Effects of temperature, salinity and composition of the dinoflagellate assemblage on the growth of Gambierdiscus carpenteri isolated from the Great Barrier Reef

Harmful Algae ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 52-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Sparrow ◽  
Paolo Momigliano ◽  
Garry R. Russ ◽  
Kirsten Heimann
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Effects Of Temperature

Patterns of reproduction in two co-occurring Great Barrier Reef sponges

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Azmi Abdul Wahab ◽  
Rocky de Nys ◽  
Ross Holzman ◽  
Caroline Luise Schneider ◽  
Steve Whalan
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Histological Analysis ◽  
Biological Process ◽  
Sponge Species ◽  
Simultaneous Hermaphrodite ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Sperm Release ◽  
Effects Of Temperature

Reproduction is a key biological process that underpins the persistence and maintenance of populations. However, information on the reproductive biology of Great Barrier Reef (GBR) sponges is depauperate. The present study established the reproductive biology of two co-occurring GBR sponges, namely Ianthella basta (Verongida) and Ircinia sp. (Dictyoceratida). Sponges were haphazardly sampled (monthly) over a period of 1 year. Histological analysis of samples established the sexuality, development, seasonality, gametogenesis and fecundity of the two species, as well as the effects of temperature on reproduction. I. basta is oviparous, whereas Ircinia sp. is viviparous. The mode of sexuality in I. basta could not be determined, because male propagules were not detected, whereas Ircinia sp. is a simultaneous hermaphrodite. Reproduction in I. basta is unique within the verongids and co-occurring oviparous species, with peak reproduction occurring at the minimum annual temperature (23°C) and spawning occurring as the temperature increased above 23.4°C. Reproduction in Ircinia sp. corresponded to patterns reported for other viviparous GBR species, with an increase in reproductive propagules, peak sperm release, fertilisation and spawning occurring at temperatures above 25°C. Fecundity in I. basta and Ircinia sp. is high compared with other sponge species in the region, which may contribute to their apparent abundance on the GBR.

Management of Water Quality in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

1989 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Woodley
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Management Issue ◽  
Reef System ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
World Heritage List ◽  
The World ◽  
Coral Reef System

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It is recognised and appreciated worldwide as a unique environment and for this reason has been inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Reef is economically-important to Queensland and Australia, supporting substantial tourism and fishing industries. Management of the Great Barrier Reef to ensure conservation of its natural qualities in perpetuity is achieved through the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The maintenance of water quality to protect the reef and the industries which depend on it is becoming an increasingly important management issue requiring better knowledge and possibly new standards of treatment and discharge.

Circulation and water mass characteristics of the southern Great Barrier Reef

1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
JH Middleton ◽  
P Coutis ◽  
DA Griffin ◽  
A Macks ◽  
A McTaggart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Geostrophic Balance ◽  
Shelf Slope ◽  
High Nutrient ◽  
Slope Currents ◽  
North And South ◽  
Upper Slope

Data acquired during a winter (May) cruise of the RV Franklin to the southern Great Barrier Reef indicate that the dynamics of the shelf/slope region are governed by the tides, the poleward-flowing East Australian Current (EAC), and the complex topography. Over the Marion Plateau in water deeper than - 100 m, the EAC appears to drive a slow clockwise circulation. Tides appear to be primarily responsible for shelf/slope currents in the upper layers, with evidence of nutrient uplift from the upper slope to the outer shelf proper in the Capricorn Channel. Elsewhere, the bottom Ekrnan flux of the strongly poleward-flowing EAC enhances the sloping isotherms associated with the longshore geostrophic balance, pumping nutrient-rich waters from depth to the upper continental slope. Generally, shelf waters are cooler than oceanic waters as a consequence of surface heat loss by radiation. A combination of heat loss and evaporation from waters flowing in the shallows of the Great Sandy Strait appears to result in denser 'winter mangrove waters' exporting low-oxygen, high-nutrient waters onto the shelf both north and south of Fraser Island; these subsequently mix with shelf waters and finally flow offshore at - 100 m depth, just above the salinity-maximum layer, causing anomalous nutrient values in the region of Fraser Island.

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