DOCSLIB.ORG

Distribution of the Invasive Orange Cup Coral Tubastraea Coccinea Lesson, 1829 in an Upwelling Area in the South Atlantic Ocean Fifteen Years After Its First Record

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Distribution of the Invasive Orange Cup Coral Tubastraea Coccinea Lesson, 1829 in an Upwelling Area in the South Atlantic Ocean Fifteen Years After Its First Record Aquatic Invasions (2017) Volume 12, Issue 1: 23–32 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2017.12.1.03 Open Access © 2017 The Author(s). Journal compilation © 2017 REABIC Research Article Distribution of the invasive orange cup coral Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, 1829 in an upwelling area in the South Atlantic Ocean fifteen years after its first record Daniela Batista1,*, Jose Eduardo Arruda Gonçalves1, Héctor Fabian Messano1, Luciana Altvater1, Rogério Candella1, Leandro Machado Calil Elias2, Luciana Vicente Resende De Messano1, Moacir Apolinário3 and Ricardo Coutinho1 1Instituto de Estudos do Mar Almirante Paulo Moreira IEAPM, Arraial do Cabo, RJ, Brazil 2Acquamodel Oceanografia Aplicada, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 3Centro de Pesquisas Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello CENPES/PDES/AMA, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil *Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected] Received: 3 May 2016 / Accepted: 14 October 2016 / Published online: 22 November 2016 Handling editor: Elisabeth Cook Abstract A survey of the distribution and abundance of the invasive orange cup coral Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, 1829 was conducted using photoquadrats during 2014/2015, fifteen years after its first documented introduction in a Cabo Frio upwelling area in the western South Atlantic (42º00′W–22º44′S). These data were related to local currents and to a dispersion model of particles and with sea surface temperatures (SST). The objective was to investigate how variations in environmental conditions (local currents and temperatures) influence the dispersion and survival of T. coccinea. Complementary laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the effects of low temperatures on the survival of this species. T. coccinea has expanded its distribution and larval dispersion seems to be driven by the local currents. Furthermore, higher densities of colonies and recruits were observed within areas with higher water temperatures (>20 °C), while no coral was found in the area of direct upwelling influence, suggesting that cold waters limited the distribution of T. coccinea. These findings were corroborated by laboratory experiments that showed a negative effect of cold water (≤ 12.5 °C) on colony survival. The present data contribute to our understanding of the worldwide geographical expansion of T. coccinea and could be particularly important for management decisions to prevent new invasions. Key words: bioinvasion, orange cup coral, temperature, western South Atlantic, Brazil nutrient cycles, disturbance in natural communities Introduction integrity, and sometimes the extinction of native species (Carlton and Geller 1993; Lodge 1993; Grosholz and The globalization of maritime trade plays a key role Ruiz 1996; Lafferty and Kuris 1996; Crooks 1998; in the spread of marine species beyond their native Blackburn et al. 2014). ranges since many of them are dispersed as fouling The orange cup coral Tubastraea coccinea Lesson, on vessels and in ballast water (Seebens et al. 2013; 1829 is native to the Indo-Pacific province—from Williams et al. 2013; Katsanevakis et al. 2014). Non- the Red Sea and Madagascar to the tropical Americas, indigenous marine species (NIMS) generally exhibit occurring mostly in shallow waters (Fofonoff et al. fast growth, high recruitment rates, and elevated 2003). This azooxanthellate coral successfully invaded competition potential (Lodge 1993), being recognized the Western Atlantic Ocean in the 1930s through as one the major drivers of biodiversity changes shipping activities in the eastern Caribbean Sea worldwide (Montefalcone et al. 2015). These attributes (Cairns 2000). Thereafter, T. coccinea expanded its facilitate their establishment in new environments geographical distribution worldwide, especially in and may cause a range of negative effects on the tropical zones (Fenner 2001; Fenner and Banks 2004), health of native ecosystems (Gallardo et al. 2015), but also to higher latitudes (Cairns and Zibrowius such as alterations in species interactions and 1997; Paz-Garcia et al. 2007). T. coccinea was recorded 23 D. Batista et al. in Southwestern Atlantic on artificial substrates off southeastern Brazilian in the late 1990s (Castro and Pires 2001). Subsequently, T. coccinea was observed on natural substrates in two