The Chagos Brain Coral Ctenella Chagius Fending Off the Fast Growing Branching Coral Acropora

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

The Chagos brain coral Ctenella chagius fending off the fast growing branching coral Acropora The Chagos brain coral The Chagos Brain coral is one of very few species of corals in the Indian and Pacific Oceans with a range which is restricted to just one archipelago. Its proper name is Ctenella chagius, and it is distinguished by the very long, smooth and meandering valleys on its surface. Sightings have been claimed of it off Mauritius, but photographs show them to be a different species, and nobody has yet reported any from even the nearest parts of the Maldives. Despite its restricted range, it is common on Chagos reefs, being found from calm parts of lagoons to seaward reefs exposed to moderate swell. It does not like extremely turbulent shallow water, nor water that is too deep and dark, but can grow into perfectly smooth brain shapes up to 50cm in diameter wherever there is good light. Such a coral could well be 50 years old. It is aggressive when it comes to other corals, and defends its space by using ‘sweeper tentacles’ or long digestive filaments to kill many other species that might encroach into its patch of reef. Fast growing branching corals, such as the Acropora in the photograph, which can grow up to 8cm in a year, is one kind which could overtop and shade it. The photograph shows the result of the Ctenella aggressively preventing the Acropora from expanding and robbing it of the light it needs. Such interactions generally happen at night. In the coral world, a lightening strike may take two weeks or more, but there is a continuous, dynamic interplay between the different species for space in which to live. Sheppard, C.R.C., Drew, E.A. and Dinesen, Z. 1984. Ecology and physiology of the scleractinian coral Ctenella chagius (Matthai). Bulletin of Marine Science 3:905-918. The Chagos Conservation Trust is a charity (Registered in the UK No. 1031561), whose aims are to promote conservation, scientific and historical research, and to advance education concerning the archipelago. The Trust is a non political association. For more on information, please contact the Secretary ([email protected]) or visit www.chagos-trust.org. 075 22 May 2007 © Chagos Conservation Trust Photograph and text contributed by Professor Charles Sheppard.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Checklist of Fish and Invertebrates Listed in the CITES Appendices
JOINTS NATURE \=^ CONSERVATION COMMITTEE Checklist of fish and mvertebrates Usted in the CITES appendices JNCC REPORT (SSN0963-«OStl JOINT NATURE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE Report distribution Report Number: No. 238 Contract Number/JNCC project number: F7 1-12-332 Date received: 9 June 1995 Report tide: Checklist of fish and invertebrates listed in the CITES appendices Contract tide: Revised Checklists of CITES species database Contractor: World Conservation Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 ODL Comments: A further fish and invertebrate edition in the Checklist series begun by NCC in 1979, revised and brought up to date with current CITES listings Restrictions: Distribution: JNCC report collection 2 copies Nature Conservancy Council for England, HQ, Library 1 copy Scottish Natural Heritage, HQ, Library 1 copy Countryside Council for Wales, HQ, Library 1 copy A T Smail, Copyright Libraries Agent, 100 Euston Road, London, NWl 2HQ 5 copies British Library, Legal Deposit Office, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 7BQ 1 copy Chadwick-Healey Ltd, Cambridge Place, Cambridge, CB2 INR 1 copy BIOSIS UK, Garforth House, 54 Michlegate, York, YOl ILF 1 copy CITES Management and Scientific Authorities of EC Member States total 30 copies CITES Authorities, UK Dependencies total 13 copies CITES Secretariat 5 copies CITES Animals Committee chairman 1 copy European Commission DG Xl/D/2 1 copy World Conservation Monitoring Centre 20 copies TRAFFIC International 5 copies Animal Quarantine Station, Heathrow 1 copy Department of the Environment (GWD) 5 copies Foreign & Commonwealth Office (ESED) 1 copy HM Customs & Excise 3 copies M Bradley Taylor (ACPO) 1 copy ^\(\\ Joint Nature Conservation Committee Report No.
