DOCSLIB.ORG

Managing an Invasive Corallimorph at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Line Islands, Central Pacific

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Managing an Invasive Corallimorph at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Line Islands, Central Pacific Biol Invasions https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1696-1 ORIGINAL PAPER Managing an invasive corallimorph at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Line Islands, Central Pacific Thierry M. Work . Greta S. Aeby . Benjamin P. Neal . Nichole N. Price . Eric Conklin . Amanda Pollock Received: 29 September 2017 / Accepted: 26 February 2018 Ó The Author(s) 2018. This article is an open access publication Abstract In 2007, a phase shift from corals to pulverized bleach may be an effective tool to eradicate corallimorpharians (CM) centered around a shipwreck CM on a local scale. If applied strategically, partic- was documented at Palmyra Atoll, Line Islands. ularly in heavily infested ([ 66% cover) areas, active Subsequent surveys revealed CM to be overgrowing intervention such as this could be an effective the reef benthos, including corals and coralline algae, management tool to reduce CM impact on localized potentially placing coral ecosystems in the atoll at risk. areas and decrease colonization rate of remaining This prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the reefs. This is the first documentation of the response of lead management agency of the atoll, to remove the an invasive cnidarian to shipwreck removal. While shipwreck. Subsequent surveys showed reductions in this was a singular event in Palmyra, the spatial and CM around the ship impact site. We explain patterns temporal patterns of this invasion and the eradications of spread of the CM in terms of both life history and lessons described herein, are useful for anticipating local currents and show with a pilot study that and controlling similar situations elsewhere. Keywords Corralimorpharian Á Invasive species Á T. M. Work (&) Shipwreck disturbance Á Invasion dynamics Á Coral US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, reefs Á Control Á Management Á Phase shifts Honolulu Field Station, PO Box 50187, Honolulu, HI 96850, USA e-mail: [email protected] G. S. Aeby Introduction Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, 46-007 Lilipuna Rd, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA Coral reefs are subject to damage from both natural B. P. Neal Á N. N. Price and anthropogenic causes, including large scale storm Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, 60 Bigelow Dr, events, temperature anomalies and subsequent bleach- East Boothbay, ME 04544, USA ing events, disease outbreaks on foundational species, E. Conklin overfishing, and ship groundings. The resultant dis- The Nature Conservancy-Hawaii, 923 Nuuanu Ave, ruption from these events can facilitate colonization or Honolulu, HI 96817, USA expansion by invasive organisms that can result in phase shifts (Chadwick and Morrow 2011; Hughes A. Pollock US Fish and Wildlife Service, Refuges, et al. 2010). Phase shifts are defined here as ‘‘extensive PO Box 50167, Honolulu, HI 96850, USA decreases in coral cover coinciding with substantial 123 T. M. Work et al. increases in some alternative benthic organism, due to capable of year-round reproduction via sexual (pelagic a pulse or press disturbance, that have per- spawning) or asexual clonal replication (Chadwick- sisted [ 5 year’’ (Norstro¨m et al. 2009). For example, Furman and Spiegel 2000; Chen et al. 1995). Some mass mortality of the sea urchin, Diadema antillarum, species of CM can rapidly replicate with a polyp throughout the Caribbean from an apparent disease doubling time in as little as 2 months (Chadwick and outbreak contributed to a phase-shift from coral- to Adams 1991). R. howesii is considered native to algal-dominated communities (Lessios 2016). In the Palmyra based on observations of its presence around Indo-Pacific, similar phase-shifts have occurred in the atoll prior to the outbreak (Work et al. 2008). response to shipwrecks where coral dominated com- Perhaps life history characteristics of the CM popu- munities change to those dominated by opportunist lation around the shipwreck contributed to the benthic organisms. On Rose Atoll in American Samoa observed rapid spread on the atoll. The increased where a fishing vessel wrecked on the reef, the percent presence of CM around the ship would be analogous to cover of turf/cyanobacteria was an order of magnitude an outbreaks of other native species such as the crown higher (40%) in areas surrounding the wreck as of thorns seastars on coral reefs (Pratchett et al. 2014). compared with reference sites on the same island In 2013, the FWS secured funding to disassemble (Schroeder et al. 2008). In the Line Islands, iron and remove the shipwreck at Palmyra Atoll NWR with enrichment from shipwrecks fueled growth of invasive all the metal shipped back to the mainland U.S. for cyanobacteria and turf algae (Kelly et al. 2012). Once scrap. Our objectives were to (1) document the established, invasive organisms are difficult to control, distribution of CM at Palmyra before and after with failures mostly due to late detection resulting in shipwreck removal, (2) examine the life history of sufficient time elapsing for invasives to occupy areas CM and the oceanographic conditions that could help too large for eradication to be practical (Hewitt and explain the observed patterns of spread, and (3) test Campbell 2007). However, in the rare attempts that methods for control CM. have been made to manage marine invasives, suc- cesses do exist; for instance the complete elimination of the invasive algae, Caulerpa racemosa near San Methods Diego, California. This effort was successful because the algae were detected early, were within a well- Surveys defined area, and were eradicated before they spread over a large scale (Anderson 2005). In 2011 and 2016, surveys of CM infestation were In 2007, a corallimorpharian (CM), Rhodactis