What Is Coral Bleaching?

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what is coral bleaching? stage 1 healthy coral stage 2 bleached coral polyp (coral animal) Warmer water temperatures can stress Thousands of polyps make corals, causing them to expel their up a coral colony. zooxanthellae, or bleach. zooxanthellae Bleached corals Tiny algae that live appear white, but they are inside polyp tissues. still alive and can return to They provide food for coral health if conditions improve. through photosynthesis and give the coral its color. NORMAL HIGH TIME BETWEEN STAGE 1 AND STAGE 2: days - weeks stage 3 If temperatures return recovered coral or dead coral? If conditions do not improve and temperatures to normal, the.coral could remain elevated, the prolonged stress could recover its zooxanthellae kill the coral after only a few weeks. and return to health. Dead corals are often Recovery could take weeks to . covered in algae. months, and the recovering coral . may be more susceptible to disease. RETURNS TO NORMAL REMAINS HIGH TIME BETWEEN STAGE 2 AND STAGE 3 RECOVERY: weeks - months TIME BETWEEN STAGE 2 AND STAGE 3 DEATH: days - weeks coral bleaching identification healthy healthy healthy reef unhealthy reef Boulder brain coral Boulder star coral Lettuce coral Staghorn coral paling paling / partially bleached Boulder brain coral Symmetrical brain coral Boulder star coral Boulder brain coral bleached bleached coral diseases (not bleaching) Boulder brain coral Staghorn coral Lettuce coral Smooth star coral Black Band Disease White Plague Disease dead dead White Pox Disease Yellow Band Disease Boulder brain coral Knobby brain coral Finger coral Cactus coral.

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What Is Coral Bleaching
Mote Marine Laboratory / Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Coral Bleaching Early Warning Network Current Conditions Report #20180727 Updated July 27, 2018 Summary: Based on climate predictions, current conditions, and field observations, the threat for mass coral bleaching within the FKNMS is currently MODERATE. NOAA Coral Reef Watch Current and 60% Probability Coral Bleaching Alert Outlook July 25, 2018 (experimental) June 30, 2015 (experimental) Figure 2. NOAA’s Experimental 5km Coral Bleaching HotSpot Map for Florida July 25, 2018. coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/vs/gauges/florida_keys.php Figure 1. NOAA’s 5 km Experimental Current and 60% Probability Coral Bleaching Alert Outlook Areas through October, 2018. Updated July 25, 2018. coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/vs/gauges/florida_keys.php Weather and Sea Temperatures According to the newly released NOAA Coral Reef Watch (CRW) experimental 5 kilometer (km) Satellite Current and 60% Probability Coral Bleaching Alert Area, most areas of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are under a bleaching Warning or Alert Level 1, which means bleaching is likely and potential for more bleaching warnings and alerts if sea Figure 3. NOAA’s Experimental 5km Degree Heating temperatures continue to increase in the next few weeks (Fig. 1). Weeks Map for Florida July 25, 2018. coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/vs/gauges/florida_keys.php Recent remote sensing analysis by NOAA’s CRW program indicates that most of the Florida Keys region is currently experiencing thermal stress. NOAA’s 35 new experimental 5 km Coral Bleaching HotSpot Map (Fig. 2), which 30 illustrates current sea surface temperatures compared to the average temperature for the warmest month, shows elevated temperatures for the 25 Florida Keys.
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A Quick Guide to Southeast Florida's Coral Reefs
A Quick Guide to Southeast Florida’s Coral Reefs DAVID GILLIAM NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Spring 2013 Prepared by the Land-based Sources of Pollution Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) BRIAN WALKER NATIONAL CORAL REEF INSTITUTE, NOVA SOUTHEASTERN Southeast Florida’s coral-rich communities are more valuable than UNIVERSITY the Spanish treasures that sank nearby. Like the lost treasures, these amazing reefs lie just a few hundred yards off the shores of Martin, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties where more than one-third of Florida’s 19 million residents live. Fishing, diving, and boating help attract millions of visitors to southeast Florida each year (30 million in 2008/2009). Reef-related expen- ditures generate $5.7 billion annually in income and sales, and support more than 61,000 local jobs. Such immense recreational activity, coupled with the pressures of coastal development, inland agriculture, and robust cruise and commercial shipping industries, threaten the very survival of our reefs. With your help, reefs will be protected from local stresses and future generations will be able to enjoy their beauty and economic benefits. Coral reefs are highly diverse and productive, yet surprisingly fragile, ecosystems. They are built by living creatures that require clean, clear seawater to settle, mature and reproduce. Reefs provide safe havens for spectacular forms of marine life. Unfortunately, reefs are vulnerable to impacts on scales ranging from local and regional to global. Global threats to reefs have increased along with expanding ART SEITZ human populations and industrialization. Now, warming seawater temperatures and changing ocean chemistry from carbon dioxide emitted by the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are also starting to imperil corals.