[Show full text]
Coral Species ID
Coral Species ID Colony shape (branching, mound, plates, column, crust, etc) Colony surface (bumpy, smooth, ridges) Polyp/Corallite Size (small, big) Polyp/Corallite shape (round/elliptical, irregular, y- shaped, „ innies vs outies‟ ridge/valley) Polyp color (green, brown, tan, yellow, olive, red) Different Corallite Shapes and Sizes Examples of Massive Stony Corals Montastraea Montastraea Suleimán © W.Harrigan © faveolata cavernosa S. © Diploria strigosa Porites astreoides © M. White© Montastraea faveolata MFAV Small, round polyps Form very large mounds, plates or crusts (to 4-5 m /12-15 ft) © S. ThorntonS. © Montastraea faveolata MFAV Surfaces smooth, ridged, or with bumps aligned in vertical rows © W. Harrigan © M. Weber © R. Steneck Montastraea faveolata MFAV Colonies are flattened, massive- plates with smooth surfaces under conditions of low light. Montastrea annularis MANN How similar to M. faveolata Small polyps Smooth surface How different Colonies are subdivided into numerous mounds or columns with live polyps at their summits. Plates at colony bases under low light conditions. (to 3-4 m/9-12 ft) Which is which? M. annularis M. faveolata MANN MFAV Montastrea franksi MFRA How similar to M. faveolata Small polyps and bumps Close-up How different Some polyps in bumps are larger, irregularly shaped, and may lack zooxanthellae. More aggressive spatial competitor. © P. Humann Montastrea franksi MFRA How similar to M. faveolata Form mounds, short columns, crusts, and/or plates. How different Bumps are scattered over colony surface. (to 3-4 m/9-12 ft) Montastrea franksi MFRA Flattened, massive plate morphology in low light conditions. Solenastrea bournoni SBOU How similar to M. annularis Small round polyps Mounds How different Lighter colors in life, Walls of some polyps are more distinct (“outies”) Bumpy colony surface (to ~1/2 m/<20 in) Solenastrea hyades SHYA How similar to S.
[Show full text]
Guide to the Identification of Precious and Semi-Precious Corals in Commercial Trade
'l'llA FFIC YvALE ,.._,..---...- guide to the identification of precious and semi-precious corals in commercial trade Ernest W.T. Cooper, Susan J. Torntore, Angela S.M. Leung, Tanya Shadbolt and Carolyn Dawe September 2011 © 2011 World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-0-9693730-3-2 Reproduction and distribution for resale by any means photographic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems of any parts of this book, illustrations or texts is prohibited without prior written consent from World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Reproduction for CITES enforcement or educational and other non-commercial purposes by CITES Authorities and the CITES Secretariat is authorized without prior written permission, provided the source is fully acknowledged. Any reproduction, in full or in part, of this publication must credit WWF and TRAFFIC North America. The views of the authors expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the TRAFFIC network, WWF, or the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The designation of geographical entities in this publication and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WWF, TRAFFIC, or IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The TRAFFIC symbol copyright and Registered Trademark ownership are held by WWF. TRAFFIC is a joint program of WWF and IUCN. Suggested citation: Cooper, E.W.T., Torntore, S.J., Leung, A.S.M, Shadbolt, T. and Dawe, C.
[Show full text]
Resurrecting a Subgenus to Genus: Molecular Phylogeny of Euphyllia and Fimbriaphyllia (Order Scleractinia; Family Euphylliidae; Clade V)
Resurrecting a subgenus to genus: molecular phylogeny of Euphyllia and Fimbriaphyllia (order Scleractinia; family Euphylliidae; clade V) Katrina S. Luzon1,2,3,*, Mei-Fang Lin4,5,6,*, Ma. Carmen A. Ablan Lagman1,7, Wilfredo Roehl Y. Licuanan1,2,3 and Chaolun Allen Chen4,8,9,* 1 Biology Department, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines 2 Shields Ocean Research (SHORE) Center, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines 3 The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines 4 Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 5 Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia 6 Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan 7 Center for Natural Sciences and Environmental Research (CENSER), De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines 8 Taiwan International Graduate Program-Biodiversity, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 9 Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan * These authors contributed equally to this work. ABSTRACT Background. The corallum is crucial in building coral reefs and in diagnosing systematic relationships in the order Scleractinia. However, molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed a paraphyly in a majority of traditional families and genera among Scleractinia showing that other biological attributes of the coral, such as polyp morphology and reproductive traits, are underutilized. Among scleractinian genera, the Euphyllia, with nine nominal species in the Indo-Pacific region, is one of the groups Submitted 30 May 2017 that await phylogenetic resolution. Multiple genetic markers were used to construct Accepted 31 October 2017 Published 4 December 2017 the phylogeny of six Euphyllia species, namely E. ancora, E. divisa, E.
