scholarly journals Nocturnal Predation of Christmas Tree Worms by a Batwing Coral Crab at Bonaire (Southern Caribbean)

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 455
Author(s):  
Ellen Muller ◽  
Werner de Gier ◽  
Harry A. ten Hove ◽  
Godfried W. N. M. van Moorsel ◽  
Bert W. Hoeksema
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Christmas Tree ◽  
Stony Coral ◽  
Southern Caribbean

Christmas tree worms (Serpulidae: Spirobranchus) occur in shallow parts of coral reefs, where they live as associates of a large number of stony coral species [...]

scholarly journals STATUS TERUMBU KARANG DI PERAIRAN PESISIR NEGERI HUKURILA

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-45
Author(s):  
Dicky Sahetapy ◽  
Laura Siahainenia ◽  
Debby A J Selanno ◽  
Johannes M S Tetelepta ◽  
Novianty C Tuhumury
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Similarity Index ◽  
Ecological Index ◽  
Stony Coral ◽  
The Status ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Line Intercept

Coral reef is one of the important coastal ecosystems that have high biodiversity. This study aims to analyze the composition of the taxa and the distribution of coral species, the ecological index of coral communities and the status of coral reefs. The research was conducted from April-May 2019 in the coastal waters of Hukurila Village, South Leitimur District, Ambon City. Collecting coral data by using the Line Intercept Transect (LIT) method. Determination of coral reef condition based on percent data (value) of coral reef cover. During the study, 116 species of stony coral from 49 genera and 16 families were found, which 50 species of them are protected and 23 species of ornamental coral. The similarity index of stony coral species between coral reef locations ranges from 0.52-0.76 or there is the similarity of stony coral species between locations coral reef in the amount of 52-76%. The coral reefs of Hukurila Village have high diversity of coral species, with a low dominance of coral species in the community, and the compatibility of coral species in the community is classified as stable. Acropora corals contributed a low covering percent value (9.98%), while Non-Acropora corals contributed a relatively high percent of covering value (43.56%). The status of coral reefs between locations in the coastal waters of Hukurila Village is in the criteria of good (healthy).   ABSTRAK Terumbu karang merupakan salah satu ekosistem pesisir penting yang emiliki kenanekaragaman hayati tinggi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis komposisi taksa dan sebaran spesies karang, indeks ekologi kominitas karang dan status terumbu karang. Penelitian dilakukan dari April-Mei 2019 di perairan pesisir Negeri Hukurila Kecamatan Leitimur Selatan Kota Ambon. Pengumpulan data karang menggunakan metode Line Intercept Transect (LIT). Penentuan kondisi terumbu karang berdasarkan data (nilai) persen penutupan karang batu. Selama penelitian ditemukan 116 spesies karang batu dari 49 genera dan 16 famili, dimana 50 spesies diantaranya dilindungi dan 23 spesies karang hias. Indeks similaritas spesies karang batu antar stasiun terumbu karang berkisar antara 0,52-0,76 atau terdapat kesamaan spesies karang batu antar lokasi terumbu karang sebesar 52-76%. Terumbu karang Negeri Hukurila memiliki diversitas spesies karang tinggi, dengan dominansi spesies karang rendah dalam komunitas, dan keserasian spesies karang dalam komunitas tergolong stabil. Karang Acropora memberi kontribusi nilai persen penutupan rendah (9,98%), sementara karang Non-Acropora memberi kontribusi nilai persen penutupan karang batu relatif tinggi (43,56%). Status terumbu karang antar stasiun terumbu perairan pesisir Negeri Hukurila berada dalam kriteria baik (sehat).   Kata kunci: terumbu, karang batu, keragaman spesies, kesamaan, persen penutupan

scholarly journals The rise of a native sun coral species on southern Caribbean coral reefs

Ecosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bert W. Hoeksema ◽  
Auke‐Florian Hiemstra ◽  
Mark J. A. Vermeij
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Southern Caribbean ◽  
Caribbean Coral ◽  
Caribbean Coral Reefs

scholarly journals Coralivoría del gasterópodo Jenneria pustulata (Ovulidae: Pediculariinae) en dos arrecifes coralinos del PNN isla Gorgona

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Giovanni Zucconi ◽  
Levy D. Obonaga ◽  
Edgardo Londoño-Cruz
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Laboratory Conditions ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Biological Dynamics ◽  
Colombian Pacific

Coral reefs are very important and highly biodiverse ecosystems that are exposed to various stressors, including biological ones, such as parasitism and corallivory – the direct consumption of coral tissue by a predator. Knowledge on the effects of corallivory on the coral reefs in the Colombian Pacific is poor. Therefore a study was set up to quantify the abundance of and the corallivory rate by the snail Jenneria pustulata in La Azufrada and Playa Blanca coral reefs (Gorgona Island, Colombia). Snails were manually sampled from the underside of Pocillopora sp. colonies and measured in situ to determine their size structure for each reef. To measure possible damage caused by corallivory, several snails were kept under controlled laboratory conditions for 24 h. Snail sizes and corallivory varied significantly between reefs (P=0.0001; P«0.001). Snails from Playa Blanca were larger than snails from La Azufrada, while corallivory was higher in La Azufrada than in Playa Blanca. Although corallivory rates by J. pustulata are smaller than rates reported for other predators in different coral species, it is recommended to continue this kind of investigations in order to increase the knowledge on biological dynamics of this species and to understand how they affect the reefs at Gorgona Island.

