DOCSLIB.ORG

Reef Foraminifera As Bioindicator of Coral Reef Health in Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Reef Foraminifera As Bioindicator of Coral Reef Health in Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia Reef Foraminifera As Bioindicator Of Coral Reef Health in Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia Aishah Norashikin Abdul A’ziz Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Fatin Izzati Minhat ( [email protected] ) Universiti Malaysia Terengganu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8153-3500 Pan Hui-Juan National Taiwan Ocean University Hasrizal Shaari Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Wan Nurzalia Wan Saelan Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Nazihah Azmi Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Omar Abdul Rahman Abdul Manaf Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Md Nizam Ismail Fisheries Research Institute Malaysia Research article Keywords: Foraminifera, Coral Reef, FORAM Index, Coastal development, Reef recovery Posted Date: August 26th, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-51033/v1 License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License Page 1/18 Abstract Pulau Tioman is one of the famous tourism islands in Peninsular Malaysia due to the beautiful terrestrial and coral reefs ecosystem. This study aims to assess and monitor the health of coral reef sites surrounding Pulau Tioman based on the application of Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring (FORAM) Index. A total of ten selected sampling sites from west and east side of Pulau Tioman were setup in front of the major beach areas around Pulau Tioman. At each site, 100 m transect was laid out from shore towards the reef slope and surface sediment samples were collected at 50 m intervals. Eight orders, 41 families, 80 genera and 161 species of benthic foraminifera were identied around Pulau Tioman. Amphistegina lessonii found to be the most dominant species and the least dominant species (< 4%) are Bolivina vadescens, Elphidium neosimplex, Heterolepa dutemplei, Heterolepa subhaidingerii, Mikrobelodontos bradyi, Milliolinella suborbicularis, Operculina discoidalis, Parahourinoides fragillissimus, Quinqueloculina incisa, Quinqueloculina sulcate, Triloculinella bertheliniana and Triloculinella parisa. The highest and lowest numbers of species was recorded at station J3 and station F3. The agglutinated type of foraminifera contributed between 2–8% of the total assemblages. Meanwhile, calcareous hyaline and porcelaneous group represent 79% and 19% of total assemblages respectively. Based on the functional groups, symbiont-bearing taxa were the most common foraminiferal found in most of the stations. The present study indicates that majority of sampling sites around Pulau Tioman are conducive for coral reef growth and could recover from any future bleaching events or temporary damage in the ecosystem. However, several areas with higher coastal development and tourism activities has reduced water quality (FI < 4) and chances of better reef recovery. Thus, the number of visitors and tourists should be revised in order to produce a better condition for coral reefs to grow. This assumption is based on the established results of the FORAM index. Thus, we suppose that FORAM index could be used together with coral reef health index in other reef ecosystems around Malaysia to determine the condition and status of coral reef area. Introduction Coral reef ecosystem is among the most biologically diverse ecosystem in the world which play a vital role in shaping the ecosystems over the past 200 million years (Hoegh-Guldberg, 1999). Coral reef provides goods and services to marine tropical and subtropical regions (Moberg and Folke, 1999). Globally, coral reef ecosystem has been threatened and many have already been lost due to climate change and human intervention (Shahbudin et al., 2017). On a larger scale, elevated sea temperature and ocean acidication due to climate change has challenged the natural resilient of tropical reef (Anthony et al., 2015). Meanwhile the local stressors which ranged from human activities such as coastal development and pollution, reef predatory and diseases usually reduce the potential of reef recovery to climate change (Bruno and Selig, 2007; Anthony et al., 2015; Cowburn et al., 2018). Since coral reef ecosystems provide various natural environmental services, their ability to survive the global climate anomaly is very important. Consequently, understanding the health status of local individual reefs is important in order to make sure the coral reef survive and recover from any next mass mortality event in near future (Anthony et al., 2015). Pulau Tioman which is situated in the Southern South China Sea (SSCS) is surrounded by extensive coral covers that host various