conducted following protocols described previously howesii, was discovered smothering coral reefs at (Work et al. 2008). Briefly, a snorkeler was towed at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (Palmyra), a an approximate speed of ca. 50 m/min over benthic remote atoll within the Line Islands ca. 5° north of the transects that originated from the shipwreck site Equator (Work et al. 2008). The CM invasion towards the 8 major points of the compass (N, NE, encompassed a well-defined 1 km2 area with a E, SE, S, SW, W, NW). Every minute (ca. 50 m), the predominant NW to SE orientation surrounding a towboat stopped, and the snorkeler subjectively inte- longline vessel that had wrecked on the atoll in 1991. grated benthic cover during the tow scoring the level The distribution of the CM around the shipwreck and of CM infestation based on percent cover using the around mooring buoys fastened by iron chains following 0–3 scale: 0 = no CM; 1 = ca. 1–33%; suggested that substances leaching from metals, 2 = 34–66%; and 3 = [ 67% CM cover. Visual area possibly iron, might in part be driving the spread of covered by each 1 min tow was ca 500 m2.Tows the infestation on the reef (Work et al. 2008). In continued until at least three consecutive stops scored response, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in at 0 were obtained or until it became too deep collaboration with The Nature Conservancy switched (20–25 m) to see the benthos from the surface or too out existing iron mooring chains with stainless steel in shallow (\ 1 m) for effective vessel operation. To 2010. Another conjecture to explain the spread is that quantify the directional spread of CM, we tested CM are an opportunistic, weedy species, competi- whether the pattern of CM invasion deviated signif- tively superior to other cnidarians such as corals, and icantly from a uniform circle surrounding the ship by 123 Managing an invasive corallimorph plotting and testing for circular uniformity and reflec- recorded every 10 m moving along each transect line, tive symmetry (Rao Jammalamadaka and Sen Gupta and the average depth recorded per transect line. This 2001). Areal coverage of CM was calculated by strategy gave four depth categories from deep to plotting the infestation and measuring the area of shallow (e.g. tape 1 deployed at 27.4 m = deep reef splined polygons surrounding the limits of mild (Score and tape 4 deployed onto the reef flat = shallow). The 1), moderate (Score 2), or severe (Score 3) infestation. presence/absence of CM was recorded every m (point The original spread of the CM around the wreck intercept) along each 30 transect giving a total of 124 was on the western reef shelf of Palmyra Atoll. points at each site. CM cover for each depth category However, evidence of CM on reef slopes to the north (n = 4) was pooled for the 5 sites. Average percent and south of the atoll prompted us to record depth CM cover for the four depth categories was compared distribution of CM on the forereef at five sites using Kruskall–Wallis analysis of variance, because surrounding the atoll (Fig. 1a). These sites were data did not fit assumptions of normality by the chosen because they are historically established ben- Shapiro–Wilks test (W = 0.68365, p = 2.48e-05). thic survey stations for researchers at Palmyra Atoll. At each site, transect lines were initiated at a depth of Oceanography 27.4 m and deployed perpendicular to shore up the reef slope and onto the reef flat to a depth of ca. 0.1 m. Once established, it was expected that CM spread from This configuration required four 30 m transects to be the shipwreck site would occur via the dispersal of laid end-to-end and separated by 1 m. Depth was larvae and clonal fragments directed by ocean Fig. 1 a Map of Palmyra showing the shipwreck site (circle) at 4 depth intervals: median percent corallimorph cover (line), and locations of depth transects (red triangles). Also shown are first and third quartile (boxes), whiskers (1.5 times the shallow reef flats (beige) and emergent land (green).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Corallimorph and Montipora Reefs in Ulithi Atoll, Micronesia: Documenting Unusual Reefs
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303060119 Corallimorph and Montipora Reefs in Ulithi Atoll, Micronesia: documenting unusual reefs Article · May 2016 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.51289 CITATIONS READS 0 174 6 authors, including: Nicole Crane Peter Ansgar Nelson Cabrillo Community College District University of California, Santa Cruz 21 PUBLICATIONS 248 CITATIONS 26 PUBLICATIONS 272 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Giacomo Bernardi University of California, Santa Cruz 367 PUBLICATIONS 4,728 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: One People One Reef: Micronesian outer islands View project Stay or Go View project All content following this page was uploaded by Nicole Crane on 13 May 2016. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. All in-text references underlined in blue are added to the original document and are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately. Corallimorph and Montipora Reefs in Ulithi Atoll, Micronesia: documenting unusual reefs NICOLE L. CRANE Department of Biology, Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003, USA Oceanic Society, P.O. Box 844, Ross, CA 94957, USA One People One Reef, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA MICHELLE J. PADDACK Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, CA 93109, USA Oceanic Society, P.O. Box 844, Ross, CA 94957, USA One People One Reef, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA PETER A. NELSON H. T. Harvey & Associates, Los Gatos, CA 95032, USA Institute of Marine Science, University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA One People One Reef, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA AVIGDOR ABELSON Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel One People One Reef, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA JOHN RULMAL, JR.
