-latitude settings, where little is known about their spatial and depth distributions. At the latitudinal limits of coral-reef growth in the Pacific Ocean, abundant mesophotic corals were revealed on the shelf surrounding the subtropical, mid-ocean island of Balls Pyramid, which is a World Heritage-listed and marine park-protected area. Our study extended these findings to the nearby Lord Howe Island shelf to assess mesophotic coral cover and explore spatial patterns in mesophotic benthic communities. Underwater towed-video data collected around Lord Howe Island (24 sites) were combined with existing benthic data from the Balls Pyramid shelf. Results showed that similar habitats occur across both shelves, with communities varying among inner-, mid- and outer-shelf zones. Corals were most prevalent on the Balls Pyramid mid-shelf, with selected locations around the Lord Howe Island mid-shelf reporting similar cover (maximum site-average cover of 24%). The benthic data presented in this study provide important baseline information for monitoring coral cover and detecting potential shifts in community composition under ongoing climate change.

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Reports of Cubiceps baxteri McCulloch 1923 from Indian Ocean are probably misidentifications of Cubiceps whiteleggii (Waite 1894)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4985.1.12 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4985 (1) ◽

pp. 142-144

Author(s):

V. VIJI ◽

K.C. HARISH ◽

B. MADHUSOODANA KURUP

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Indian Ocean ◽

Baja California ◽

New South ◽

Tropical Species ◽

Lord Howe Island ◽

South Wales ◽

The Pacific ◽

Tasman Sea ◽

The Pacific Ocean

Cubiceps baxteri McCulloch 1923 was described based on a single, imperfect (devoid of a tail) stranded specimen collected from a beach in Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea. Though C. baxteri was reported as a widely distributed tropical species (Butler 1979), it was mainly a result of its incorrect identification (see Agafonova 1994; Stewart and Last 2015). The distribution of C. baxteri is reported to be restricted to the Pacific Ocean, from Japan and eastwards to Baja California (Mexico), southwards to the Hawaiian Islands, New South Wales (Australia), and Lord Howe Island (Tasman Sea) to the Southern parts of Chile (Eschmeyer et al. 2017; Mundy 2005; Agafonova 1994).

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The coral communities of Lord Howe Island

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf9950457 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 457 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

VJ Harriott ◽

PL Harrison ◽

SA Banks

Keyword(s):

Coral Cover ◽

Benthic Communities ◽

Tropical Species ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Lord Howe Island ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Status ◽

Coral Communities ◽

Apparent Reduction ◽

Hard Coral Cover

Lord Howe Island (31�33′S, 159�05′E) is surrounded by the southern-most coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean. The status of the benthic communities at Lord Howe Island was quantified in 1992-93 using replicated video-transects at 20 sites in the shallow reefal area (<20 m depth). The cover of hard coral was comparable with coral cover on some tropical reefs, ranging from less than 10% at some reef flat sites to greater than 40% cover at two seaward beach sites. The process of reef formation is apparently slow, and accretion of limestone is localized. A total of 59 scleractinian coral species were recorded during this study (including 19 new records), bringing the total number recorded at Lord Howe Island to 83. The coral communities contain a unique association of tropical species at their southern limits of distribution, and subtropical species which are rare or absent from the Great Barrier Reef. Many of the species that have been recorded from Lord Howe Island are rare, and may have resulted from chance recruitment of only a few larvae. There have been few major changes in the coral communities at Lord Howe Island in the past 16 years. At two inshore sites there was an apparent reduction in hard coral cover in the 1980s.

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Marine communities of the newly created Kawésqar National Reserve, Chile: From glaciers to the Pacific Ocean

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0249413 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0249413

Author(s):

Alan M. Friedlander ◽

Enric Ballesteros ◽

Whitney Goodell ◽

Mathias Hüne ◽

Alex Muñoz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Human Impacts ◽

Benthic Communities ◽

Kelp Forests ◽

Marine Communities ◽

Marine Habitats ◽

The Pacific ◽

Southern Patagonia ◽

The Pacific Ocean

The newly created Kawésqar National Park (KNP) and National Reserve (KNR) in southern Chile consists of diverse terrestrial and marine habitats, which includes the southern terminus of the Andes, the Southern Patagonia Ice Fields, sub-Antarctic rainforests, glaciers, fjords, lakes, wetlands, valleys, channels, and islands. The marine environment is influenced by wide ranging hydrological factors such as glacier melt, large terrigenous inputs, high precipitation, strong currents, and open ocean water masses. Owing to the remoteness, rugged terrain, and harsh environmental conditions, little is known about this vast region, particularly the marine realm. To this end, we conducted an integrated ecological assessment using SCUBA and remote cameras down to 600 m to examine this unique and largely unexplored ecosystem. Kelp forests (primarily Macrocystis pyrifera) dominate the nearshore ecosystem and provide habitat for myriad benthic organisms. In the fjords, salinity was low and both turbidity and nutrients from terrigenous sources were high, with benthic communities dominated by active suspension feeders (e.g., Bivalvia, Ascidiacea, and Bryozoa). Areas closer to the Pacific Ocean showed more oceanic conditions with higher salinity and lower turbidity, with benthic communities experiencing more open benthic physical space in which predators (e.g., Malacostraca and Asteroidea) and herbivorous browsers (e.g., Echinoidea and Gastropoda) were more conspicuous components of the community compared to the inner fjords. Hagfish (Myxine sp.) was the most abundant and frequently occurring fish taxa observed on deep-sea cameras (80% of deployments), along with several taxa of sharks (e.g., Squaliformes, Etmopteridae, Somniosidae, Scyliorhinidae), which collectively were also observed on 80% of deep-sea camera deployments. The kelp forests, deep fjords, and other nearshore habitats of the KNR represent a unique ecosystem with minimal human impacts at present. The KNR is part of the ancestral territory of the indigenous Kawésqar people and their traditional knowledge, including the importance of the land-sea connection in structuring the marine communities of this region, is strongly supported by our scientific findings.

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