marine species (Harborne et al., 2000). Recognizing the importance of coral ecosystem, part of Pulau Tioman has been gazetted as National Marine Park by Malaysian government (Department of Marine Park, 2012). Concurrently the beauty of the island has attracted and promote tourisms activities since 1990 (Chia et al., 2018). Tourisms, recreational diving activities and coastal development may post local threat to the surrounding reef ecosystem by reducing their resilience to climate change (Cowburn et al., 2018). Therefore, the most viable management approach in facing climate change is to reduce and monitor local stressors such as coastal pollution (Game et al., 2014; Anthony et al., 2015). Benthic foraminifera have been proven to be an excellent indicator for sediment quality, heavy metal pollution, organic pollution and water quality (Alve, 1995; Hallock et al., 2003; Sen Gupta, 2003; Carnahan, 2005). This single cell organism is abundant in reef ecosystems with several taxa that possess similar ecological requirements as reef building corals (Hallock et al., 2003). Several studies have successfully monitor the potential recovery of reef environment using benthic foraminifera as indicator (Schueth and Frank, 2008; Uthicke et al., 2010; Natsir and Subkhan, 2012). The development of Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring (FORAM) index by Hallock et al. (2003) has allow continuous monitoring of reef health condition. In order to safeguard the coral ecosystems and maintain their ecological importance in Pulau Tioman, monitoring the environmental health surrounding the reef is very important to park management. This study aim to assess and monitor the health of reef environment surrounding the Pulau Tioman based on the application of Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring (FORAM) Index. Methods/experimental Study site The study was carried out at Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia (Fig. 1). Pulau Tioman lies off the southeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia in SCS region. The island is located in tropical region under the inuence of two type of monsoon; the northeast monsoon and southwest monsoon (Akhir et al., 2014). The maximum wave height during the northeast monsoon that occur through November to March is ~ 4 m while during southwest monsoon (April to August), the maximum wave height is < 1 m (Chu et al., 2004; Marghany, 2001). Pulau Tioman is surrounded by numerous coral reefs area with approximately 57–59 genera of hard coral distributed around the island (Shahbudin et al., 2016). Accropora, Montipora and Porites are among the most common coral genera reported from Pulau Tioman (Toda et al., 2007; Shahbudin et al., 2017). The sheltered west coast of Pulau Tioman (Fig. 1) made such area suitable for snorkeling and diving activities compared to the west side of the island. Therefore, the east coast of Pulau Tioman receives more tourist visits and much more developed with numerous resorts and housing area that are distributed along the coast (Shahbudin et al., 2017). Samples Collection In order to assess the marine environmental health of Pulau Tioman, samples were collected from coastal water of both west and east side of the island. A total of 10 sampling sites were selected based on the intensity of human activities and development along the coastal environment around Pulau Tioman. A transect of three sampling points were setup at each sampling site, giving a total of 30 sampling points around Pulau Tioman. At each sampling site, three Page 2/18 samples were collected along the 100 m transect laid perpendicular from the shore towards the reef slope. On each transect, the samples were collected at every 50 m intervals. Bulk sediment samples were collected by SCUBA divers using scoop and kept in labelled plastic bags. The in-situ parameters (i.e., water salinity, temperature and pH) and water depth (m) were obtained at each sampling station using Hydrolab Quanta Multiparameter from a small vessel. All samples collected at eld were brought back to the marine park station to be sorted. Sediment samples that have been collected were divided into two components for future analysis, i.e., foraminiferal and sedimentological analyses. Approximately 30 cm3 sediments were subsampled from the bulk samples for foraminiferal analysis and were xed with 4% buffered formalin (Murray, 2006). The remaining sediment samples were kept in zip-lock plastic bags, labelled and brought back to the laboratory for sediment grain size analysis. Laboratory analysis In the laboratory, the sediment samples for foraminiferal analysis were gently washed under running tap water over a 63 µm mesh sieve (Hallock et al., 2003). The residue on the 63 µm sieve was carefully transferred into pre-labelled weighing boat before being dried in the oven at 40–50 ºC overnight. The dried samples were later kept in plastic bags for analysis. Foraminiferal specimens were handpicked using a ne brush under a stereomicroscope. Approximately 300 optimally preserved foraminifera test were picked from every station
