scholarly journals Growth dynamics in Acropora cervicornis and A. prolifera in southwest Puerto Rico

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto Weil ◽  
Nicholas M. Hammerman ◽  
Rebecca L. Becicka ◽  
Juan Jose Cruz-Motta
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Growth Dynamics ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Acropora Cervicornis ◽  
Storm Damage ◽  
Quick Recovery ◽  
Natural Reserve ◽  
La Parguera

Natural population recovery of Acropora palmata, A. cervicornis and their hybrid, Acropora prolifera, have fluctuated significantly after their Caribbean-wide, disease-induced mass mortality in the early 1980s. Even though significant recovery has been observed in a few localities, recurrent disease outbreaks, bleaching, storm damage, local environmental deterioration, algae smothering, predation, low sexual recruitment and low survivorship have affected the expected, quick recovery of these weedy species. In this study, the status of three recovering populations of A. cervicornis and two of A. prolifera were assessed over one year using coral growth and mortality metrics, and changes in their associated algae and fish/invertebrate communities in three localities in the La Parguera Natural Reserve (LPNR), southwest coast of Puerto Rico. Five branches were tagged in each of 29, medium size (1–2 m in diameter) A. cervicornis and 18 A. prolifera colonies in the Media Luna, Mario and San Cristobal reefs off LPNR. Branches were measured monthly, together with observations to evaluate associated disease(s), algae accumulation and predation. A. cervicornis grew faster [3.1 ± 0.44 cm/month (= 37.2 cm/y)] compared to A. prolifera [2.6 ± 0.41 cm/month (= 31.2 cm/y)], and growth was significantly higher during Winter-Spring compared to Summer-Fall for both taxa (3.5 ± 0.58 vs. 0.53 ± 0.15 cm/month in A. cervicornis, and 2.43 ± 0.71 vs. 0.27 ± 0.20 cm/month in A. prolifera, respectively). Algal accumulation was only observed in A. cervicornis, and was higher during Spring-Summer compared to Fall-Winter (6.1 ± 0.91 cm/month and 3.8 ± 0.29 cm/month, respectively, (PERMANOVA, df = 2, MS = 10.2, p = 0.37)). Mortality associated with white band disease, algae smothering and fish/invertebrate predation was also higher in A. cervicornis and varied among colonies within sites, across sites and across season. The balance between tissue grow and mortality determines if colonies survive. This balance seems to be pushed to the high mortality side often by increasing frequency of high thermal anomalies, inducing bleaching and disease outbreaks and other factors, which have historically impacted the natural recovery of these taxa in the La Parguera Natural Reserve in Puerto Rico and possibly other areas in the region. Overall, results indicate variability in both growth and mortality rates in both taxa across localities and seasons, with A. cervicornis showing overall higher mortalities compared to A. prolifera.

scholarly journals Widespread loss of Caribbean acroporid corals was underway before coral bleaching and disease outbreaks

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (17) ◽  
pp. eaax9395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie L. Cramer ◽  
Jeremy B. C. Jackson ◽  
Mary K. Donovan ◽  
Benjamin J. Greenstein ◽  
Chelsea A. Korpanty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Acropora Cervicornis ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Agricultural Areas

The mass mortality of acroporid corals has transformed Caribbean reefs from coral- to macroalgal-dominated habitats since systematic monitoring began in the 1970s. Declines have been attributed to overfishing, pollution, sea urchin and coral disease, and climate change, but the mechanisms are unresolved due to the dearth of pre-1970s data. We used paleoecological, historical, and survey data to track Acropora presence and dominance throughout the Caribbean from the prehuman period to present. Declines in dominance from prehuman values first occurred in the 1950s for Acropora palmata and the 1960s for Acropora cervicornis, decades before outbreaks of acroporid disease or bleaching. We compared trends in Acropora dominance since 1950 to potential regional and local drivers. Human population negatively affected and consumption of fertilizer for agriculture positively affected A. palmata dominance, the latter likely due to lower human presence in agricultural areas. The earlier, local roots of Caribbean Acropora declines highlight the urgency of mitigating local human impacts.

scholarly journals Associated organisms inhabiting the calcareous spongeClathrina luteain La Parguera Natural Reserve, Puerto Rico

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaaziel E. García-Hernández ◽  
Nicholas M. Hammerman ◽  
Juan J. Cruz-Motta ◽  
Nikolaos V. Schizas
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Associated Fauna ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Natural Reserve ◽  
Caribbean Coral ◽  
Caribbean Coral Reefs ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
La Parguera

ABSTRACTSponges provide an array of ecological services and benefits for Caribbean coral reefs. They function as habitats for a bewildering variety of species, however limited attention has been paid in the systematics and distribution of sponge-associated fauna in the class Calcarea or for that matter of sponges in the Caribbean. The goal of this study was to characterize infaunal assemblages from a calcareous sponge,Clathrina lutea, across multiple reefs from the La Parguera Natural Reserve, Puerto Rico. The associated fauna from 43C. luteaspecimens yielded a total of 2,249 associated infauna distributed in seven invertebrate phyla. Arthropoda was the most abundant phylum accounting for 62.5% of total abundance, followed by Annelida (21.0%) and Nematoda (5.5%). Limited patterns of temporal or spatial variability were surmised due to the opportunistic sampling effort afforded to this investigation from the cryptic nature of this species. A concordance between our data set and those for the class Demospongiae were observed, with the most abundant associated fauna being copepods and polychaetes. However, when compared to other Calcarea, the present study found considerably more associated fauna.

scholarly journals Water Quality Anomalies following the 2017 Hurricanes in Southwestern Puerto Rico: Absorption of Colored Detrital and Dissolved Material

