scholarly journals Seascape genomics as a new tool to empower coral reef conservation strategies: an example on north-western PacificAcropora digitifera

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Selmoni ◽  
Estelle Rochat ◽  
Gael Lecellier ◽  
Veronique Berteaux-Lecellier ◽  
Stéphane Joost
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Adaptive Potential ◽  
Reef System ◽  
Genotype Frequencies ◽  
Set Up

AbstractCoral reefs are suffering a major decline due to the environmental constraints imposed by climate change. Over the last 20 years, three major coral bleaching events occurred in concomitance of anomalous heat waves, provoking a severe loss of coral cover worldwide. The conservation strategies for preserving reefs, as they are implemented now, cannot cope with global climatic shifts. Consequently, researchers are advocating the set-up of preservation frameworks to reinforce coral adaptive potential. However, the main obstacle to this implementation is that studies on coral adaption are usually hard to generalize at the scale of a reef system.Here, we study the relationships between frequencies of genetic markers with that of environmental characteristics of the sea (seascape genomics), in combination with connectivity analysis, to investigate the adaptive potential of a flagship coral species of the Ryukyu Archipelago (Japan). By associating genotype frequencies with descriptors of historical environmental conditions, we discovered six genomic regions hosting polymorphisms that might promote resistance against thermal stress. Remarkably, annotations of genes in these regions were consistent with molecular roles associated with heat responses. Furthermore, we combined information on genetic and spatial distances between reefs to predict connectivity at a regional scale.The combination between the results of these analyses portrayed the adaptive potential of this population: we were able to identify reefs carrying potential adaptive genotypes and to understand how they disperse to neighbouring reefs. This information was summarized by objective, quantifiable, and mappable indices covering the whole region, which can be extremely useful for future prioritization of reefs in conservation planning. This framework is transferable to any coral species on any reef system, and therefore represents a valuable tool for empowering preservation efforts dedicated to the protection of coral reef in warming oceans.

scholarly journals Coral cover surveys corroborate predictions on reef adaptive potential to thermal stress

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Selmoni ◽  
Gaël Lecellier ◽  
Laurent Vigliola ◽  
Véronique Berteaux-Lecellier ◽  
Stéphane Joost
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Thermal Adaptation ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Adaptive Potential

AbstractAs anomalous heat waves are causing the widespread decline of coral reefs worldwide, there is an urgent need to identify coral populations tolerant to thermal stress. Heat stress adaptive potential is the degree of tolerance expected from evolutionary processes and, for a given reef, depends on the arrival of propagules from reefs exposed to recurrent thermal stress. For this reason, assessing spatial patterns of thermal adaptation and reef connectivity is of paramount importance to inform conservation strategies.In this work, we applied a seascape genomics framework to characterize the spatial patterns of thermal adaptation and connectivity for coral reefs of New Caledonia (Southern Pacific). In this approach, remote sensing of seascape conditions was combined with genomic data from three coral species. For every reef of the region, we computed a probability of heat stress adaptation, and two indices forecasting inbound and outbound connectivity. We then compared our indicators to field survey data, and observed that decrease of coral cover after heat stress was lower at reefs predicted with high probability of adaptation and inbound connectivity. Last, we discussed how these indicators can be used to inform local conservation strategies and preserve the adaptive potential of New Caledonian reefs.

scholarly journals Coral cover surveys corroborate predictions on reef adaptive potential to thermal stress

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Selmoni ◽  
Gaël Lecellier ◽  
Laurent Vigliola ◽  
Véronique Berteaux-Lecellier ◽  
Stéphane Joost
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Thermal Adaptation ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Adaptive Potential

AbstractAs anomalous heat waves are causing the widespread decline of coral reefs worldwide, there is an urgent need to identify coral populations tolerant to thermal stress. Heat stress adaptive potential is the degree of tolerance expected from evolutionary processes and, for a given reef, depends on the arrival of propagules from reefs exposed to recurrent thermal stress. For this reason, assessing spatial patterns of thermal adaptation and reef connectivity is of paramount importance to inform conservation strategies. In this work, we applied a seascape genomics framework to characterize the spatial patterns of thermal adaptation and connectivity for coral reefs of New Caledonia (Southern Pacific). In this approach, remote sensing of seascape conditions was combined with genomic data from three coral species. For every reef of the region, we computed a probability of heat stress adaptation, and two indices forecasting inbound and outbound connectivity. We then compared our indicators to field survey data, and observed that decrease of coral cover after heat stress was lower at reefs predicted with high probability of adaptation and inbound connectivity. Last, we discussed how these indicators can be used to inform local conservation strategies and preserve the adaptive potential of New Caledonian reefs.