    [Show full text]
  • MCBI's Comments to the USCRTF: Degrading Shipwrecks Devastating
    Marine Conservation Biology Institute William Chandler, Vice President for Government Affairs February 24, 2011 Marine Conservation Biology Institute’s Comments to the US Coral Reef Task Force Meeting Degrading Shipwrecks Devastating Coral Reefs in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument US Coral Reef Task Force chairs, members, and fellow participants, My name in Bill Chandler and I am the Vice President for Government Affairs at Marine Conservation Biology Institute. MCBI is a global leader in the fight to protect vast areas of the ocean. We use science to identify places in peril and advocate for bountiful, healthy oceans for us and future generations. I am here today to update you on a serious problem affecting some of our nation’s most pristine coral reefs. At the 2009 US Coral Reef Task Force meeting in San Juan, the Task Force was briefed on marine debris impacts on coral. One impact comes from abandoned derelict vessels. As mentioned in the 2009 presentation, two shipwrecks located within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, one at Palmyra Atoll and one at Kingman reef, are causing an ecosystem “phase shift” within the monument’s reefs resulting in the destruction of hundreds of acres of corals. I am here today to give you an update on these wrecks. As you will recall, a 121-foot Taiwanese fishing boat sank on Palmyra Atoll in 1991 and an 85-foot fishing vessel was discovered on Kingman Reef in August 2007. In addition to the initial harm to the reef from the groundings of each wreck, other problems have developed.
    [Show full text]
  • Wildlife Health from Land to Sea: Impacts of a Changing World
    58th Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association Wildlife Health from Land to Sea: Impacts of a Changing World Program and Abstracts August 2—7, 2009 Blaine, Washington 58th Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association Semiahmoo, Blaine, Washington USA 2009 THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Platinum Sponsor $10,000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Gold Sponsor $5,000 USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services Gold Sponsor $5,000 Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, Reno Chapter Silver Sponsor $2,500 US Geological Survey Silver Sponsor $2,500 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Silver Sponsor $2,500 American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians $1,500 Oregon State University $1,000 International Wildlife Veterinary Services, Inc $1,000 Mule Deer Foundation $750 Wild Sheep Foundation $750 Idaho Department of Fish and Game $500 U.C. Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Center in-kind Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in-kind Nevada Department of Wildlife in-kind Wildlife Conservation Society in-kind Cover Photo: By permission: Orcinus orca by Billy Doran Eclipse Photography http://www.wclipsephoto.org/ Back Cover Photo: Colin Gillin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the printing of this year’s program 58th Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association August 2-7, 2009 Semiahmoo Blaine, Washington Program & Abstracts 58th Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association Semiahmoo, Blaine,
    [Show full text]
  • USDI-FWS Award F13AC00200 Final Report
    USDI-FWS Award F13AC00200 Final Report The ecology of Rhodactis howesii at Palmyra Atoll: determining mechanisms of invasion and patterns of succession Principal Investigator: Dr. Jennifer E. Smith; PhD. Student:Amanda L. Carter, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Email: [email protected], [email protected] March 12, 2016 Motivation: Invasive species represent a persistent form of biotic pollution across multiple aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. These invaders put pressure on native species and can cause local or regional extinctions as native species are outcompeted for valuable resources. Invasive species are often introduced to an ecosystem through anthropogenic vectors (transfer mechanisms); including but not limited to ship-ballast water, agricultural trade, and in some instances, deliberate introduction. Although many invasions are the result of the introduction of a non-native species, there are cases in which disturbances in an ecosystem may cause a species that was native but present in low abundance to proliferate and spread in a manner similar to an invasive non-native species. The mechanism of the invasion of the corallimorph Rhodactis howesii at Palmyra Atoll has been a matter of debate since the species was first observed in the 1990s. The goals of our research were to examine possible mechanisms that may influence the invasion of the corallimorph across the atoll as well as to monitor spread, and investigate potential control options. Specifically, we examined whether there was evidence to suggest that iron released from the Hui Feng Longliner shipwreck might have provided a limiting nutrient that allowed the corallimorph to bloom. Further, we established a number of permanent monitoring plots across the atoll to monitor change in abundance over time.