coastal areas located in Rio de Janeiro state (23ºS–43ºW) and about 300 kilometers apart: Ilha Grande Bay (de Paula and Creed 2004) and Arraial do Cabo Bay (Ferreira 2003). While Ilha Grande Bay is located in a typical tropical area, Arraial do Cabo is within the central zone of the Cabo Frio upwelling system (Coelho- Souza et al. 2012), and it is recognized as an unusual region where tropical and subtropical species co- occur (Guimaraens and Coutinho 1996; Ferreira 2003; Granthom-Costa et al. 2016). Both localities have port areas with vessel traffic related to commercial, recreational, offshore, and fisheries activities. After the initial records of T. coccinea, the situation in the two invaded areas is very distinct. At Ilha Grande Bay, T. coccinea and its congener Tubastraea tagusensis Wells, 1982 are nowadays considered pest corals and occur in high abundances (>700 colonies m-2) on several rocky shores at varying depths, spreading over a substantial distance (25 km) in less than five years (De Paula and Creed 2005; Mantellato et al. 2011; Silva et al. 2014). In contrast, the spread of T. coccinea has been slower at Arraial do Cabo than in Ilha Grande Bay. One year after the detection of six colonies 3 to 5cm in diameter, Ferreira (2003) observed that coral colonies had Figure 1. Map of the study area and the sites examined around tripled in number and size in Arraial do Cabo. After Arraial do Cabo Bay (AC Bay; sites 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, ten years, Mizrahi (2008) reported the presence of 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19) and outside of Cabo Frio Island (sites 10, small colonies on seven rocky shores, only on the 11 and 12). The site 6 corresponds to breakwater. underside of boulders. In addition, T. tagusensis has recently colonized natural substrates in Arraial do Cabo but, until now, its abundance was not Material and methods comparable to that of T. coccinea. It is also important to note that secondary dispersals of both species has Study area recently occurred to four localities along the Brazilian Arraial do Cabo is located 160 km east of Rio de coast, northward (12ºS; 20ºS) and southward Janeiro City, southeastern Brazil (42º00′W–22º44′S) (23.5ºS; 26ºS) in Rio de Janeiro State (Mantellato et (Figure 1). This region experiences the strong al. 2011; Sampaio et al. 2012; Miranda et al. 2012; influence of coastal upwelling of the South Atlantic Capel 2012; Costa et al. 2014; Miranda et al. 2016). Central Water (SACW) due to the local wind Here we tested the hypothesis that the distribution regimes and coastal geomorphology (Valentin 1994; of T. coccinea in Arraial do Cabo region (22º57′ to Cirano et al. 2006). 23º00′S, 41º59′ to 42º01′W) is controlled by low Two general weather conditions dominate the area. seawater upwelling temperatures. We described the Under good weather conditions, the atmospheric distribution and abundance of T. coccinea at Arraial circulation is driven by South Atlantic anticyclone do Cabo Bay fifteen years after its first record, and with northeastern winds. In opposition, poor weather these data were related to local currents, to a situations are related to the passage of cyclonic low dispersion model of particles, and to sea surface pressure systems and winds from southwest/south temperatures (SST). In addition, laboratory experiments direction. Generally, NE wind events are longer in were performed to confirm the effects of low duration than SW/S wind events (Coelho-Souza et al. temperature on the survival of this species and 2012). The coastal water mass typically has a tempe- compared to the field observations. rature range from 20 to 23 °C. In contrast, SACW 24 Orange cup coral Tubastraea coccinea in an upwelling area temperature varies from 6 to 18 °C (Candella 1999). of three years at a depth of 4 meters; totaling 25,920 Based on temperatures recorded from Arraial do Cabo temperature records per site. In addition, the fre- Bay, the coldest daily temperature was 9.8 °C (8 August quency of occurrence of low temperatures (<12.5 °C) 1998) and the warmest was 28.7 °C (28 March 1975) persisting for 48 hours was calculated. (Calil 2009). Northeastern winds are prevalent in the region and are essential to upwelling occurrence, Local circulation and dispersion although they are not the only condition. In general, upwelling season starts in September and extends to The local circulation patterns were estimated with March, but with great interannual variability (Calil the Princeton Ocean Model—POM (Blumberg and 2009). Mellor 1983). We used its 2-d configuration forced Arraial do Cabo has two distinct features concerning by external currents at each open border, local winds, morphological and bathymetric characteristics (Figure and tides. Conditions were maintained