Recovery of an Isolated Coral Reef System Following Severe Disturbance

Science ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 340 (6128) ◽  
pp. 69-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Gilmour ◽  
Luke D. Smith ◽  
Andrew J. Heyward ◽  
Andrew H. Baird ◽  
Morgan S. Pratchett
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Reef System ◽  
Reef Recovery ◽  
Rates Of Growth ◽  
North Western ◽  
Severe Disturbance

Coral reef recovery from major disturbance is hypothesized to depend on the arrival of propagules from nearby undisturbed reefs. Therefore, reefs isolated by distance or current patterns are thought to be highly vulnerable to catastrophic disturbance. We found that on an isolated reef system in north Western Australia, coral cover increased from 9% to 44% within 12 years of a coral bleaching event, despite a 94% reduction in larval supply for 6 years after the bleaching. The initial increase in coral cover was the result of high rates of growth and survival of remnant colonies, followed by a rapid increase in juvenile recruitment as colonies matured. We show that isolated reefs can recover from major disturbance, and that the benefits of their isolation from chronic anthropogenic pressures can outweigh the costs of limited connectivity.

scholarly journals Climate Change Induced Thermal Stress Caused Recurrent Coral Bleaching over Gulf of Kachchh and Malvan Marine Sanctuary, West Coast of India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohit Arora ◽  
Kalyan De ◽  
Nandini Ray Chaudhury ◽  
Mandar Nanajkar ◽  
Prakash Chauhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Bleaching ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Imminent Threat ◽  
Marginal Reefs

Coral reefs are one of the most sensitive, productive, and invaluable biological resources on the earth. However, coral reefs are facing unprecedented stress due to ongoing climate changes and intensified anthropogenic disturbances globally. Elevated Sea Surface Temperature (SST) has emerged as the most imminent threat to the thermos-sensitive reef-building corals. The 2010–2014-2016 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) caused prolonged marine heat waves (MHWs) that led to the most widespread coral bleaching and mortality in the tropical Indi-Pacific regions. Coral bleaching prediction is vital for the management of the reef biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and services. Recent decades, satellite remote sensing has emerged as a convenient tool for large-scale coral reef monitoring programs. As thermal stress is a critical physical attribute for coral bleaching hence, the present study examines the effectiveness of the elevated SSTs as a proxy to predict coral bleaching in shallow water marginal reefs. Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellite data from the NOAA Coral Reef Watch’s (CRW) platform has been used for this study. Coral bleaching indices like Bleaching Threshold (BT), Positive SST Anomaly (PA), and Degree Heating Weeks (DHW) are computed to analyze the thermal stress on the coral reefs. The computed thermal stress from satellite-derived SST data over regions concurrence with the mass coral bleaching (MCB) events. This study concludes that in the last decades (2010 to 2019) the coral cover around these regions has dramatically declined due to higher SST, which indicates that the thermal stress induced recurrent bleaching events attributed to the coral loss.

scholarly journals Coral Reef Degradation Due to ‘Ship Grounding’ in Indonesia: Case Study of Ship Aground in Bangka-Belitung Waters by Mother Vessel MV Lyric Poet

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 263
Author(s):  
Idris Idris ◽  
Neviaty P. Zamani ◽  
Suharsono Suharsono ◽  
Fakhrurrozi Fakhrurrozi
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Hard Coral ◽  
Lyric Poet ◽  
Ship Grounding

HighlightDamage to coral reefs by ship aground is twice the area of a football fieldFound four zones of damage including runoff, dune, blow and dispersalMortality of live coral and other benthic biota ranges from 75-100% in the affected locationThe form of damaged live coral growth is predominantly slow growing.Eight hard coral species were found on the IUCN-Redlist list with a vulnerable status.AbstractShip grounding on coral reefs often results in physical and biological damage, including dislodging and removal of corals from reefs, destruction of coral skeletons, erosion and removal of sediment deposits, and loss of three-dimensional complexity. Indonesia, as an archipelagic country, is very vulnerable to various pressures; for example, the case of ship grounding is a great concern of scientists, managers, divers, and sailors themselves. Most of the damage is very severe. The purpose of the research conducted is to identify the condition of the live coral cover, mapping the type and extent of coral reef damage, affected coral species, their conservation status, and to quantify the extent of the area of coral reef damage. Measuring the extent of damage to coral reef ecosystems using the fishbone method, while the level of damage and its impact was measured using the Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) and belt transect method. The event of the grounding of the MV Lyric Poet on the Bangka Waters, Bangka-Belitung Province, has caused damage to the coral reef ecosystem. There are four damage zones identified, i.e., trajectory, mound, propeller, and dispersion zone. Corals are damaged with a total area of 13.540m2; equivalent to twice that of an international football field. Diversity of hard coral found as many as 49 species included in the CITES-Appendix II. A total of eight protected species are included in the IUCN Red List with extinction-prone status.

