scholarly journals The Extraordinary Importance of Coral-Associated Fauna

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 357
Author(s):  
Simone Montano
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Intimate Relationships ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Associated Fauna ◽  
External Disturbances ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Symbiotic Relationships ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems

Coral reefs are one of the most diverse marine ecosystems on Earth and one of the richest in terms of species interactions. Scleractinian corals are usually the most likely to provide numerous different habitats and to support many symbiotic relationships. However, many other invertebrate groups, such as sponges, bryozoans, and other cnidarians, establish strict symbiotic relationships with other marine organisms. Despite the nature of these relationships—as well as the factors that drive their establishment—being unclear in most cases, a few studies have already shown that some associations may increase the resistance of their hosts to external disturbances. Thus, the potential ability of each member of these diverse symbiotic assemblages to influence the fitness and long-term survival of their hosts bring the coral-associated fauna to the top of the list of coral reef studies. Unfortunately, the widespread degradation of coral reef ecosystems may threaten the existence of the intimate relationships that may go unrecognized complicating our understanding of the intricate networks connecting the fates of reef species. Therefore, this unprecedented loss of biodiversity calls for synergic conservation and monitoring actions aimed at significantly increasing our efforts to search for and describe as much of the diversity of coral-associated organisms as possible, shedding new light on the complex, elusive mechanisms controlling coral reef functioning.

scholarly journals Physical connectivity simulations reveal dynamic linkages between coral reefs in the southern Red Sea and the Indian Ocean

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixin Wang ◽  
Dionysios E. Raitsos ◽  
George Krokos ◽  
John A. Gittings ◽  
Peng Zhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems ◽  
The Indian Ocean

Abstract The southern Red Sea is genetically distinct from the rest of the basin; yet the reasons responsible for this genetic separation remain unclear. Connectivity is a vital process for the exchange of individuals and genes among geographically separated populations, and is necessary for maintaining biodiversity and resilience in coral reef ecosystems. Here, using long-term, high-resolution, 3-D backward particle tracking simulations, we investigate the physical connectivity of coral reefs in the southern Red Sea with neighbouring regions. Overall, the simulation results reveal that the southern Red Sea coral reefs are more physically connected with regions in the Indian Ocean (e.g., the Gulf of Aden) than with the northern part of the basin. The identified connectivity exhibits a distinct monsoon-related seasonality. Though beyond the country boundaries, relatively remote regions of the Indian Ocean may have a substantial impact on the southern Red Sea coral reef regions, and this should be taken into consideration when establishing conservation strategies for these vulnerable biodiversity hot-spots.

scholarly journals Sponge-dwelling fauna: a review of known species from the Northwest Tropical Atlantic coral reefs

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antar Pérez-Botello ◽  
Nuno Simões
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Species Interaction ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Chord Diagram ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
Associated Fauna ◽  
Symbiotic Relationships ◽  
Guest Species ◽  
Wide Range

Within tropical shallow-water coral reefs, marine sponges provide microhabitats for a wide range of fauna. Although there have been numerous studies and reports of symbiotic relationships amongst sponges and their associated fauna, those pieces of information are isolated and disconnected. For this reason, based on the available literature, we compiled a species-interaction dataset of coral reef marine sponge-associated fauna known to date. We introduce a dataset that includes 67 literature items that report 101 species of sponge hosts clustered in 12 Orders having a host/guest interaction with 284 guest species from six Phyla present in the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic coral reefs. This dataset consists of two types of information: 1. Machine-readable data and 2. Human-readable data. These two types of coding improve the scope of the dataset and facilitate the link between machine platforms and human-friendly displays. We also created an interactive visualisation of the species-interactions dataset and of a dynamic Chord Diagram of the host-guest species connections to generate a user-friendly link between the user and the dataset.

Impacts of human activities on coral reef ecosystems of southern Taiwan: A long-term study

2012 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 1129-1135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pi-Jen Liu ◽  
Pei-Jie Meng ◽  
Li-Lian Liu ◽  
Jih-Terng Wang ◽  
Ming-Yih Leu
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems ◽  
Southern Taiwan

scholarly journals Measuring Sound at a Cold-Water Coral Reef to Assess the Impact of COVID-19 on Noise Pollution

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence H. De Clippele ◽  
Denise Risch
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Level Height ◽  
Water Coral