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Looe Key Mooring Buoy Service Interrupted July 15-18
Looe Key Mooring Buoy Service Interrupted July 15-18 Help Us Preserve the Reef The survey requires the same preferred The United States Geological Survey conditions for divers: good visibility and calm (USGS) will be conducting a mission to seas (typical of summer weather) in order to capture high-resolution baseline imagery of establish a high-resolution set of baseline Looe Key reef prior to multi-million dollar images that will allow evaluation of growth of coral restoration efforts taking place under restored corals over time. the Mission: Iconic Reefs initiative. This mission requires the removal of 20 mooring The FKNMS mooring system buoys so the towed, five-camera system (SQUID-5) can safely navigate slow passes Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary USGS prepares the SQUID-5 for capturing across the entire site, similar to mowing established a mooring buoy program 40 imagery at Eastern Dry Rocks. grass on a football field. The moorings will years ago. Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation be removed on, July 14th and returned to Area features 39 of the nearly 500 first-come, service on July 19th. first-served mooring buoys throughout FKNMS. 14 mooring buoys will remain This activity is a critical part of the $100 available during the survey work. Vessels are million Mission: Iconic Reefs restoration allowed to anchor elsewhere within the program, a partnership between federal, Sanctuary Preservation Area when mooring state and conservation and nonprofit buoys are unavailable--but only on sand. organizations and our local community in one of the largest commitments to coral We are requesting that the public refrain restoration anywhere in the world.
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Coral Bleaching Early Warning Network Current Conditions Report #20090910
Mote Marine Laboratory / Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Coral Bleaching Early Warning Network Current Conditions Report #20090910 Updated September 10, 2009 Summary: Based on climate predictions, current conditions, and field observations, the threat for mass coral bleaching within the FKNMS remains MODERATE. Figure 2. NOAA’s Coral Bleaching HotSpot Map for September 10, 2009. Figure 1. NOAA’s Coral Bleaching Thermal Stress Outlook for Sept. – Dec., 2009. www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot.html http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/index.html Weather and Sea Temperatures According to the latest NOAA Coral Reef Watch Coral Bleaching Thermal Stress Outlook (updated Sept. 10, 2009) there continues to be significant potential for coral bleaching throughout the Caribbean in 2009, especially in the Lesser Antilles; however, it now appears that the likelihood of significant bleaching in the Florida Keys has been reduced compared to the rest of the greater Caribbean (Fig. 1). Current remote sensing analysis by NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program Figure 3. NOAA’s Degree Heating Weeks Map for September 10, 2009. indicates that the Florida Keys region continues to experience elevated levels www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/dhw_retro.html of thermal stress and moderate potential for coral bleaching. NOAA’s recent Water Temperatures (August 27 - September 10, 2009) Coral Bleaching HotSpot Map (Fig. 2), which provides current sea surface 35 temperature (SST) compared to the historically expected SST’s for the region, shows that temperature anomalies for the Florida Keys National Marine 30 Sanctuary and surrounding waters continue to remain above-average and have increased slightly since the end of August.
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Microbiomes of Gall-Inducing Copepod Crustaceans from the Corals Stylophora Pistillata (Scleractinia) and Gorgonia Ventalina
www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Microbiomes of gall-inducing copepod crustaceans from the corals Stylophora pistillata Received: 26 February 2018 Accepted: 18 July 2018 (Scleractinia) and Gorgonia Published: xx xx xxxx ventalina (Alcyonacea) Pavel V. Shelyakin1,2, Sofya K. Garushyants1,3, Mikhail A. Nikitin4, Sofya V. Mudrova5, Michael Berumen 5, Arjen G. C. L. Speksnijder6, Bert W. Hoeksema6, Diego Fontaneto7, Mikhail S. Gelfand1,3,4,8 & Viatcheslav N. Ivanenko 6,9 Corals harbor complex and diverse microbial communities that strongly impact host ftness and resistance to diseases, but these microbes themselves can be infuenced by stresses, like those caused by the presence of macroscopic symbionts. In addition to directly infuencing the host, symbionts may transmit pathogenic microbial communities. We analyzed two coral gall-forming copepod systems by using 16S rRNA gene metagenomic sequencing: (1) the sea fan Gorgonia ventalina with copepods of the genus Sphaerippe from the Caribbean and (2) the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata with copepods of the genus Spaniomolgus from the Saudi Arabian part of the Red Sea. We show that bacterial communities in these two systems were substantially diferent with Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Betaproteobacteria more prevalent in samples from Gorgonia ventalina, and Gammaproteobacteria in Stylophora pistillata. In Stylophora pistillata, normal coral microbiomes were enriched with the common coral symbiont Endozoicomonas and some unclassifed bacteria, while copepod and gall-tissue microbiomes were highly enriched with the family ME2 (Oceanospirillales) or Rhodobacteraceae. In Gorgonia ventalina, no bacterial group had signifcantly diferent prevalence in the normal coral tissues, copepods, and injured tissues. The total microbiome composition of polyps injured by copepods was diferent.