constant until 1). The outside southern portion of Cabo Frio Island the kinetic energy of the domain reached stability. A is deep (> 20 m) with rocky shores exposed periodi- simple Lagrangian model was used to evaluate cally to cold water (< 18 °C), especially during the particle dispersion, whose position in space and time upwelling season, and exhibit subtropical fauna and is given by: flora (Ferreira 2003). The inner portion, Arraial do 22 dPn t Pd n Cabo Bay, consists in a sheltered, shallow (15 m n1n tPP 2 maximum depth), bottle-shaped bay that is bounded dt !2 dt by the mainland, Cabo Frio Island and Porcos Island where Pn is the position at time n. The model can (Candella 2009). Coastal water is predominant inside account for advective and diffusive transport. The Arraial do Cabo Bay with water temperatures predo- initial point of particle dispersion was between minantly > 20 °C (Guimaraens and Coutinho 1996) Porcos and Cabo Frio Island (the NE area of the and rocky shores are characterized by tropical reef bay); this position corresponded to the anchoring area.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Invasive Potential of the Coral Tubastraea Coccinea in the Southwest Atlantic
    Vol. 480: 73–81, 2013 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published April 22 doi: 10.3354/meps10200 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Invasive potential of the coral Tubastraea coccinea in the southwest Atlantic Pablo Riul1,*, Carlos Henrique Targino2, Lélis A. C. Júnior3, Joel C. Creed3, Paulo A. Horta4, Gabriel C. Costa5 1Departamento de Engenharia e Meio Ambiente, CCAE, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, 58297-000 Rio Tinto, PB, Brazil 2Programa de Pós-graduação em Etnobiologia e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brazil 3Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, 20550-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 4Departamento de Botânica, CCB, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88010-970 Florianópolis, SC, Brazil 5Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia, CB, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil ABSTRACT: The orange cup coral Tubastraea coccinea was the first scleractinean to invade the western Atlantic. The species occurs throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea and has now established itself in the southwest Atlantic along the Brazilian coast. T. coccinea modifies native benthic communities, competes with an endemic coral species and demonstrates widespread invasive potential. We used species distribution modeling (SDM) to predict climatically suitable habitats for T. coccinea along the coastline of the southwestern Atlantic and identify the extent of the putative effects of this species on the native coral Mussismilia hispida by estimating areas of po- tential overlap between these species. The resulting SDMs predicted a large area of climatically suitable habitat available for invasion by T. coccinea and also predicted widespread occurrence of the endemic M.
    [Show full text]
  • Change in Tropical Rocky Shore Communities Due to an Alien Coral Invasion
    Vol. 438: 85–96, 2011 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published October 5 doi: 10.3354/meps09290 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Change in tropical rocky shore communities due to an alien coral invasion B. G. Lages1, B. G. Fleury2, C. Menegola3, J. C. Creed2,* 1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução and 2Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro — UERJ, CEP 20559-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil 3Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, CEP 40170-290 Salvador, BA, Brasil ABSTRACT: To determine how benthic, tropical, rocky shore communities were affected by the invasive coral species Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusensis, 8 sites were studied during 2 yr on rocky shores in the southwest Atlantic Ocean (Brazil) by using both fixed and random sampling techniques. Overall, mean cover of T. tagusensis was 0.7% and T. coccinea was 0.4%, (the eleventh and sixteenth most abundant taxa, respectively, throughout the sites). Forty-two major space occupying taxa were registered. In fixed quadrats there was a 76.6% increase per year in density of Tubastraea spp. over the study period. For percent cover no significant difference in cover over time was detected for T. coccinea, but for T. tagusensis and overall (both species) cover increased significantly. The random quadrats data showed subtle differences from the fixed quadrats. There was an increase in density of Tubastraea spp. through time (67.8% per year over the study period). In random samples the density of T. coccinea increased during the study but that of T.