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 3596
Author(s):  
Suhey Ortiz-Rosa ◽  
William J. Hernández ◽  
Stacey M. Williams ◽  
Roy A. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Light Attenuation ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Natural Reserve ◽  
Field Samples ◽  
Sample Data ◽  
Sample Measurement ◽  
Quality Assessments ◽  
La Parguera

Absorption of colored dissolved organic matter or detrital gelbstoff (aCDOM/ADG) and light attenuation coefficient (Kd490) parameters were studied at La Parguera Natural Reserve in southwestern Puerto Rico, before and following Hurricanes Irma (6–7 September) and María (20–21 September) in 2017. Water quality assessments involving Sentinel 3A ocean color products and field sample data was performed. The estimated mean of ADG in surface waters was calculated at >0.1 m−1 with a median of 0.05 m−1 and aCDOM443 ranged from 0.0023 to 0.1121 m−1 in field samples (n=21) in 2017. Mean ADG443 values increased from July to August at 0.167 to 0.353 m−1 in September–October over Turrumote reef (LP6) with a maximum value of 0.683 m−1. Values above 0.13 m−1 persisted at offshore waters off Guánica Bay and over coral reef areas at La Parguera for over four months. The ADG443 product presented values above the median and the second standard deviation of 0.0428 m−1 from September to October 2017 and from water sample measurement on 19 October 2017. Mean Kd490 values increased from 0.16 m−1 before hurricanes to 0.28 right after Hurricane Irma. The value remained high, at 0.34 m−1, until October 2017, a month after Hurricane María. Analysis of the Sentinel (S3) OLCI products showed a significant positive correlation (rs = 0.71, p = 0.0005) between Kd490_M07 and ADG_443, indicating the influence of ADG on light attenuation. These significant short-term changes could have ecological impacts on benthic habitats highly dependent on light penetration, such as coral reefs, in southwestern Puerto Rico.

Modern Sedimentation in a Mixed Siliciclastic-Carbonate Coral Reel Environment, La Parguera, Puerto Rico

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 151-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Ryan-Mishkin ◽  
J. P. Walsh ◽  
D. R. Corbett ◽  
M. B. Dail ◽  
J. A. Nittrouer
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
La Parguera

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 Experimental antibiotic treatment identifies potential pathogens of white band disease in the endangered Caribbean coral Acropora cervicornis

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1788) ◽  
pp. 20140094 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Sweet ◽  
A. Croquer ◽  
J. C. Bythell
Keyword(s):  
Coral Disease ◽  
Causal Agent ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Acropora Cervicornis ◽  
Coral Diseases ◽  
White Band ◽  
Disease Causation ◽  
Community Shifts ◽  
White Band Disease ◽  
Experimental Treatments

Coral diseases have been increasingly reported over the past few decades and are a major contributor to coral decline worldwide. The Caribbean, in particular, has been noted as a hotspot for coral disease, and the aptly named white syndromes have caused the decline of the dominant reef building corals throughout their range. White band disease (WBD) has been implicated in the dramatic loss of Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata since the 1970s, resulting in both species being listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red list. The causal agent of WBD remains unknown, although recent studies based on challenge experiments with filtrate from infected hosts concluded that the disease is probably caused by bacteria. Here, we report an experiment using four different antibiotic treatments, targeting different members of the disease-associated microbial community. Two antibiotics, ampicillin and paromomycin, arrested the disease completely, and by comparing with community shifts brought about by treatments that did not arrest the disease, we have identified the likely candidate causal agent or agents of WBD. Our interpretation of the experimental treatments is that one or a combination of up to three specific bacterial types, detected consistently in diseased corals but not detectable in healthy corals, are likely causal agents of WBD. In addition, a histophagous ciliate ( Philaster lucinda ) identical to that found consistently in association with white syndrome in Indo-Pacific acroporas was also consistently detected in all WBD samples and absent in healthy coral. Treatment with metronidazole reduced it to below detection limits, but did not arrest the disease. However, the microscopic disease signs changed, suggesting a secondary role in disease causation for this ciliate. In future studies to identify a causal agent of WBD via tests of Henle–Koch's postulates, it will be vital to experimentally control for populations of the other potential pathogens identified in this study.

Operational Practices Associated with Foodborne Disease Outbreaks in the Catering Industry in England and Wales

2008 ◽  
Vol 71 (8) ◽  
pp. 1659-1665 ◽  
Author(s):  
SARAH L. JONES ◽  
SHARON M. PARRY ◽  
SARAH J. O'BRIEN ◽  
STEPHEN R. PALMER
Keyword(s):  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Foodborne Disease ◽  
Salmonella Infection ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Catering Industry ◽  
Operational Practices ◽  
And Control ◽  
Assurance Scheme ◽  
Quality Assurance Scheme

Catering businesses continue to be the most common setting for foodborne disease outbreaks. In a study of catering businesses in England and Wales, operational practices relating to the supply, preparation, and service of food in 88 businesses associated with outbreaks were compared with those practices at 88 control businesses. Operational practices did not differ significantly between case and control businesses but larger small medium-size enterprise (SME) businesses were more likely to be associated with foodborne disease outbreaks than were micro-SME businesses. Businesses associated with outbreaks of Salmonella infection were less likely to use local or national suppliers but instead used regional suppliers, especially for eggs. This practice was the only significantly independent operational practice associated with outbreaks of Salmonella infection. Regional egg suppliers also were more likely to be used by businesses associated with outbreaks attributed to food vehicles containing eggs. Businesses associated with egg-associated outbreaks were less likely to use eggs produced under an approved quality assurance scheme, suggesting that the underlying risk associated with using regional suppliers may relate to the use of contaminated eggs.

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