Load more

Recommended publications
  • From the Gulf of Alaska and Southeastern Alaska
    Recent Foraminifera From the Gulf of Alaska And Southeastern Alaska By RUTH TODD and DORIS LOW CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEONTOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 573-A A study resulting from a search for evidence that Pamplona Searidge is the foundered remnant of the 18th century "Pamplona Rock" UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1967 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 55 cents (paper cover) CONTENTS Page A18 18 2 1 21 2 1 2 5 26 3 0 31 3 3 34 3 5 35 36 38 38 38 39 39 39 4 0 4 3 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates 1-5 follow index] PLATE 1. Recent arenaceous Foraminifera from Alaska. 2. Recent arenaceous and porcellaneous Foraminifera from Alaska. 3. Recent Lagenidae, Polymorphinidae, and Buliminidae from Alaska. 4. Recent Buliminidae, Elphidiidae, Discorbidae, and Rotaliidae from Alaska. 5. Recent miscellaneous benthonic and planktonic Foraminifera from Alaska. FIGURE1. Map of Gldf of Alaska and southeastern Alaska showing locution of dredged samples- _._ _ _ A3 TABLES Page TABLE1. List of stations and locality data for Foraminifera samples- _ _._ _ _ _ . A2 2. Distribution and abundance of Iiecent Foraminifera off Alaska. _._ _. - _ _ 4 CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEONTOLOGY RECENT FORAMINIFERA FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA AND SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA By RUTHTODD and DORISLOW ABSTRACT / In each of these places numerous species were found in common Pamplona Searidge is a northeast-trending submarine ridge, with the present assemblages.
    [Show full text]
  • CBD Sixth National Report
    SIXTH NATIONAL REPORT OF MALAYSIA to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) December 2019 i Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ vi List of Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................... vi Foreword ..................................................................................................................................................... vii Preamble ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 1: UPDATED COUNTRY BIODIVERSITY PROFILE AND COUNTRY CONTEXT ................................... 1 1.1 Malaysia as a Megadiverse Country .................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Major pressures and factors to biodiversity loss ................................................................................. 3 1.3 Implementation of the National Policy on Biological Diversity 2016-2025 ........................................
    [Show full text]
  • Recent and Quaternary Foraminifera Collected Around New Caledonia
    Plates 6/1 & 6/2 Recent and Quaternary foraminifera collected around New Caledonia Jean-Pierre DEBENAY 1 & Guy CABIOCH 2 1 UPRES EA, Universite d'Angers, 2 Bd Lavoisiere, 49045, Angers cedex, France 2 Institut de Recherche pour Developpement, UR 055, Paliotropique, Centre IRD, BPA5, 98848 Noumea cedex, Nouvelle-Caledonie [email protected] Abstract The compilation of the works carried out on Recent and Quaternary foraminifera collected in the waters surrounding New Caledonia allowed us to identify 574 species. These species are listed according to the classification of Loeblish & Tappan (1988), updated for the Recent species by Debenay et al. (1996). Their affinity with microfaunas from other regions is briefly discussed. Resume La compilation des travaux sur les foramini:feres actuels et quaternaires recoltes dans les eaux entourant la Nouvelle-Caledonie nous a permis de repertorier 574 especes. Ces especes sont presen­ tees selon la classification de Loeblish & Tappan (1988), mise ajour pour les especes actuelles par Debenay et al. (1996). Leur affinite avec les microfaunes d'autres regions est discutee brievement. Introduction The first study about foraminifera from the southwestern Pacific near New Caledonia was carried out by Brady (1884) during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1873-1876), updated by Barker (1960), The nearest station was station 177, near Vanuatu (16°45'S-168°5'E). However, studies concerning directly New Caledonia began much later, with partial and local inventories in coastal samples (Gambini,1958, 1959; Renaud-Debyser, 1965; Toulouse, 1965, 1966). Samples of recent and fossil sediments collected during the Singer-Polignac mission (1960-1965) were further used for several studies of foraminiferal assemblages (Coudray & Margerel, 1974; Coudray, 1976; Margerel, 1981).