    [Show full text]
  • Volume 2. Animals
    AC20 Doc. 8.5 Annex (English only/Seulement en anglais/Únicamente en inglés) REVIEW OF SIGNIFICANT TRADE ANALYSIS OF TRADE TRENDS WITH NOTES ON THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF SELECTED SPECIES Volume 2. Animals Prepared for the CITES Animals Committee, CITES Secretariat by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre JANUARY 2004 AC20 Doc. 8.5 – p. 3 Prepared and produced by: UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK UNEP WORLD CONSERVATION MONITORING CENTRE (UNEP-WCMC) www.unep-wcmc.org The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre is the biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the United Nations Environment Programme, the world’s foremost intergovernmental environmental organisation. UNEP-WCMC aims to help decision-makers recognise the value of biodiversity to people everywhere, and to apply this knowledge to all that they do. The Centre’s challenge is to transform complex data into policy-relevant information, to build tools and systems for analysis and integration, and to support the needs of nations and the international community as they engage in joint programmes of action. UNEP-WCMC provides objective, scientifically rigorous products and services that include ecosystem assessments, support for implementation of environmental agreements, regional and global biodiversity information, research on threats and impacts, and development of future scenarios for the living world. Prepared for: The CITES Secretariat, Geneva A contribution to UNEP - The United Nations Environment Programme Printed by: UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK © Copyright: UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre/CITES Secretariat The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEP or contributory organisations.
    [Show full text]
  • Scleractinia Fauna of Taiwan I
    Scleractinia Fauna of Taiwan I. The Complex Group 台灣石珊瑚誌 I. 複雜類群 Chang-feng Dai and Sharon Horng Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University Published by National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, Taiwan Table of Contents Scleractinia Fauna of Taiwan ................................................................................................1 General Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Historical Review .............................................................................................................1 Basics for Coral Taxonomy ..............................................................................................4 Taxonomic Framework and Phylogeny ........................................................................... 9 Family Acroporidae ............................................................................................................ 15 Montipora ...................................................................................................................... 17 Acropora ........................................................................................................................ 47 Anacropora .................................................................................................................... 95 Isopora ...........................................................................................................................96 Astreopora ......................................................................................................................99
    [Show full text]
  • The Invasive Coral Tubastraea Coccinea (Lesson, 1829): Implicatio
    Gulf of Mexico Science Volume 32 Article 5 Number 1 Number 1/2 (Combined Issue) 2014 The nI vasive Coral Tubastraea coccinea (Lesson, 1829): Implications for Natural Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys William F. Precht Dial Cordy & Associates Emma L. Hickerson Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary George P. Schmahl Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Richard B. Aronson Florida Institute of Technology DOI: 10.18785/goms.3201.05 Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/goms Recommended Citation Precht, W. F., E. L. Hickerson, G. P. Schmahl and R. B. Aronson. 2014. The nI vasive Coral Tubastraea coccinea (Lesson, 1829): Implications for Natural Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys. Gulf of Mexico Science 32 (1). Retrieved from https://aquila.usm.edu/goms/vol32/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Gulf of Mexico Science by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Precht et al.: The Invasive Coral Tubastraea coccinea (Lesson, 1829): Implicatio SHORT PAPERS AND NOTES Gulf of Mexico Science, 2014(1–2), pp. 55–59 Gala´pagos (Wells, 1982; Cairns, 1991), Costa E 2014 by the Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium of Alabama Rica and Colombia (von Prahl, 1987), the Red Sea and Arabian Sea (Sheppard and Sheppard THE INVASIVE CORAL TUBASTRAEA COCCI- 1991), Brazil (Figueira de Paula and Creed, NEA (LESSON, 1829): IMPLICATIONS FOR 2004; Sampaio et al., 2012), western Africa NATURAL HABITATS IN THE GULF OF (Laborel, 1974), the greater Caribbean basin MEXICO AND THE FLORIDA KEYS.—The (Cairns, 2000), the western Caribbean (Fenner, impact of nonnative, or exotic, species is 1999), and now the GOM, Florida, and the considered to be a leading cause of native-species Bahamas (Fenner, 2001; Fenner and Banks 2004; extinction and overall habitat degradation (Sim- Sammarco, 2007).