[Show full text]
Bertarelli Programme in Marine Science Coral Reef Expedition to the British Indian Ocean Territory, April 2019
Bertarelli Programme in Marine Science Coral Reef Expedition to the British Indian Ocean Territory, April 2019 Figure 1: Early signs of coral reef recovery in BIOT, Takamaka, Salomon 1 | P a g e Executive Summary The Bertarelli Programme in Marine Science Coral Reef Expedition to the British Indian Ocean Territory on Coral Reef Condition took place in April 2019, and involved Bangor University, Oxford University, University College of London, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA. The team joined the British Patrol Vessel Grampian Frontier in Male, Maldives on 6th April and travelled south, arriving Diego Garcia on 27th April 2019. Exceptionally calm seas were experienced until 17th April, and then rough conditions which progressively worsened until 27th April. Thirteen experienced scientific divers including a Medical Officer conducted a total of 113 dives, equating to 301 person dives and 318 hours underwater over the period. The team undertook 7 scientific tasks to investigate the current condition of the coral reefs at 34 sites across the archipelago as follows: Tasks 1 & 2: Coral condition, cover, juveniles, and water temperatures (C. Sheppard, A. Sheppard). Task 3: Extend video archive for long term assessment of coral reef benthic community structure (J. Turner, R. Roche, J. Sannassy Pilly). Task 4: Three-dimensional determination of reef structural complexity and spatial analysis of coral recruitment (D. Bayley, A. Mogg). Tasks 5 & 6: Spatiotemporal variations in internal wave driven upwelling and resilience potential across the Chagos Archipelago (G. Williams, M. Fox, A. Heenan, R. Roche) Task 7: Coral reef recovery and resilience (B. Wilson and A. Rose). The coral reefs of the Archipelago are still in an erosional state with very low coral cover 3 years after the back to back bleaching events of 2015/2016.
[Show full text]
BIOT Field Report
©2015 Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Science Without Borders®. All research was completed under: British Indian Ocean Territory, The immigration Ordinance 2006, Permit for Visit. Dated 10th April, 2015, issued by Tom Moody, Administrator. This report was developed as one component of the Global Reef Expedition: BIOT research project. Citation: Global Reef Expedition: British Indian Ocean Territory. Field Report 19. Bruckner, A.W. (2015). Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, Annapolis, MD. pp 36. The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) was incorporated in California as a 501(c)(3), public benefit, Private Operating Foundation in September 2000. The Living Oceans Foundation is dedicated to providing science-based solutions to protect and restore ocean health. For more information, visit http://www.lof.org and https://www.facebook.com/livingoceansfoundation Twitter: https://twitter.com/LivingOceansFdn Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation 130 Severn Avenue Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA [email protected] Executive Director Philip G. Renaud Chief Scientist Andrew W. Bruckner, Ph.D. Images by Andrew Bruckner, unless noted. Maps completed by Alex Dempsey, Jeremy Kerr and Steve Saul Fish observations compiled by Georgia Coward and Badi Samaniego Front cover: Eagle Island. Photo by Ken Marks. Back cover: A shallow reef off Salomon Atoll. The reef is carpeted in leather corals and a bleached anemone, Heteractis magnifica, is visible in the fore ground. A school of giant trevally, Caranx ignobilis, pass over the reef. Photo by Phil Renaud. Executive Summary Between 7 March 2015 and 3 May 2015, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation conducted two coral reef research missions as components of our Global Reef Expedition (GRE) program.
[Show full text]
Climate Change Impacts on Corals: BIOT and the Pitcairn Islands 1
Climate change impacts on corals: BIOT and the Pitcairn Islands 1 Climate change impacts on corals in the UK Overseas Territories of BIOT and the Pitcairn Islands 2 Climate change impacts on corals: BIOT and the Pitcairn Islands BIOT The British Indian Ocean Territory Changes in sea level and extreme (BIOT) consists of five atolls of low-lying weather events In BIOT, sea level is rising twice as fast as the global islands, including the largest atoll in average. Extreme sea levels appear related to El Niño the world, Great Chagos Bank, and a or La Niña events. When combined with bleaching and number of submerged atolls and banks. acidification sea level rise will reduce the effectiveness of reefs to perform as breakwaters. BIOT has experienced Diego Garcia is the only inhabited island. considerable shoreline erosion, which suggests loss of The BIOT Marine Protected Area (MPA) was designated breakwater effects from protective fringing reefs. in 2010. It covers the entire maritime zone and coastal waters, an approximate area of 640,000 km2. The Other human pressures marine environment is rich and diverse, attracting Rats have caused a crash of seabird populations, sea birds, sharks, cetaceans and sea turtles and with disrupting guano nutrient flows to the detriment of some extensive seagrass and coral reef habitats. It includes reef organisms including sponges and corals. Around the endangered Chagos brain coral (Ctenella chagius), an Diego Garcia, small scale fishing is allowed to residents endemic massive coral unique to BIOT. but illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is also known to occur, and there are concerns of pollution BIOT reefs have suffered extensive bleaching and mortality, and anchor damage within the lagoon.