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Highly Variable Taxa-Specific Coral Bleaching Responses to Thermal
Vol. 648: 135–151, 2020 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published August 27 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13402 Mar Ecol Prog Ser OPEN ACCESS Highly variable taxa-speciﬁc coral bleaching responses to thermal stresses Timothy R. McClanahan1,*, Emily S. Darling1,2, Joseph M. Maina3, Nyawira A. Muthiga1, Stephanie D’agata1,3, Julien Leblond1, Rohan Arthur4,5, Stacy D. Jupiter1,6, Shaun K. Wilson7,8, Sangeeta Mangubhai1,6, Ali M. Ussi9, Mireille M. M. Guillaume10,11, Austin T. Humphries12,13, Vardhan Patankar14,15, George Shedrawi16,17, Julius Pagu18, Gabriel Grimsditch19 1Wildlife Conservation Society, Marine Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA 2Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada 3Faculty of Science and Engineering, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia 4Nature Conservation Foundation, Amritha 1311, 12th Main, Vijaynagar 1st Stage Mysore 570017, India 5Center for Advanced Studies (CEAB), C. d’Acces Cala Sant Francesc, 14, 17300 Blanes, Spain 6Wildlife Conservation Society, Melanesia Program, 11 Ma’afu Street, Suva, Fiji 7Marine Science Program, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA 6101, Australia 8Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia 9Department of Natural Sciences, The State University of Zanzibar, Zanzibar, Tanzania 10Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Aviv, Laboratoire BOREA MNHN-SU-UCN-UA-CNRS-IRD EcoFunc, 75005 Paris, France 11Laboratoire d’Excellence
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Protection of Coral Reefs and Related Ecosystems for Sustainable Livelihoods and Development – Australian Submission
Secretary-General’s report: Protection of coral reefs and related ecosystems for sustainable livelihoods and development – Australian submission The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 65/150 “Protection of coral reefs for sustainable livelihoods and development” was initiated by Australia working in close partnership with Pacific countries that may be directly affected by the health of coral reefs and related ecosystems. It was adopted by consensus in the UNGA on 25 November 2010, with co-sponsors comprising 84 States from the Pacific, Caribbean, Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. The resolution called for urgent action for the protection of coral reefs and related ecosystems. It also requested the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General to prepare a report on the issue. Australia considers this report as a timely opportunity to highlight the social, economic and environmental benefits of protecting coral reefs and related ecosystems and the urgent need for action to address the alarming trend in threats to the world’s coral reefs and related ecosystems. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (the Rio+20 Conference) will be an important opportunity to secure a strong global outcome for coral reefs and related ecosystems, and recognition of their critical role for securing sustainable livelihoods and development, particularly in small island developing countries. A strong outcome for coral reefs and related ecosystems must be a global response. The main threats to coral reefs and related ecosystems include climate change, catchment runoff, coastal development and under-regulated fishing. For further details see Attachment A . The extent and persistence of damage to coral reef ecosystems will depend on change in the world’s climate and on the resilience of coral reef ecosystems.