    [Show full text]
  • An Outcome of Larval Or Later Benthic Processes?
    Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 452 (2014) 22–30 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Uneven abundance of the invasive sun coral over habitat patches of different orientation: An outcome of larval or later benthic processes? Damián Mizrahi a,SergioA.Navarreteb,AugustoA.V.Floresa,⁎ a Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar/USP), Rod. Manoel Hipólito do Rego, km 131.5, 11600-000, São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil b Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Las Cruces, Center for Marine Conservation, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile article info abstract Article history: Larval behavior in the water column and preference among natural benthic habitats are known to determine Received 28 March 2013 initial spatial distribution patterns in several sessile marine invertebrates. Such larval attributes can be adaptive, Received in revised form 18 November 2013 promoting adult benthic distributions which maximize their fitness. Further benthic processes may, however, Accepted 28 November 2013 substantially change initial distribution of settlers. In this study, we first characterized spatial distributions of Available online 28 December 2013 adult colonies and single-polyp recruits of the invasive azooxanthellate coral Tubastraea coccinea over substrates of different orientation, and evaluated their consistency at both small (several tens of meters) and intermediate Keywords: fi Competition (a few km) spatial scales. We then assessed, through eld and laboratory experiments, larval preferences and Habitat orientation relative settlement and recruitment rates on surfaces with different orientations to determine whether processes Larval behavior taking place during the larval and early post-larval stages could help explain the distribution patterns of recruits Sedimentation and adult colonies.
    [Show full text]
  • The Earliest Diverging Extant Scleractinian Corals Recovered by Mitochondrial Genomes Isabela G
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN The earliest diverging extant scleractinian corals recovered by mitochondrial genomes Isabela G. L. Seiblitz1,2*, Kátia C. C. Capel2, Jarosław Stolarski3, Zheng Bin Randolph Quek4, Danwei Huang4,5 & Marcelo V. Kitahara1,2 Evolutionary reconstructions of scleractinian corals have a discrepant proportion of zooxanthellate reef-building species in relation to their azooxanthellate deep-sea counterparts. In particular, the earliest diverging “Basal” lineage remains poorly studied compared to “Robust” and “Complex” corals. The lack of data from corals other than reef-building species impairs a broader understanding of scleractinian evolution. Here, based on complete mitogenomes, the early onset of azooxanthellate corals is explored focusing on one of the most morphologically distinct families, Micrabaciidae. Sequenced on both Illumina and Sanger platforms, mitogenomes of four micrabaciids range from 19,048 to 19,542 bp and have gene content and order similar to the majority of scleractinians. Phylogenies containing all mitochondrial genes confrm the monophyly of Micrabaciidae as a sister group to the rest of Scleractinia. This topology not only corroborates the hypothesis of a solitary and azooxanthellate ancestor for the order, but also agrees with the unique skeletal microstructure previously found in the family. Moreover, the early-diverging position of micrabaciids followed by gardineriids reinforces the previously observed macromorphological similarities between micrabaciids and Corallimorpharia as
    [Show full text]
  • Cnidaria, Scleractinia) Around Ilha Grande, Brazil
    SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF NONINDIGENOUS CORAL GENUS Tubastraea (CNIDARIA, SCLERACTINIA) AROUND ILHA GRANDE, BRAZIL PAULA, A. F.1 and CREED, J. C.2 1Laboratório de Celenterologia, Departamento de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, CEP 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 2Laboratório de Ecologia Marinha Bêntica, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, PHLC Sala 220, CEP 20559-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Correspondence to: Alline de Paula, Laboratório de Celenterologia, Departamento de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, CEP 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, e-mail: [email protected] Received November 11, 2003 – Accepted March 31, 2004 – Distributed November 30, 2005 (With 6 figures) ABSTRACT The