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Palmyra Rhodactis
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO MARINE BIOLOGY RESEARCH DIVISION 9500 GILMAN DRIVE SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA 92093-0202 (858) 534-1607 (858) 534-7313 FAX Palmyra Rhodactis Monitoring Project (PRMP) Progress Report March 30th 2015 Prepared by: Gareth J. Williams, Ph.D. ([email protected]) Background In 1991 a longliner vessel (Hui Feng) wrecked on the shallow western reef terrace of Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (PANWR). In 2004 when the grounded vessel was first surveyed, low densities of the fleshy (non-calcifying) corallimorph Rhodactis howesii were observed (Work et al. 2008). By 2008 densities had exploded and Rhodactis is now one of the dominant benthic competitors surrounding the shipwreck area (Work et al. 2008) (Fig. 1). While the exact mechanism behind this corallimorph phase-shift is still unknown, it was hypothesized that iron leaching out of the vessel could be tipping the competitve balance in favor of the corallimorphs (Work et al. 2008). Excess iron levels in the oligotrophic central Pacific have since been linked to other phase-shifts on coral reefs including cyanobacterial and filamentous green algae (Wegley Kelly et al. 2012). PANWR represents a biodiversity hotspot in the central Pacific (Williams et al. 2008; Maragos and Williams 2011) and the reefs surrounding the Atoll system boast some of the highest cover of calcifying benthic organisms (Williams et al. 2013) and predatory fish biomass (Sandin et al. 2008) in the central Pacific Ocean. As such, any threats to reef health require management actions to reinstate reef resilience and promote persistance of reef-building (calcifying) organisms.
    [Show full text]
  • Information to Users
    Sponges Dominant In The Alaska Intertidal: Biology, Ecology, And Genetic Diversity Item Type Thesis Authors Knowlton, Ann Lynette Download date 27/09/2021 10:34:55 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8617 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. SPONGES DOMINANT IN THE ALASKA INTERTIDAL: BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND GENETIC DIVERSITY A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Ann Lynette Knowlton, B.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Jacobs Hawii 0085O 11060.Pdf
    A PHYLOGENOMIC EXAMINATION OF PALMYRA ATOLL’S CORALLIMORPHARIAN INVADER A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MARINE BIOLOGY April, 2021 By Kaitlyn P. Jacobs Thesis Committee: Cynthia Hunter, Chairperson Robert Toonen Amanda Pollock Keywords: corallimorph, RAD-seq, species deliniation, anthozoan genetics, Palmyra Atoll This work is dedicated to my dad, for helping me with my troubles and guiding me through my years. ii Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my family, for their constant support and encouragement in everything that I decide to pursue. In addition I want to thank the friends that had to bear with me while I was at the height of this project, you are all troopers and the love doesn’t go unnoticed. I would like to extend a sincere mahalo to my thesis committee: Dr. Cynthia Hunter, Dr. Rob Toonen, and Dr. Amanda Pollock. Working on this thesis was a very formative process for me and each of you contributed uniquely to that, for which I am eternally grateful. A big thank you to Mariana Rocha de Souza for contributing to the part of this work relating to Symbiodiniaceae sequencing and analysis. I would like to thank the HIMB EPSCoR core facility and the University of Hawai‘i’s Advanced Studies in Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics facility for their assistance with DNA sequencing. I also would like to give a large thank you to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Palmyra team for collaboration and sample collection, specifically Stefan Kropidlowski, Danielle Cantrell, the amazing volunteers, and Tim Clark for collection from American Sāmoa.