This study compares the noise levels at the cold-water coral Tisler reef, before and after the closure of the border between Norway and Sweden, which occurred as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tisler reef is a marine protected area located under a ferry “highway” that connects Norway and Sweden. Cold-water coral reefs are recognised as being important hotspots of both biodiversity and biomass, they function as breeding and nursing grounds for commercially important fish and are essential in providing ecosystem functions. Whilst studies have shown that fishery, ocean warming, and acidification threaten them, the effects of noise pollution on cold-water coral reefs remains unstudied. To study the severity of noise pollution at the Tisler reef, a long-term acoustic recorder was deployed from 29 January 2020 until 26 May 2020. From 15 March COVID-19 lockdown measures stopped passenger vessel traffic between Norway and Sweden. This study found that the overall noise levels were significantly lower after border closure, due to reduced ferry traffic, wind speeds, and sea level height. When comparing the median hourly noise levels of before vs. after border closure, this study measured a significant reduction in the 63–125 Hz 1/3 octave band noise levels of 8.94 ± 0.88 (MAD) dB during the day (07:00:00–19:59:59) and 1.94 ± 0.11 (MAD) dB during the night (20:00:00–06:59:59). Since there was no ferry traffic during the night, the drop in noise levels at night was likely driven by seasonal changes, i.e., the reduction in wind speed and sea level height when transitioning from winter to spring. Taking into account this seasonal effect, it can be deduced that the COVID-19 border closure reduced the noise levels in the 63–125 Hz 1/3 octave bands at the Tisler reef by 7.0 ± 0.99 (MAD) dB during the day. While the contribution of, and changes in biological, weather-related and geophysical sound sources remain to be assessed in more detail, understanding the extent of anthropogenic noise pollution at the Tisler cold-water coral reef is critical to guide effective management to ensure the long-term health and conservation of its ecosystem functions.

scholarly journals Experimental reef communities persist under future ocean acidification and warming

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Jury ◽  
Keisha Bahr ◽  
Evan Barba ◽  
Russell Brainard ◽  
Annick Cros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Functional State ◽  
Reef Communities ◽  
Paris Climate Agreement

Abstract Coral reefs are among the most sensitive ecosystems affected by ocean acidification and warming, and are predicted to shift from net accreting calcifier-dominated systems to net eroding algal-dominated systems over the coming decades. Here we present a long-term experimental study examining the responses of entire mesocosm coral reef communities to acidification (-0.2 pH units), warming (+ 2°C), and combined future ocean (-0.2 pH, + 2°C) treatments. We show that under future ocean conditions, net calcification rates declined yet remained positive, corals showed reduced abundance yet were not extirpated, and community composition shifted while species richness was maintained. Our results suggest that under Paris Climate Agreement targets, coral reefs could persist in an altered functional state rather than collapse.

scholarly journals Representative benthic habitat mapping on Lovina coral reefs in Northern Bali, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anggita Kartikasari ◽  
TODHI PRISTIANTO ◽  
RIZKI HANINTYO ◽  
EGHBERT ELVAN AMPOU ◽  
TEJA ARIEF WIBAWA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Habitat Mapping ◽  
Benthic Habitat ◽  
Coral Rubble ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems ◽  
Optical Imagery ◽  
Sentinel 2

Abstract. Kartikasari A, Pristianto T, Hanintyo R, Ampou EE, Wibawa TA, Borneo BB. 2021. Representative benthic habitat mapping on Lovina coral reefs in Northern Bali, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4766-4774. Satellite optical imagery datasets integrated with in situ measurements are widely used to derive the spatial distribution of various benthic habitats in coral reef ecosystems. In this study, an approach to estimate spatial coverage of those habitats based on observation derived from Sentinel-2 optical imagery and a field survey, is presented. This study focused on the Lovina coral reef ecosystem of Northern Bali, Indonesia to support deployment of artificial reefs within the Indonesian Coral Reef Garden (ICRG) programme. Three specific locations were explored: Temukus, Tukad Mungga, and Baktiseraga waters. Spatial benthic habitat coverages of these three waters was estimated based on supervised classification techniques using 10m bands of Sentinel-2 imagery and the medium scale approach (MSA) transect method of in situ measurement.The study indicates that total coverage of benthic habitat is 61.34 ha, 25.17 ha, and 27.88 ha for Temukus, Tukad Mungga, and Baktiseraga waters, respectively. The dominant benthic habitat of those three waters consists of sand, seagrass, coral, rubble, reef slope and intertidal zone. The coral reef coverage is 29.48 ha (48%) for Temukus covered by genus Acropora, Isopora, Porites, Montipora, Pocillopora. The coverage for Tukad Mungga is 8.69 ha (35%) covered by genus Acropora, Montipora, Favia, Psammocora, Porites, and the coverage for Baktiseraga is 11.37 ha (41%) covered by genus Montipora sp, Goniastrea, Pavona, Platygyra, Pocillopora, Porites, Acropora, Leptoseris, Acropora, Pocillopora, Fungia. The results are expected to be suitable as supporting data in restoring coral reef ecosystems in the northern part of Bali, especially in Buleleng District.