    [Show full text]
  • New Recent Foraminiferal Genera and Species from the Lagoon at Madang, Papua New Guinea
    New Recent foraminiferal genera and species from the lagoon at Madang, Papua New Guinea MARTIN R. LANGER Museum of Paleontology University of California Berkley, CA.94720, U.S.A. ABSTRACT Two new genera and eight new species of benthic foraminifera are described from the shallow water, tropical lagoon of Madang, Papua New Guinea. The new hauerinid genus Pseudolachlanella is characterized by juvenile cryptoquinqueloculine, adult almost massiline arranged chambers, and a slitlike, curved aperture with parallel sides and a long, slender, curved miliolid tooth. Pitella haigi n. gen., n. sp. is a new foraminifera with cryptoquinqueloculine arranged chambers, an almost entirely pitted shell surface (pseudopores)and a rounded aperture with a short simple tooth. Among the other species described as new are four hauerinids and two agglutinated foraminifera All new species described here occur sporadically in the shallow water back- and forereef environments of the lagoon (0-55m), and live infaunally and epifaunally in well-oxygenated, fine and coarse grained biogenic sediments. They are absent in muddy, organic-rich, low-oxygen sedimentary environments within bay inlets where variations of salinity are considerable. J. Microialaeontol. (1); 85-93, June 1992. 145-47' 49 50' 51' 11 48' I INTRODUCTION . Bostrem Cam Barsch The diverse, tropical foraminiferal faunal community from Papua New Guinea (PNG) represents an important link 5: between the Red Sea - East-African faunal province 5' (Hottinger, 1983, Reiss and Hottinger, 1984, Hottinger and Sample
    [Show full text]
  • Recent Foraminifera of the Marshall Islands
    Recent Foraminifera of the Marshall Islands Bikini and Nearby Atolls, Part 2, Oceanography (Biologic) GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 260-H ERRATA SLIP FOR PROFESSIONAL PAPER 260-H In the distribution tables (1-5) italic numbers indicate abundance of the species in percentages of the Foraminifera present in the sample. Arabic numbers indicate actual count of specimens. Recent Foraminifera of the Marshall Islands By JOSEPH A. CUSHMAN, RUTH TODD, and RITA J. POST Bikini and Nearby Atolls, Part 2, Oceanography (Biologic) GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 260-H UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1954 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Douglas McKay, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price $1.75 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Page ______.____-_-__-____-___-.-..______.____ 319 Systematic descriptions—Continued Introduction- ______---_-____--__-__-_-____-____--__ 319 Trochamminidae. _______________________________ 342 General features_____----------_--_-_-__-________^__ 319 Lagenidae _____________________________________ 342 Fauna of reef flats.__.--________-_-___._________ 319 Polymorphinidae_ ________-_-_-_----_--_-_-_-_-_ 344 Fauna of lagoons_______________________________ 320 Nonionidae_ __-__________________---_-----_---_ 345 Fauna of outer slopes. __.-_.____-_-_. ___________ 321 Camerinidae ___________________________________ 346 Fauna of deep water. ___________________________ 321 Peneroplidae___________________________________ 348 Sylvania Guyot core.______________^___-____ 322 Alveolinellidae________________________________ 348 Species restricted to guyot-__.___-_-.-_______ 322 Heterohelicidae- ________________________________ 349 Nondiagnostic species._________----_-__^________ 323 Buliminidae_- _ _________-_______-_-__--_--___--_ 349 Notes on distribution by families.