    [Show full text]
  • Status of Coral Reefs of the Pacific 2011 PRIA 051813-Dr.Jeankenyon-Todos
    STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF THE PACIFIC – 2011 ADDENDUM: United States Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (Johnston, Howland, BaKer, Jarvis, Palmyra, Kingman, WaKe) By: Dr. Jean Kenyon, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Inventory and Monitoring Program Marine Area: 225,040 km2 (1) Coastline: unkn Population (2011 est.): < 125 Land Area: 15 km2 Population (2050 proj): <125 Reef Area: 252.3 km2 (2) Population growth: Total MPAs: 8 Urban population: 0 Mangrove area: 0 km2 GDP: NA Percentage of reefs threatened: ?? GDP/Cap: NA Data from NWRS Refuge Profiles database (https://rmis/fws.gov/Profiles) unless indicated with a reference number Overview The US Pacific Remote Islands (PRI) includes seven diverse and widely separated islands, atolls, and reefs in the Central Pacific that are under the jurisdiction of the United States. Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands; Johnston and Palmyra Atolls; and Kingman Reef all lie between Hawaii and American Samoa. Wake Atoll is located between the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and Guam. All of the PRIS have been managed as National Wildlife Refuges by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) since 1926 (Johnston), 1974 (Howland, Baker, Jarvis), 2001 (Palmyra and Kingman), or 2009 (Wake). The PRI are distant from human population centers; the least remote are Jarvis and Palmyra, which are both around 350 km from, respectively, Kiritimati and Tabuaeran in the Line Islands chain. Four of the PRIS (Howland, Baker, Jarvis, and Kingman) are unpopulated. A small field camp at Johnston maintained by the USFWS has supported a staff of 4-5 people since 2010 to control non-native invasive Yellow Crazy ants.
    [Show full text]
  • CNIDARIA: ANTHOZOA: CORALLIMORPHARIA): UTILITY of the 5.8S and INTERNAL TRANSCRIBED SPACER (ITS) REGIONS of the Rrna TRANSCRIPTION UNIT
    BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE. 59( I): 196--208. 1996 CORAL REEF PAPER SYSTEMATIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TROPICAL CORALLIMORPHARIANS (CNIDARIA: ANTHOZOA: CORALLIMORPHARIA): UTILITY OF THE 5.8S AND INTERNAL TRANSCRIBED SPACER (ITS) REGIONS OF THE rRNA TRANSCRIPTION UNIT Chao/un A. Chen, Bette L. Willis and David J. Miller ABSTRACT The nucleotide sequences of a segment of the rRNA transcription unit spanning the 3'- end of the 18S rDNA to the 5'-end of the 28S rDNA were determined for the tropical corallimorpharians (Cnidaria: Anthozoa), Rhodactis howesii, R. mussoides, Amplexidiscus fenestrafer, Actinodiscus nummiformis, A. unguja and an undescribed species. Comparison of the 5.8S rDNA sequences indicated a close relationship between the genera Rhodactis and Amplexidiscus and a much more distant relationship between these two genera and Actinod- iscus spp. The level of variation detected in this conserved region of the ribosomal transcrip- tion unit is not consistent with den Hartog's revision of the family Actinodiscidae to a single genus. Among the range of species studied, there was considerable variation in both length and % (G+C) content in the ITS regions. Both ITS sequences appear to be conserved within genera but highly variable between genera, and can therefore be used for generic assignment. Analysis of both ITS and 5.8S rRNA sequences supports assignment of the undescribed species to the genus Amplexidiscus. The Corallimorpharia is a small and poorly characterized order within the an- thozoan sub-class Zoanthmia. Although morphologically similar to both the Ac- tiniaria (sea anemones) and Scleractinia (hard corals), the relationships between the Corallimorpharia and these two major orders of Hexacorallia are controversial (den Hartog, 1980; Fautin, 1993; Chen et a!., 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • Atoll Research Bulletin No. 557 Characterization of The
    ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 557 CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CORAL COMMUNITIES AT PALMYRA ATOLL IN THE REMOTE CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN BY GARETH J. WILLIAMS, JAMES E. MARAGOS, AND SIMON K. DAVY ISSUED BY NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. NOVEMBER 2008 Figure 1. (a) Location of Palmyra Atoll within the Central Pacific in relation to the Main Hawaiian Islands (circled MHI), (b) the location of the five back-reef sites: PSi, Penguin Spit Inner Buoy; PSm, Penguin Spit Middle Buoy; SI, Sand Island; Ti, Tortugonas back reef; NB, North Barren, and six fore- reef sites: PSf, Penguin Spit; HP, Home & Paradise; EH, Engineer & Holei; WT, Western Terrace; Tf, Tortugonas fore reef; St, Strawn. Ikonos 2000 image (courtesy of Space Imaging). CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CORAL COMMUNITIES AT PALMYRA ATOLL IN THE REMOTE CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN BY GARETH J. WILLIAMS,1 JAMES E. MARAGOS,2 AND SIMON K. DAVY1* ABSTRACT Detecting spatial differences between ecological communities is central for establishing baselines, future monitoring and ecosystem management. In remote locations field survey time is often limited but should be balanced with suitable survey effort. Adequate baselines of coral community structure are essential in order to monitor the effects of any environmental changes. Palmyra Atoll is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge and an important ecosystem for conservation and compatible scientific investigation. WWII military construction impacted the atoll, and lagoon restoration has been proposed to facilitate reef recovery. A total of 84 coral species/morphological groups representing 31 genera were recorded during 2007 surveys at Palmyra. Significant differences in relative coral community structure were detected between reef types (back reef, fore reef) and among individual sites (5 back reef, 6 fore reef) around the atoll.