scholarly journals River Streamflow, Remotely Sensed Water Quality, and Benthic Composition of Previously Undescribed Nearshore Coral Reefs in Northern Puerto Rico

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan L. Torres-Pérez ◽  
Carlos E. Ramos-Scharrón ◽  
William J. Hernández ◽  
Roy A. Armstrong ◽  
Maritza Barreto-Orta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Chl A ◽  
Benthic Composition

Land-based sediment stress represents a threat to many coral reefs in Puerto Rico primarily as a result of unrestricted land cover/land use changes and poor best management practices. The effects of such stresses have been documented along most coasts around the island. However, little attention has been paid to reefs located on the north coast, and very little is known about their composition and current state. Here, we present a study characterizing riverine inputs, water quality conditions, and benthic composition of two previously undescribed coral reefs (Tómbolo and Machuca reefs) located just eastward of the Río Grande de Manatí outlet in north-central Puerto Rico. This study utilizes a time series of remotely sensed ocean color products [diffuse vertical attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (Kd490) and chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) estimated with data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)] to characterize water quality in this coastal region. In general, the months with relatively high mean daily river streamflow also coincide with months having the highest proportion of eastward wave direction, which can promote the eastward influence of river waters toward the two coral reefs sites. Kd490 and Chl-a showed a higher riverine influence closer to the watershed outlet. Kd490 and Chl-a monthly peaks also coincide with river streamflow highs, particularly at those pixels closer to shore. Tómbolo Reef, located farther eastward of the river outlet, shows a well-developed primary reef framework mainly composed of threatened reef-building species (Acropora palmata, Pseudodiploria) and high coral cover (19–51%). The benthos of Machuca Reef, located closer to the river outlet, is dominated by macroalgae with a significantly lower coral cover (0.2–2.7%) mainly composed of “weedy” coral species (Porites astreoides and Siderastrea radians). Cover of major benthic components correlates with distance from the river outlet, and with gradients in Kd490 and Chl-a, with higher coral cover and lower macroalgal cover farther from the river outlet. Coral cover at Tómbolo Reef is higher than what has been reported for similar sites around Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands showing its ecological importance, and as up until now, an unrecognized potential refuge of reef-building threatened coral species.

scholarly journals Competitive interactions between corals and turf algae depend on coral colony form

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Swierts ◽  
Mark JA Vermeij
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
General Nature ◽  
Benthic Organisms ◽  
Growth Forms ◽  
Coral Colony ◽  
Turf Algae

Turf algae are becoming more abundant on coral reefs worldwide, but their effects on other benthic organisms remain poorly described. To describe the general characteristics of competitive interactions between corals and turf algae, we determined the occurrence and outcomes of coral–turf algal interactions among different coral growth forms (branching, upright, massive, encrusting, plating, and solitary) on a shallow reef in Vietnam. In total, the amount of turf algal interaction, i.e., the proportion of the coral boundary directly bordering turf algae, was quantified for 1,276 coral colonies belonging to 27 genera and the putative outcome of each interaction was noted. The amount of turf algal interaction and the outcome of these interactions differed predictably among the six growth forms. Encrusting corals interacted most often with turf algae, but also competed most successfully against turf algae. The opposite was observed for branching corals, which rarely interacted with turf algae and rarely won these competitive interactions. Including all other growth forms, a positive relationship was found between the amount of competitive interactions with neighboring turf algae and the percentage of such interaction won by the coral. This growth form dependent ability to outcompete turf algae was not only observed among coral species, but also among different growth forms in morphologically plastic coral genera (Acropora, Favia, Favites, Montastrea, Montipora, Porites) illustrating the general nature of this relationship.

scholarly journals Coral species composition drives key ecosystem function on coral reefs

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1921) ◽  
pp. 20192214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Richardson ◽  
Nicholas A. J. Graham ◽  
Andrew S. Hoey
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Algal Turf ◽  
Benthic Assemblages ◽  
Ecosystem Recovery ◽  
Visual Occlusion