Coral reef-associated bryozoans of Jamaica

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4988 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-218
Author(s):  
JUDITH E. WINSTON ◽  
JEREMY B.C. JACKSON
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Ecological Study ◽  
Microscopy Study

As part of a long-term ecological study of the cryptic comunity of Jamaican coral reefs carried out by Jeremy B.C. Jackson and associates during the 1970s and early 1980s, collections were made of reef bryozoans found at 14 sites around the island. Space occupied by bryozoans on undercoral surfaces is dominated by relatively few species. However, during scanning electrone microscopy study and monograph preparation a diverse assortment of relatively rare species was discovered. Of the 132 species found, 56%, 74 species (70 cheilostomes and 4 cyclostomes) are new, as are one family (Inversiscaphidae) and 5 genera (Planospinella, Caribaria, Spirocoleopora, Gemellitheca, and Palliocella).  

scholarly journals Divergence of seafloor elevation and sea level rise in coral reef ecosystems

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1739-1772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly K. Yates ◽  
David G. Zawada ◽  
Nathan A. Smiley ◽  
Ginger Tiling-Range
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Carbonate Production ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems ◽  
Study Sites

Abstract. Coral reefs serve as natural barriers that protect adjacent shorelines from coastal hazards such as storms, waves, and erosion. Projections indicate global degradation of coral reefs due to anthropogenic impacts and climate change will cause a transition to net erosion by mid-century. Here, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the combined effect of all of the processes affecting seafloor accretion and erosion by measuring changes in seafloor elevation and volume for five coral reef ecosystems in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean over the last several decades. Regional-scale mean elevation and volume losses were observed at all five study sites and in 77 % of the 60 individual habitats that we examined across all study sites. Mean seafloor elevation losses for whole coral reef ecosystems in our study ranged from −0.09 to −0.8 m, corresponding to net volume losses ranging from 3.4  ×  106 to 80.5  ×  106 m3 for all study sites. Erosion of both coral-dominated substrate and non-coral substrate suggests that the current rate of carbonate production is no longer sufficient to support net accretion of coral reefs or adjacent habitats. We show that regional-scale loss of seafloor elevation and volume has accelerated the rate of relative sea level rise in these regions. Current water depths have increased to levels not predicted until near the year 2100, placing these ecosystems and nearby communities at elevated and accelerating risk to coastal hazards. Our results set a new baseline for projecting future impacts to coastal communities resulting from degradation of coral reef systems and associated losses of natural and socioeconomic resources.

6. Reef fish and other major predators

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Sheppard
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Symbiotic Relationships ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Reef Communities

Healthy reefs provide a habitat for an immense number of fish that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. No other natural habitat in the ocean shows this diversity and abundance. About a quarter of all marine species may be found on coral reefs even though this habitat occupies only one or two per cent of the area of the earth. ‘Reef fish and other major predators’ describes the diverse feeding ecology of reef fishes; coral reef predators such as the colourful crown of thorns starfish, Acanthaster plancii; symbiotic relationships between different species of fish or with different invertebrates; and the dangers of overfishing in reef communities.

Coral reef gastropods - a sustainable resource?

1995 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann L. Poulsen
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Local Extinction ◽  
Pacific Region ◽  
Vulnerable Species ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Commercially Important ◽  
Ornamental Species

Large, colourful coral reef gastropods including the Giant Triton Charonia tritonis,helmet shells (Cassidae), cowries (Cypraeidae) and volutes (Volutidae) are exploited in an unregulated and unsustainable way throughout much of the Indo-Pacific region. The consequences for their populations, for the populations of their prey or for the ecology of their habitats are rarely considered. Serious decline in stocks of edible coral reef molluscs through unregulated harvesting demonstrates the need for controls on the collection and trade of commercially important species. Continued, unrestricted collecting will eventually lead to the local extinction of vulnerable species on substantial numbers of reefs. Research on the biology and ecology of ornamental species is urgently needed to facilitate the implementation of appropriate management strategies for long-term utilization. A co-operative effort to monitor and regulate trade will also contribute toward the maintenance of sustainable gastropod populations on coral reefs.

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