    [Show full text]
  • Vicksburg (Oligocene) Smaller Foraminifera from Mississippi
    Vicksburg (Oligocene) Smaller Foraminifera From Mississippi GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 241 Vicksburg (Oligocene) Smaller Foraminifera From Mississippi By RUTH TODD GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 241 Descriptions and illustrations of smaller Foraminifera from jive measured sections in western Mississippi UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1952 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. Contents Page Abstract _________________ 1 Systematic descriptions— Continued Introduction ______________ 1 Family Heterohelicidae- _______ 24 Stratigraphic sections _ _____ 2 Family Buliminidae.-__________ 25 Systematic descriptions_ 4 Family Rotaliidae-___________ 34 Family Textulariidae___ 4 Family Amphisteginidae------- 42 Family Verneuilinidae__ 5 Family Cassidulinidae- _ __--___. 42 Family Valyulinidae _ _ 6 Family Chilostomellidae-______ 43 Family Miliolidae. ____ 6 Family Globigerinidae--------- 43 Family Ophthalmidiidae 10 Family Anomalinidae_________ 44 Family Lagenidae____ 10 Family Planorbulinidae__ 46 Family Polymorphinidae 16 Bibliography __ ___________________ 47 Family Nonionidae. ____________________________ 21 Index.___________--_------_-____ 49 Illustrations Plate 1. Textulariidae, Verneuilinidae, Valvulinidae, Miliolidae, Ophthalmidiidae__--_----------_----_-------_ 2. Lagenidae______--____________________-_______________________________-___-------_-------_--
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to 1.000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific New Caledonia
    Jean-Pierre Debenay A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific New Caledonia PUBLICATIONS SCIENTIFIQUES DU MUSÉUM Debenay-1 7/01/13 12:12 Page 1 A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific: New Caledonia Debenay-1 7/01/13 12:12 Page 2 Debenay-1 7/01/13 12:12 Page 3 A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific: New Caledonia Jean-Pierre Debenay IRD Éditions Institut de recherche pour le développement Marseille Publications Scientifiques du Muséum Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle Paris 2012 Debenay-1 11/01/13 18:14 Page 4 Photos de couverture / Cover photographs p. 1 – © J.-P. Debenay : les foraminifères : une biodiversité aux formes spectaculaires / Foraminifera: a high biodiversity with a spectacular variety of forms p. 4 – © IRD/P. Laboute : îlôt Gi en Nouvelle-Calédonie / Island Gi in New Caledonia Sauf mention particulière, les photos de cet ouvrage sont de l'auteur / Except particular mention, the photos of this book are of the author Préparation éditoriale / Copy-editing Yolande Cavallazzi Maquette intérieure et mise en page / Design and page layout Aline Lugand – Gris Souris Maquette de couverture / Cover design Michelle Saint-Léger Coordination, fabrication / Production coordination Catherine Plasse La loi du 1er juillet 1992 (code de la propriété intellectuelle, première partie) n'autorisant, aux termes des alinéas 2 et 3 de l'article L. 122-5, d'une part, que les « copies ou reproductions strictement réservées à l'usage privé du copiste et non destinées à une utilisation collective » et, d'autre part, que les analyses et les courtes citations dans un but d'exemple et d'illustration, « toute représentation ou reproduction intégrale ou partielle, faite sans le consentement de l'auteur ou de ses ayants droit ou ayants cause, est illicite » (alinéa 1er de l'article L.