distribution and abundance of azooxanthellate coral Tubastraea Lesson, 1829 were examined at different depths and their slope preference was measured on rocky shores on Ilha Grande, Brazil. Tubastraea is an ahermatypic scleractinian nonindigenous to Brazil, which probably arrived on a ship’s hull or oil platform in the late 1980’s. The exotic coral was found along a great geographic range of the Canal Central of Ilha Grande, extending over a distance of 25 km. The abundance of Tubastraea was quantified by depth, using three different sampling methods: colony density, visual estimation and intercept points (100) for percentage of cover. Tubastraea showed ample tolerance to temperature and desiccation since it was found more abundantly in very shallow waters (0.1-0.5 m), despite the fact that hard substratum is available at greater depths at all the stations sampled.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Bioinvasions in the Brazilian Coast: Brief Report on History of Events, Vectors, Ecology, Impacts and Management of Non-Indigenous Species
    Chapter 27 Marine Bioinvasions in the Brazilian Coast: Brief Report on History of Events, Vectors, Ecology, Impacts and Management of Non-indigenous Species Carlos Eduardo Leite Ferreira, Andrea de Oliveira Ribeiro Junqueira, Maria Célia Villac, and Rubens Mendes Lopes 27.1 Introduction The Brazilian coast extends for about 8000 km from Cape Orange (4°N) to Chui (34°S) (Fig. 27.1). This long coastline comprises a variety of ecosystems under the influence of oligotrophic waters transported by two western boundary currents, the Brazil and North Brazil currents (Stramma and England 1999), together with con- tinental influences related to a wide spectrum of river inputs, the largest of which being the massive Amazon River plume in the north and the combination of the La Plata and Patos Lagoon outflows in the south (Castro Filho and Miranda 1998). Seasonal or intermittent intrusions of cold and nutrient-rich oceanic waters carried underneath the Brazil and North Brazil currents (the so-called South Atlantic Central Water) is another important physical forcing on regional shelf ecosystems of Brazil, particularly on the Southern Brazilian Bight and more southern areas (Lopes et al. 2006). Regionally important coastal ecosystems are (1) sandy beaches, occurring from north to south, with the largest ones in southernmost areas of the state of Rio Grande do Sul; (2) mangrove forests, which occur from the northern tip of the country to the state of Santa Catarina in the south, (3) coral reefs, ranging from Maranhão to Bahia including the largest coral reef system of the South Atlantic, the Abrolhos Reefs (Leão et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of Species Composition, Diversity and Biomass in Marine Habitats and Subhabitats Around Offshore Islets in the Main Hawaiian Islands
    ASSESSMENT OF SPECIES COMPOSITION, DIVERSITY AND BIOMASS IN MARINE HABITATS AND SUBHABITATS AROUND OFFSHORE ISLETS IN THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS January 2008 COVER Colony of Pocillopora eydouxi ca. 2 m in longer diameter, photographed at 9 m depth on 30-Aug- 07 outside of Kāpapa Islet, O‘ahu. ASSESSMENT OF SPECIES COMPOSITION, DIVERSITY AND BIOMASS IN MARINE HABITATS AND SUBHABITATS AROUND OFFSHORE ISLETS IN THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS Final report prepared for the Hawai‘i Coral Reef Initiative and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation S. L. Coles Louise Giuseffi Melanie Hutchinson Bishop Museum Hawai‘i Biological Survey Bishop Museum Technical Report No 39 Honolulu, Hawai‘i January 2008 Published by Bishop Museum Press 1525 Bernice Street Honolulu, Hawai‘i Copyright © 2008 Bishop Museum All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America ISSN 1085-455X Contribution No. 2008-001 to the Hawaii Biological Survey EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The marine algae, invertebrate and fish communities were surveyed at ten islet or offshore island sites in the Main Hawaiian Islands in the vicinity of Lāna‘i (Pu‘u Pehe and Po‘o Po‘o Islets), Maui (Kaemi and Hulu Islets and the outer rim of Molokini), off Kaulapapa National Historic Park on Moloka‘i (Mōkapu, ‘Ōkala and Nāmoku Islets) and O‘ahu (Kāohikaipu Islet and outside Kāpapa Island) in 2007. Survey protocol at all sites consisted of an initial reconnaissance survey on which all algae, invertebrates and fishes that could be identified on site were listed and or photographed and collections of algae and invertebrates were collected for later laboratory identification.