Rapid and unprecedented ecological change threatens the functioning and stability of ecosystems. On coral reefs, global climate change and local stressors are reducing and reorganizing habitat-forming corals and associated species, with largely unknown implications for critical ecosystem functions such as herbivory. Herbivory mediates coral–algal competition, thereby facilitating ecosystem recovery following disturbance such as coral bleaching events or large storms. However, relationships between coral species composition, the distribution of herbivorous fishes and the delivery of their functional impact are not well understood. Here, we investigate how herbivorous fish assemblages and delivery of two distinct herbivory processes, grazing and browsing, differ among three taxonomically distinct, replicated coral habitats. While grazing on algal turf assemblages was insensitive to different coral configurations, browsing on the macroalga Laurencia cf. obtusa varied considerably among habitats, suggesting that different mechanisms may shape these processes. Variation in browsing among habitats was best predicted by the composition and structural complexity of benthic assemblages (in particular the cover and composition of corals, but not macroalgal cover), and was poorly reflected by visual estimates of browser biomass. Surprisingly, the lowest browsing rates were recorded in the most structurally complex habitat, with the greatest cover of coral (branching Porites habitat). While the mechanism for the variation in browsing is not clear, it may be related to scale-dependent effects of habitat structure on visual occlusion inhibiting foraging activity by browsing fishes, or the relative availability of alternate dietary resources. Our results suggest that maintained functionality may vary among distinct and emerging coral reef configurations due to ecological interactions between reef fishes and their environment determining habitat selection.

scholarly journals Distribution and Diversity of Archaeal Ammonia Monooxygenase Genes Associated with Corals

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (17) ◽  
pp. 5642-5647 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.Michael Beman ◽  
Kathryn J. Roberts ◽  
Linda Wegley ◽  
Forest Rohwer ◽  
Christopher A. Francis
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Estuarine Sediments ◽  
Ammonia Monooxygenase ◽  
Oceanic Water ◽  
Ecological Role ◽  
Bocas Del Toro ◽  
Water Columns

ABSTRACT Corals are known to harbor diverse microbial communities of Bacteria and Archaea, yet the ecological role of these microorganisms remains largely unknown. Here we report putative ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) genes of archaeal origin associated with corals. Multiple DNA samples drawn from nine coral species and four different reef locations were PCR screened for archaeal and bacterial amoA genes, and archaeal amoA gene sequences were obtained from five different species of coral collected in Bocas del Toro, Panama. The 210 coral-associated archaeal amoA sequences recovered in this study were broadly distributed phylogenetically, with most only distantly related to previously reported sequences from coastal/estuarine sediments and oceanic water columns. In contrast, the bacterial amoA gene could not be amplified from any of these samples. These results offer further evidence for the widespread presence of the archaeal amoA gene in marine ecosystems, including coral reefs.

scholarly journals Early Miocene coral reef-associated bryozoans from Colombia. Part I: Cyclostomata, “Anasca” and Cribrilinoidea Cheilostomata

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Paola Flórez ◽  
Emanuela Di Martino ◽  
Laís V. Ramalho
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Early Miocene ◽  
Remote Region ◽  
Bryozoan Species ◽  
Patch Reefs ◽  
Genus Level ◽  
Southern Caribbean ◽  
Barrier Reefs

Abstract This is the first of two comprehensive taxonomic works on the early Miocene (ca. 23–20 Ma) bryozoan fauna associated with coral reefs from the Siamaná Formation, in the remote region of Cocinetas Basin in the La Guajira Peninsula, northern Colombia, southern Caribbean. Fifteen bryozoan species in 11 families are described, comprising two cyclostomes and 13 cheilostomes. Two cheilostome genera and seven species are new: Antropora guajirensis n. sp., Calpensia caribensis n. sp., Atoichos magnus n. gen. n. sp., Gymnophorella hadra n. gen. n. sp., Cribrilaria multicostata n. sp., Cribrilaria nixor n. sp., and Figularia bragai n. sp. Eight species are identified only at genus level and remain in open nomenclature. Of the species found, 27% have erect colonies and 73% encrusting colonies. Both types contributed to the reef framework and produced sediment. The observed bryozoan diversity was higher in the barrier reefs than in the lagoonal patch reefs. UUID: http://zoobank.org/5c8468ef-31b0-4e7e-ba93-60a2e2f30b76.

scholarly journals LOS PECES GOBIIDAE DE LOS ARRECIFES DEL CARIBE COLOMBIANO. III. EL GENERO Coryphopterus

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Garzón Ferreira ◽  
Arturo Acero P.
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Preliminary Data ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Gobiid Fish ◽  
Ecological Information ◽  
Southern Caribbean ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Caribbean Populations

Descriptive and ecological information on nine species of the gobiid fish genus Coryphopterus, collected mainly in coral reefs of the Colombian Caribbean (including Islade Providencia), is presented; a key for species identification is also included. The most common species in the samples was C. personatus (67%), followed by C. eidolon (52%), C. dicrus (27%), C. glaucofraenum {27%), C. thrix (19%), C. tortugae (10%), C. lipernes (9%), C. hyalinus (4%) and C. alfaides (3%); important differences in their regional ocurrence and abundance were detected. Colombian continental Caribbean populations tend to be more pigmented than those of northern regions of the tropical western Atlantic, probably because southern Caribbean reefs have terrigenous dark sediments. Preliminary data about the feeding habits of eight species suggest that the genus is omnivorous, eating important amounts of detritus and a variety of microinvertebrates; some species also ingest algae.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document