[Show full text]
Spawning of the Grooved Brain Coral Diploria Labyrinthiformis – Follow-Up on the Webinar Q & a Session
Spawning of the grooved brain coral Diploria labyrinthiformis – Follow-up on the Webinar Q & A session by Co-chairs of the CRC’s Larval Propagation Working Group Dr. Valérie Chamberland SECORE International, CARMABI Foundation Dr. Anastazia Banaszak UNAM, Coralium May 2020 8 Questions #1 through 17 were answered during the webinar but are listed here in case they are of interest to those who could not attend and may want to watch the recording of the Q&A session. All questions that remained unanswered during the webinar are listed and addressed from # 18 through 41. Note that a full recording of this webinar along with slides is available on the CRC’s website at http://crc.reefresilience.org/resources/webinar-series/ 1. What is the name of the underwater photographer documenting spawning of many different species? The photographer´s name is Ellen Muller (see her photo gallery at https://www.pbase.com/imagine) 2. Is Diploria labyrinthiformis split spawning a partial spawning? In other words, is a partial spawning = some parts of the colony, or does the whole colony spawn three times (3 bundles released by a single polyp during the year)? Answered during webinar 3. What would be the correct way to cite the Caribbean-wide Diploria labyrinthiformis spawning monitoring information? Answered during webinar 4. How does full moon influence spawning? Answered during webinar 5. I remember you guys started thinking about an online database to collect spawning observation data. Are you still considering this option? Answered during webinar 6. P. strigosa and P. clivosa have been reported to spawn in Fall/Autumn.
[Show full text]
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Spreads to the Wider Caribbean… and Beyond?
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Spreads to the Wider Caribbean… and beyond? Leslie Henderson1, Sean Griffin2 and Michael Nemeth2 1. VI Department of Planning and Natural Resources 2. NOAA’s Restoration Center V. Brandtneris South Florida, USA Port of Miami Port of Miami Port of Miami Dredging Project 2014-2015 D. Kipnis First signs of trouble Grooved Brain Coral Symmetrical Brain Coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) (Pseudodiploria strigosa) Elliptical Star Coral Maze Coral Smooth Flower Coral (Dichocoenia stokesii) (Meandrina meandrites) (Eusmilia fastigiata) Photos: Rob Ruzicka, FWC Slide courtesy of M. Martinelli, Florida Sea Grant Key Research Findings of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) fromKnobby Floridabrain coral Studies: Susceptibility among coral species differs Maze coral Grooved brain coral Highly susceptible Boulder brain coral Elliptical star coral Pillar coral Smooth Flower Coral Symmetrical brain coral Photos from: M. Brandt, iNaturalist, Coralpedia, Wikipedia, Fossil Forum Key Research Findings of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) from Florida Studies: Transmission experiments demonstrate that SCTLD is infectious (transmissible) and can transmit through water transport M. Brandt Key Research Findings of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) from Florida Studies: Studies have suggested that a bacterial pathogen(s) are involved but no specific pathogen has been identified No treatment Treated w/ amoxicillin & kanamycin Slide courtesy of M. Martinelli, Florida Sea Grant Source: Ushijima & Paul, Smithsonian. Unpublished.
[Show full text]
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Speciestm
Species 2014 Annual ReportSpecies the Species of 2014 Survival Commission and the Global Species Programme Species ISSUE 56 2014 Annual Report of the Species Survival Commission and the Global Species Programme • 2014 Spotlight on High-level Interventions IUCN SSC • IUCN Red List at 50 • Specialist Group Reports Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis), Endangered. © Martin Harvey Muhammad Yazid Muhammad © Amazing Species: Bleeding Toad The Bleeding Toad, Leptophryne cruentata, is listed as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. It is endemic to West Java, Indonesia, specifically around Mount Gede, Mount Pangaro and south of Sukabumi. The Bleeding Toad’s scientific name, cruentata, is from the Latin word meaning “bleeding” because of the frog’s overall reddish-purple appearance and blood-red and yellow marbling on its back. Geographical range The population declined drastically after the eruption of Mount Galunggung in 1987. It is Knowledge believed that other declining factors may be habitat alteration, loss, and fragmentation. Experts Although the lethal chytrid fungus, responsible for devastating declines (and possible Get Involved extinctions) in amphibian populations globally, has not been recorded in this area, the sudden decline in a creekside population is reminiscent of declines in similar amphibian species due to the presence of this pathogen. Only one individual Bleeding Toad was sighted from 1990 to 2003. Part of the range of Bleeding Toad is located in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park. Future conservation actions should include population surveys and possible captive breeding plans. The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership.