    [Show full text]
  • Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan Noaa for Fiscal Years 2007 to 2011
    CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH PLAN NOAA FOR FISCAL YEARS 2007 TO 2011 NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 1 CITATION: Puglise, K.A. and R. Kelty (eds.). 2007. NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan for Fiscal Years 2007 to 2011. Silver Spring, MD: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 1. 128 pp. PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE: Gary Matlock and Barbara Moore (co-chairs) Eric Bayler, Andy Bruckner, Mark Eakin, Roger Griffis, Tom Hourigan, and David Kennedy FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information about this report or to request a copy, please contact NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program at 301-713-3155 or write to: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program; NOAA/NOS/OCRM; 1305 East West Highway; Silver Spring, MD 20910 or visit www.coralreef.noaa.gov. DISCLAIMER: Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for their use by the United States government. NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan for Fiscal Years 2007 to 2011 K.A. Puglise and R. Kelty (eds.) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration January 2007 NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 1 United States Department of National Oceanic and National Ocean Service Commerce Atmospheric Administration Carlos M. Gutierrez Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. John H. Dunnigan Secretary Administrator Assistant Administrator ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to express gratitude to all of the people, named and unnamed, who contributed to this Research Plan. This document truly represents the collective work of several individuals. In particular,
    [Show full text]
  • Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Echinophyllia Aspera (Scleractinia
    A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 793: 1–14 (2018) Complete mitochondrial genome of Echinophyllia aspera... 1 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.793.28977 RESEARCH ARTICLE http://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Complete mitochondrial genome of Echinophyllia aspera (Scleractinia, Lobophylliidae): Mitogenome characterization and phylogenetic positioning Wentao Niu1, Shuangen Yu1, Peng Tian1, Jiaguang Xiao1 1 Laboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, China Corresponding author: Wentao Niu ([email protected]) Academic editor: B.W. Hoeksema | Received 9 August 2018 | Accepted 20 September 2018 | Published 29 October 2018 http://zoobank.org/8CAEC589-89C7-4D1D-BD69-1DB2416E2371 Citation: Niu W, Yu S, Tian P, Xiao J (2018) Complete mitochondrial genome of Echinophyllia aspera (Scleractinia, Lobophylliidae): Mitogenome characterization and phylogenetic positioning. ZooKeys 793: 1–14. https://doi. org/10.3897/zookeys.793.28977 Abstract Lack of mitochondrial genome data of Scleractinia is hampering progress across genetic, systematic, phy- logenetic, and evolutionary studies concerning this taxon. Therefore, in this study, the complete mitog- enome sequence of the stony coral Echinophyllia aspera (Ellis & Solander, 1786), has been decoded for the first time by next generation sequencing and genome assembly. The assembled mitogenome is 17,697 bp in length, containing 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), two transfer RNAs and two ribosomal RNAs. It has the same gene content and gene arrangement as in other Scleractinia. All genes are encoded on the same strand. Most of the PCGs use ATG as the start codon except for ND2, which uses ATT as the start codon. The A+T content of the mitochondrial genome is 65.92% (25.35% A, 40.57% T, 20.65% G, and 13.43% for C).
    [Show full text]