    [Show full text]
  • Five New Species and One New Genus of Recent Miliolid Foraminifera from Raja Ampat (West Papua, Indonesia)
    Five new species and one new genus of recent miliolid foraminifera from Raja Ampat (West Papua, Indonesia) Meena Förderer and Martin R. Langer Steinmann Institut, Paleontology, University of Bonn, Bonn, NRW, Germany ABSTRACT Raja Ampat is an archipelago of about 1,500 small islands located northwest off the Bird's Head Peninsula of Indonesia's West Papua province. It is part of the Coral Triangle, a region recognized as the ``epicenter'' of tropical marine biodiversity. In the course of a large-scale survey on shallow benthic foraminifera we have discovered one new genus and five new species of recent miliolid benthic foraminifera from the highly diverse reefal and nearshore environments. The new fischerinid genus Dentoplanispirinella is characterized by its planispiral coiling and by the presence of a simple tooth, that differentiate it from Planispirinella Wiesner. It is represented in our sample material by the new species Dentoplanispirinella occulta. The other four species described herein are Miliolinella moia, Miliolinella undina, Triloculina kawea and Siphonaperta hallocki. All new species are comparatively rare and occur sporadically in the sample material. Detailed morphological descriptions, scanning electron microscopy pictures of complete and dissected specimens as well as micro- computed tomography images are provided. Subjects Biodiversity, Paleontology, Taxonomy Keywords Foraminifera, Coral Triangle, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, Tropical reefs, Benthic, Protists INTRODUCTION Submitted 27 February 2016 Accepted 31 May 2016 The Raja Ampat Archipelago (West Papua, Indonesia) off the northwestern coast of New Published 23 June 2016 Guineas Bird's Head Peninsula (Fig. 1B) is one of the most species rich marine environments Corresponding author (Erdmann & Pet, 2002; McKenna, Allen & Suryadi, 2002), situated in the Indo-Pacific's Martin R.
    [Show full text]
  • THE EFFECTS of OCEAN ACIDIFICATION on MODERN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA by Laura R. Pettit a Thesis Submitted to Plymouth University I
    University of Plymouth PEARL https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk 04 University of Plymouth Research Theses 01 Research Theses Main Collection 2015 The Effects of Ocean Acidification on Modern Benthic Foraminifera Pettit, Laura Rachel http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/3465 Plymouth University All content in PEARL is protected by copyright law. Author manuscripts are made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the details provided on the item record or document. In the absence of an open licence (e.g. Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher or author. THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON MODERN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA by Laura R. Pettit A thesis submitted to Plymouth University in partial fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Marine Science and Engineering Doctoral Training Centre This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without the author’s prior consent. THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON MODERN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA by Laura R. Pettit A thesis submitted to Plymouth University in partial fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Marine Science and Engineering Doctoral Training Centre The effects of ocean acidification on Modern benthic Foraminifera Laura Rachel Pettit Abstract Ocean acidification may cause biodiversity loss, alter ecosystems and impact food security, yet uncertainty over ecological responses to ocean acidification remains considerable.
    [Show full text]
  • Reef Foraminifera As Bioindicators of Coral Reef Health in Southern South
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Reef foraminifera as bioindicators of coral reef health in southern South China Sea Aishah Norashikin Abdul A’ziz1, Fatin Izzati Minhat1,2*, Hui‑Juan Pan3, Hasrizal Shaari1,2, Wan Nurzalia Wan Saelan1,2, Nazihah Azmi1, Omar Abdul Rahman Abdul Manaf1 & Md Nizam Ismail4 Pulau Tioman is a famous tourist island of Peninsular Malaysia with beautiful coral reefs. This study aims to assess the health of the coral reefs surrounding Pulau Tioman based on the application of the Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring Index (FI). Ten sampling sites around Pulau Tioman were studied with a total of 30 samples. Eight orders, 41 families, 80 genera, and 161 species of benthic foraminifera were identifed. The agglutinated type of foraminifera constituted 2–8% of the total assemblages. Calcareous hyaline and porcelaneous groups represented 79% and 19% of the total assemblages, respectively. Symbiont‑bearing taxa were the most common foraminifera. The results indicate that most