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Coral Disease Fact Sheet
Florida Department of Environmental Protection Coral Reef Conservation Program SEAFAN BleachWatch Program Coral Disease Fact Sheet About Coral Disease Like all other animals, corals can be affected by disease. Coral disease was first recognized in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean in the 1970s, and since that time disease reports have emerged from reefs worldwide. Naturally, there are background levels of coral disease but reports of elevated disease levels – often called disease outbreaks – have been increasing in both frequency and severity over the past few decades. Today, coral disease is recognized as a major driver of coral mortality and reef degradation. Coral disease can result from infection by microscopic organisms (such as bacteria or fungi) or can be caused by abnormal growth (akin to tumors). The origins or causes of most coral diseases are not known and difficult to determine. There is increasing evidence that environmental stressors, including increasing water temperatures, elevated nutrient levels, sewage input, sedimentation, overfishing, plastic pollution, and even recreational diving, are increasing the prevalence and Disease affecting Great Star Coral (Montastraea severity of coral diseases. There is also strong evidence cavernosa). Photo credit: Nikole Ordway-Heath (Broward County; 2016). that a combination of coral bleaching and disease can be particularly devastating to coral populations. This is likely due to corals losing a major source of energy during a bleaching event, reducing their ability to fight off or control disease agents. Coral disease is often identifiable by a change in tissue color or skeletal structure as well as progressive tissue loss. Tissue loss may originate from a single discrete spot, multiple discrete areas, or appear scattered throughout the colony.
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High Density of Diploria Strigosa Increases
HIGH DENSITY OF DIPLORIA STRIGOSA INCREASES PREVALENCE OF BLACK BAND DISEASE IN CORAL REEFS OF NORTHERN BERMUDA Sarah Carpenter Department of Biology, Clark University, Worcester, MA 01610 ([email protected]) Abstract Black Band Disease (BBD) is one of the most widespread and destructive coral infectious diseases. The disease moves down the infected coral leaving complete coral tissue degradation in its wake. This coral disease is caused by a group of coexisting bacteria; however, the main causative agent is Phormidium corallyticum. The objective of this study was to determine how BBD prominence is affected by the density of D. strigosa, a common reef building coral found along Bermuda coasts. Quadrats were randomly placed on the reefs at Whalebone Bay and Tobacco Bay and then density and percent infection were recorded and calculated. The results from the observations showed a significant, positive correlation between coral density and percent infection by BBD. This provides evidence that BBD is a water borne infection and that transmission can occur at distances up to 1m. Information about BBD is still scant, but in order to prevent future damage, details pertaining to transmission methods and patterns will be necessary. Key Words: Black Band Disease, Diploria strigosa, density Introduction Coral pathogens are a relatively new area of study, with the first reports and descriptions made in the 1970’s. Today, more than thirty coral diseases have been reported, each threatening the resilience of coral communities (Green and Bruckner 2000). The earliest identified infection was characterized by a dark band, which separated the healthy coral from the dead coral.
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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.
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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.
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Download the Meeting Program, Including Abstracts
PROGRAM: Overview of oral and poster presentations FINAL PROGRAM 37th AMLC SCIENTIFIC MEETING CURACAO (MAY 18-22, 2015) MAY 17 17:00 Registration (optional) and "ice breaker" on the beach at Carmabi END of DAY 0 (MAY 17) MAY 18 8:00 Registration at the Hilton Hotel 9:00 Official opening 37th AMLC Meeting The Eastern Caribbean: A laboratory for studying the resilience and 9:30 PLENARY: DR. B. STENECK management of coral reefs 10:30 Coffee break Time Authors Title Shifting baselines: three decades of nitrogen enrichment on two 11:00 * Lapointe B, Herren L, Tarnowski, M, Dustan P Caribbean coral reefs Finding a new path towards reef conservation: Antigua’s community- 11:15 S Camacho R, Steneck R based no-take reserves Lyons P, Arboleda E, Benkwitt C, Davis B, Gleason M, Howe 11:30 * C, Mathe J, Middleton J, Sikowitz N, Untersteggaber L, The effect of recreational scuba diving on the benthic community Villalobos S assemblage and structural complexity of Caribbean coral reefs Perspective on how fast and efficient sponge engines drive and 11:45 * De Goeij JM modulate the food web of reef ecosystems Lesion recovery of two scleractinian corals under low pH: 12:00 S Dungan A, Hall ER, DeGroot BC, Fine M implications for restoration efforts Session chair: Kristen Marhaver Kristen chair: Session The status of coral reefs and marine fisheries in Jamaica’s Portland 12:15 * Palmer SE, Lang JC Bight Protected Area to inform proposed development decisions 12:30 Lunch (can be obtained at the Hilton, Carmabi (next to Hilton) or nearby restaurants and bars Historical analysis of ciguatera incidence in the Caribbean islands 13:30 * Mancera-Pineda JE, Celis JS, Gavio B during 31 years: 1980-2010 Smith TB, Richlen ML, Robertson A, Liefer JD, Anderson DM, Ciguatera fish poisoning: long-term dynamics of Gambierdiscus spp.
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