    [Show full text]
  • Tropical Corallimorpharia (Coelenterata: Anthozoa): Feeding by Envelopment
    Tropical Corallimorpharia (Coelenterata: Anthozoa): Feeding by Envelopment WILLIAM M . HAMNER 1 Australian Institut e of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland DAPHNE F AUTIN DUNN Departm ent of Inverrebrate Zoology , California Academy of Sciences , Golden Gate Park , San Francisco, CA 94118 Abstract,- Three species of tropical Australian corallimorpharians (family Actinodiscidae) lacking ectodermal nematocy sts in their discal tentacle s feed by entrapping prey with their oral discs. The largest species can close in three seconds , engulf four liters of water , and capture shrimps and fishes. It has captured anemonefishes in aquari a. Introduction Members of the 11 orders of the exclusively marine coelenterate class Anthozoa are basically alike in body form, with a cylindrical gastrovascular cavity divided by radial septa (mesenteries) and topped by an oral disc from which arise hollow tentacles (usually eight or multiples of six) that communicate with the gastrovascular space. All members of the phylum possess intrinsic nematocysts . Typically the ectoderm of the tentacles is studded with these toxin-filled, intracellular organelles which function by eversion of a thread that wraps around or penetrates animal prey, thereby securing, immobilizing or killing it. Nematocysts also occur in the ectodermal lining of the actinopharynx (throat) and endodermally along the free edge of each septum. Among some or all six genera of family Actinodiscidae ( order Corallimorpharia) , however, dense concentrations of nematocysts occur primarily in the endoderm of the mesenteries and oral disc. The absence of nematocysts on the external surface of most tentacles of these animals was well established by the early twentieth century (McMurrich , 1889; Carlgren , 1900; Duerden , 1900), but the question of how such anemones feed has apparently not been considered .
    [Show full text]
  • Corallimorpharian Transcriptomes and Their Use to Understand Phylogeny and Symbiosis in the Hexacorallia
    ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following reference: Lin, Mei-Fang (2016) Corallimorpharian transcriptomes and their use to understand phylogeny and symbiosis in the Hexacorallia. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/48579/ The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please contact [email protected] and quote http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/48579/ CORALLIMORPHARIAN TRANSCRIPTOMES AND THEIR USE TO UNDERSTAND PHYLOGENY AND SYMBIOSIS IN THE HEXACORALLIA PhD Thesis submitted by Mei-Fang LIN, MSc (NTU) in September 2016 Advisors Prof Dr David John Miller Dr Sylvain Forêt Dr Chaolun Allen Chen Dr Marcelo Visentini Kitahara Dr Kyall Zenger For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Molecular and Cell Biology James Cook University To Su-Hsiang Chen Lin Wen-Chang Lin and Yu-Ning Lin ii Statement of Access I, the undersigned author of this thesis, understand that James Cook University will make it available for use within the university library and by electronic digital format, via the Australian digital theses network, for use elsewhere. I understand that, containing unpublished work, a thesis has significant protection under the Copyright Act. Therefore, all users consulting this work should agree with the following statement: “In consulting this thesis, I agree not to copy or partially paraphrase it in whole or in part without the written consent of the author, and to make proper written acknowledgement of any assistance which I have obtained from it.” Beyond this, I do not place any restriction on access to this thesis.
    [Show full text]