scholarly journals Worldwide reef surveys highlight different adaptive responses to heat between coral taxa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Selmoni ◽  
Gael Lecellier ◽  
Veronique Berteaux-Lecellier ◽  
Stephane Joost
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Heat Exposure ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Thermal Anomalies ◽  
Adaptive Processes

Coral reefs around the world are under threat due to widespread decline of hard corals caused by anomalous heat waves. Coral taxa of different morphologies are known to have different sensitivities to heat stress. However, little is known about how long-term effects of heat exposure differ between coral taxa, nor in particular how such effects might drive adaptive processes. Here, we combined worldwide reef survey data with remotely sensed thermal anomalies to evaluate how local rates of taxa-specific coral cover were associated with heat stress. We found a negative association between coral cover and heat stress, where associations were weaker for corals with boulder-like morphology (massive corals), intermediate for corals with arborescent morphology (branching corals) and stronger for corals with encrusting or laminar morphology (plating corals). Additionally, we found that the negative association between branching coral cover and recent exposure to heat stress (measured as the year before a survey) was mitigated by the effect of long-term heat stress (measured since 1985), suggesting that adaptive processes occurred. In contrast, this "mitigating effect" of past heat-stress was not observed for either massive or plating corals. We hypothesize that these different responses to recent and past heat stress mirror different life history traits of coral taxa. For instance, branching corals are known to show higher sensitivities to heat stress and faster growth rates, two characteristics that might boost adaptive rates via evolutionary processes, when compared with other taxa. The results of this work suggest that all coral taxa, regardless of their morphology, will be "losers" of coral bleaching, and that conservation strategies should be adjusted to match taxa-specific responses to heat stress.

scholarly journals Dampak Snorkeling Terhadap Persen Tutupan Terumbu Karang Di Pulau Gili Labak Sumenep Madura

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-161
Author(s):  
Insafitri Insafitri ◽  
Eka Nurahemma Ning Asih ◽  
Wahyu Andy Nugraha
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Observation Time ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Marine Tourism ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Impact

Wisata snorkeling terumbu karang di perairan pulau Gili Labak merupakan salah satu sektor wisata bahari yang sedang dikembangkan oleh pemerintah kebupaten Sumenep Madura sejak tahun 2014 hingga saat ini. Peningkatan jumlah wisatawan yang terjadi pada beberapa tahun terakhir dapat menimbulkan resiko tekanan dan kerusakan ekosistem terumbu karang di area snorkeling secara berkala. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dampak kegiatan wisatawan sebelum, selama dan sesudah snorkeling terhadap ekosistem terumbu karang yang dikaji dengan mengetahui jenis karang yang mendominasi, status persentase tutupan terumbu karang serta potensi Dampak Wisata Bahari (DWB) snorkeling di lokasi wisata snorkeling pulau Gili Labak Sumenep. Persentase penutupan lifeform karang pulau Gili Labak khususnya di area snorkelling didominasi oleh karang hidup sebanyak 74% dan unsur abiotik sebesar 22%. Jenis karang yang mendominasi pulau Gili Labak adalah Acropora Branching sebesar 19,88% dan Coral Foliose sebesar 10,25%. Selama waktu 6 minggu pengamatan terjadi penurunan total karang sebesar 0,64% yang termasuk kategori rusak ringan, dimana sebagian besar kerusakan terjadi pada karang dengan bentuk pertumbahan branching misalnya Acropora Submassive dan Coral Submassive. Penurunan persen tutupan karang yang tinggi terjadi setelah kegiatan snorkeling (after) yang dilakukan oleh wisatawan. Analisa potensi Dampak Wisata Bahari (DWB) snorkeling pada terumbu karang di perairan Gili Labak selama 6 minggu pengamatan masuk dalam kategori rendah yaitu berkisar 0,052% hingga 0,085%. Faktor penyebab kecilnya nilai presentase Dampak Wisata Bahari (DWB) ini diduga karena waktu pengamatan cenderung pendek dan jenis karang yang mendominasi yaitu Acropora. Acropora memiliki kemampuan regenerasi lebih cepat dibandingkan jenis lainnya.  The snorkeling activity around coral reefs in the waters of Gili Labak is one of the marine tourism sectors that is being developed by the Sumenep Madura district government since 2014. Increasing number of tourists that occurs in recent years pose a risk of pressure and damage to coral reef ecosystems in the snorkeling area. This study aims to determine the impact of tourist activities before, during and after snorkeling on coral reef ecosystems that are studied by knowing the type of dominated coral, the percentage status of coral cover and the potential Impact of snorkeling at the snorkeling sites of the island of Gili Labak Sumenep. The percentage of coral cover in the island of Gili Labak especially in the snorkelling area is dominated by live coral ( 74%) and abiotic elements by 22%. Coral species that dominate the island of Gili Labak are Acropora Branching at 19.88% and Coral Foliose at 10.25%. During the 6-week observation there was a decrease in live coral cover by 0.64% which was categorized as minor damage, most of the damage occurred to branching   Acropora, sub-massive Acropora and Coral Sub-massive. The high percent decrease in coral cover occurred after snorkeling conducted by tourists. Analysis of the potential impact of snorkeling on coral reefs in the waters of Gili Labak for 6 weeks of observation is in the low category, ranging from 0.052% to 0.085%. The factor causing the small impact of Marine Tourism is presumably because the observation time tends to be short and the dominant coral species is Acropora. Acropora has the ability to regenerate faster than other types.