of the sampling sites are conducive for coral reef growth with good recoverability from future stress to the ecosystem. However, several areas with higher coastal development and tourism have reduced water and sediment quality. Therefore, the limit on the number of visitors and tourists should be revised to enable coral growth and health. The FI values in this study showed a positive correlation with good water qualities and a negative correlation with organic matter enrichment. The FI is a good measure to assess the health of a coral reef and can be applied to other reef ecosystems around Malaysia. Te coral reef ecosystem is among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world that plays a vital role in shaping the balance of environmental processes over the past 200 million years 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Applying Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblage to Evaluate the Coral Reef Condition in Dongsha Atoll Lagoon
    Zoological Studies 56: 20 (2017) doi:10.6620/ZS.2017.56-20 Applying Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblage to Evaluate the Coral Reef Condition in Dongsha Atoll lagoon Chienhsun Chen1,2,* and Hui-Ling Lin1,2 1Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories, 80143 Kaohsiung, Taiwan 2Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, 80424 Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Received 29 March 2017; Accepted 27 June 2017; Published 20 July 2017; Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan) Chienhsun Chen and Hui-Ling Lin (2017) Coral reefs in the South China Sea are threatened by environmental changes and anthropogenic disruptions. Foraminifera, a group of unicellular shelled protists, has been considered a reliable indicator of water quality and reef health. However, this indicator has not yet been used to study coral reefs in the South China Sea. In this study of foraminifera in the lagoon of Dongsha Atoll, both the assemblage diversity and the functional group composition were investigated. The FORAM index (FI), a numerical indicator based on functional group composition, was used to evaluate the condition of the coral reef of the Atoll lagoon. A typical assumption is that FI = 4 is the minimum index value corresponding to a suitable environment for the growth of calcifying organisms. Environments with FI values between 2 and 4 are unsuitable to marginal for recovery of coral communities after a mortality event. Data were recorded regarding a total of 287 foraminiferal species. Approximately 68% of the tests belonged to the porcelaneous taxa; the Quinqueloculina, Triloculina, and Pseudomassilina species were well represented. Hyaline foraminifera were less abundant than porcelaneous foraminifera; the agglutinated foraminifera were the least abundant.
    [Show full text]
  • Surveillance for Sarcocystosis in Tioman Island, Malaysia
    Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2012, Vol. 12(2): 39-44 ORIGINAL ARTICLE SURVEILLANCE FOR SARCOCYSTOSIS IN TIOMAN ISLAND, MALAYSIA Husna Maizura AM1, Khebir V1, Chong CK1, Azman Shah AM2, Azri A3, Lokman Hakim S4 1Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health, Malaysia. 2Veterinary Regional Laboratory, Kuantan, Pahang. 3Biosecurity and SPS Management Division, Department of Veterinary Services, Malaysia. 4Public Health Department, Ministry of Health, Malaysia. ABSTRACT In October 2011, the National International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 Focal Point for Malaysia received notification from the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of a probable Sarcocystis outbreak amongst 23 travellers from six countries who had vacationed on Tioman Island between June and August 2011. The Ministry of Health, Malaysia (MOH) in collaboration with the Department of Veterinary Services, Malaysia (DVS) conducted a cross sectional study in November 2011 to determine the presence of Sarcocystosis among humans, animals and in the environment in Tioman Island. Epidemiological investigations conducted involved a community health survey of 44 residents in Kampung Salang, Tioman and review of outpatient attendance cards for suspected or confirmed cases of Sarcocystosis. Twenty-eight fresh stool samples were collected and sent to the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) for detection of Sarcocystis oocysts using fluorescence microscopy. Water samples taken from 27 water sampling points around the island were processed and analysed under the fluorescence microscope using ultraviolet (UV) light at the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) to detect the presence of Sarcocystis sporocyst. DVS collected 84 faecal samples from four types of domesticated animals and then analysed them at the Veterinary Services Centre in Tioman Island for Sarcocystis oocysts and other parasitic ova and cysts using qualitative Floatation Technique.
    [Show full text]