[Show full text]
Coral Spawning Predictions for the Southern Caribbean
Coral Spawning Predictions for the 2020 Southern Caribbean DAYS AFM 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 April, May, & June Corals CALENDAR DATE 17-Apr 18-Apr 19-Apr 20-Apr 17-May 18-May 19-May 20-May 15-Jun 16-Jun 17-Jun 18-Jun SUNSET TIME 18:48 18:48 18:48 18:48 18:53 18:53 18:53 18:54 19:01 19:01 19:01 19:02 Latin name Common Name Spawning Window Diploria labyrinthiformis* Grooved Brain Coral 70 min BS-10 min AS 17:40-19:00 17:45-19:05 17:50-19:10 *Monthly "DLAB" spawning has been observed from April to October in Curaçao, Bonaire, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. We don't yet know if this occurs accross the entire region. New observations are highly encouraged! DAYS AFM 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 July Corals CALENDAR DATE 4-Jul 5-Jul 6-Jul 7-Jul 8-Jul 9-Jul 10-Jul 11-Jul 12-Jul 13-Jul 14-Jul 15-Jul 16-Jul 17-Jul SUNSET TIME 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 19:04 Latin name Common Name Spawning Window Diploria labyrinthiformis* Grooved Brain Coral 70 min BS-10 min AS 17:55-19:15 Montastraea cavernosa Great Star Coral 15-165 min AS 19:20-21:50 Colpophyllia natans Boulder Brain Coral 35-110 min AS 19:40-20:55 Pseudodiplora strigosa (Early group) Symmetrical Brain Coral 40-60 min AS 19:45-20:05 Dendrogyra cylindrus Pillar Coral 90-155 min AS 20:35-21:40 Pseudodiplora strigosa (Late group) Symmetrical Brain Coral 220-270 min AS 22:45-23:35 DAYS AFM 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 August Corals CALENDAR DATE 3-Aug 4-Aug 5-Aug 6-Aug 7-Aug 8-Aug 9-Aug 10-Aug 11-Aug 12-Aug 13-Aug 14-Aug 15-Aug
[Show full text]
A Comparison of Brain Coral Bleaching and Water Quality at Champagne Bay and Rodney’S Rock
A Comparison of Brain Coral Bleaching And Water Quality at Champagne Bay and Rodney’s Rock Lauren Divine, Carolyn Campbell, Ricci Loughridge, Travis Krause June 8, 20006 Texas A&M University Study Abroad Dominica Dr. Tom Lacher Dr. Jim Woolley 1 Abstract Surveys of brain coral bleaching and water quality tests were performed at Rodney’s Rock (otherwise known as Tarou Point) and Champagne Bay. Sizes and damage of brain corals were recorded and related to water quality tests at each test area. A comparison was made of bleaching and water quality between Rodney’s Rock and Champagne Bay. The study showed that Rodney’s Rock contained a larger total percentage of bleached brain coral than Champagne Bay which was consistent with the results of our water quality tests. Introduction Coral reefs are found worldwide in tropical waters surrounding islands and continents. Corals are made by small animals called polyps that attach to the seafloor and secrete a calcium carbonate skeleton as protection (“Coral Reefs,” 2006). The main type of reef encountered in the Caribbean is a fringing reef, which is described as a reef that “ . grows out from the shore or [is] separated by a shallow lagoon”(Humann,1993). The reefs found in the waters of Dominica contain a large variety of corals including finger coral, fire coral, brain coral, common sea fans, and sea plumes. These reefs are experiencing various amounts of damage known as coral bleaching, a “. whitening of diverse invertebrate taxa . .” (Buchheim, 1998). Bleaching results from various causes such as elevated temperature, excessive chemical input, solar irradiance, excessive algal formation in the water column, and other anthropogenic processes.
[Show full text]