scholarly journals NON-RANDOM TIMING OF ECOLOGICAL SHIFTS ON CARIBBEAN CORAL REEFS SUGGESTS REGIONAL CAUSES OF CHANGE

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Precht ◽  
Richard B. Aronson ◽  
Toby A. Gardner ◽  
Jennifer A. Gill ◽  
Julie P. Hawkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Coral Mortality ◽  
Macroalgal Cover

AbstractCaribbean reefs have experienced unprecedented changes in the past four decades. Of great concern is the perceived widespread shift from coral to macroalgal dominance and the question of whether it represents a new, stable equilibrium for coral-reef communities. The primary causes of the shift -- grazing pressure (top-down), nutrient loading (bottom-up) or direct coral mortality (side-in) -- still remain somewhat controversial in the coral reef literature. We have attempted to tease out the relative importance of each of these causes. Four insights emerge from our analysis of an early regional dataset of information on the benthic composition of Caribbean reefs spanning the years 1977–2001. First, although three-quarters of reef sites have experienced coral declines concomitant with macroalgal increases, fewer than 10% of the more than 200 sites studied were dominated by macroalgae in 2001, by even the most conservative definition of dominance. Using relative dominance as the threshold, a total of 49 coral-to-macroalgae shifts were detected. This total represents ∼35% of all sites that were dominated by coral at the start of their monitoring periods. Four shifts (8.2%) occurred because of coral loss with no change in macroalgal cover, 15 (30.6%) occurred because of macroalgal gain without coral loss, and 30 (61.2%) occurred owing to concomitant coral decline and macroalgal increase. Second, the timing of shifts at the regional scale is most consistent with the side-in model of reef degradation, which invokes coral mortality as a precursor to macroalgal takeover, because more shifts occurred after regional coral-mortality events than expected by chance. Third, instantaneous observations taken at the start and end of the time-series for individual sites showed these reefs existed along a continuum of coral and macroalgal cover. The continuous, broadly negative relationship between coral and macroalgal cover suggests that in some cases coral-to-macroalgae phase shifts may be reversed by removing sources of perturbation or restoring critical components such as the herbivorous sea urchin Diadema antillarum to the system. The five instances in which macroalgal dominance was reversed corroborate the conclusion that macroalgal dominance is not a stable, alternative community state as has been commonly assumed. Fourth, the fact that the loss in regional coral cover and concomitant changes to the benthic community are related to punctuated, discrete events with known causes (i.e. coral disease and bleaching), lends credence to the hypothesis that coral reefs of the Caribbean have been under assault from climate-change-related maladies since the 1970s.

scholarly journals Variación espacial en número de especies, abundancia y diversidad de peces en las Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca, México

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 1407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Gibran Juárez-Hernández ◽  
Margarito Tapia-García
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Intrinsic Factors ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Coral reef fish may adapt to their habitat characteristics, and the particular system intrinsic factors, may cause different fish compositions and structures. The present study aimed to determine the variation in number of species, abundance and diversity of fish communities in Huatulco bays of San Agustin, Riscalillo, Chachacual, Cacaluta, Maguey, Organo, Violín and La Entrega, from Oaxaca, Mexico. Fish communities were characterized between January 2009 and December 2010, with the use of visual census techniques. A total of 351 transects (10 x 2.5 m) were made, and for each one we analyzed the ichthyofauna species number, abundance and diversity. The analysis showed that for all variables, the highest values corresponded to Maguey, La Entrega, Órgano and Violín bays, while the lowest values corresponded to the San Agustín, Riscalillo, Chachacual and Cacaluta bays. The study identified significant differences in diversity (Kruskal-Wallis=18.71, P= 0.0091), and in the composition and structure of fish communities in the bays (ANOSIM= 0.278, P= 0.001). We observed a relationship between the number of fish species and number of coral species (Spearman=0.591, P< 0.05), while no relationship was found between the coral reef area and the number of fish species or their abundances. The number of coral species and the patchy arrangement of the coral cover created habitats that are structurally more complex, which affects the number of fish species. In areas with developed tourist infrastructure, recreational aquatic activities were found to affect the ichthyofauna behavior, abundance and diversity. The new information of this study may contribute to create and improve management, conservation and protection strategies for this important area as a whole interconnected complex.

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