Variation in susceptibility among three Caribbean coral species and their algal symbionts indicates the threatened staghorn coral,Acropora cervicornis,is particularly susceptible to elevated nutrients and heat stress

Coral Reefs - Coral cover is declining worldwide due to multiple interacting threats. We compared the effects of elevated nutrients and temperature on three Caribbean corals: Acropora cervicornis,...     

Reef-Fidelity and Migration of Tiger Sharks,Galeocerdo cuvier,across the Coral Sea

Knowledge of the habitat use and migration patterns of large sharks is important for assessing the effectiveness of large predator Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), vulnerability to fisheries and environmental influences, and management of shark–human interactions. Here we compare movement, reef-fidelity, and ocean migration for tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, across the Coral Sea, with an emphasis on New Caledonia. Thirty-three tiger sharks (1.54 to 3.9 m total length) were tagged with passive acoustic transmitters and their localised movements monitored on receiver arrays in New Caledonia, the Chesterfield and Lord Howe Islands in the Coral Sea, and the east coast of Queensland, Australia. Satellite tags were also used to determine habitat use and movements among habitats across the Coral Sea. Sub-adults and one male adult tiger shark displayed year-round residency in the Chesterfields with two females tagged in the Chesterfields and detected on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, after 591 and 842 days respectively. In coastal barrier reefs, tiger sharks were transient at acoustic arrays and each individual demonstrated a unique pattern of occurrence. From 2009 to 2013, fourteen sharks with satellite and acoustic tags undertook wide-ranging movements up to 1114 km across the Coral Sea with eight detected back on acoustic arrays up to 405 days after being tagged. Tiger sharks dove 1136 m and utilised three-dimensional activity spaces averaged at 2360 km³. The Chesterfield Islands appear to be important habitat for sub-adults and adult male tiger sharks. Management strategies need to consider the wide-ranging movements of large (sub-adult and adult) male and female tiger sharks at the individual level, whereas fidelity to specific coastal reefs may be consistent across groups of individuals. Coastal barrier reef MPAs, however, only afford brief protection for large tiger sharks, therefore determining the importance of other oceanic Coral Sea reefs should be a priority for future research.     

Priority coral conservation areas under global warming in the Amami Islands,Southern Japan

Coral Reefs - Coral reef ecosystems are highly sensitive to climate change. The Amami Islands in Southern Japan were selected as the study area. It is important to select areas that should be given...     

Acoustic and biological trends on coral reefs off Maui,Hawaii

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are characterized by high biodiversity, and evidence suggests that reef soundscapes reflect local species assemblages. To investigate how sounds produced on a given reef...     

Ecological consequences of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are suffering global declines due to climate change, natural disasters, pollution, and diseases. Coral disease events have increased in frequency and severity in the past...     

Mechanical properties,spectral vibrational response,and flow-field analysis of the aragonite skeleton of the staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis)

Coral Reefs - Understanding the structural and mechanical properties of coral skeletons is important to assess their responses to natural and anthropogenic challenges and to predict the long-term...     

Sea snake diversity at the Entrecasteaux atolls,Coral Sea,as revealed by video observations at unbaited stations

Coral Reefs - The first survey of sea snakes (Elapidae, Hydrophiinae) at the remote Entrecasteaux atolls, Coral Sea, was conducted using remote unbaited 360° video cameras (RUV360), in 2021....     

Evolution,diversity, distribution and the endangered future of the giant clam–Symbiodiniaceae association

Coral Reefs - Giant clams are found in a mutualistic association with Symbiodiniaceae dinoflagellates. While clams are economically important for fisheries, Symbiodiniaceae are responsible for most...     

Linear extension,skeletal density,and calcification rates of the blue coral Heliopora coerulea

Coral Reefs - The brooding reef-building octocoral Heliopora is widespread on Indo-West Pacific reefs and appears to be relatively resistant to thermal stress, which may enable it to persist...     

Physiological seasonality in the symbiont and host of the northern star coral,Astrangia poculata

Coral Reefs - Assessing physiological responses that correspond to the normal range of seasonal variation can provide a better understanding of how environmental stressors may impact physiology....     

Effect of species,provenance, and coral physiology on the composition of Hawaiian coral-associated microbial communities

Coral Reefs - The resistance of corals to a changing climate has been linked to physiological parameters including heterotrophic capacity and energy reserves. Recently, the potential flexibility...     

Workshop on the ecosystem and fisheries of the Coral Sea: an Australian perspective on research and management

This report summarizes a workshop on the Coral Sea to determine key research findings and identify the research gaps needed to support sustainable management of a proposed Coral Sea Marine Reserve. Key research questions included determining the connectivity of apex predators with the broader southwest Pacific Ocean, and assessing the regions?? biodiversity in relation to seabed topography and oceanographic processes. The workshop concluded noting the importance of engaging surrounding countries in maintaining the sustainability and uniqueness of the Coral Sea.     

High diversity,abundance and distinct fish assemblages on submerged coral reef pinnacles compared to shallow emergent reefs

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs exhibit consistent patterns in biodiversity across multiple spatial scales, from local to global clines in species richness, abundance and community structure. Knowledge...     

Seasonal controls on the diet,metabolic activity,tissue reserves and growth of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa

Coral Reefs - Vast cold-water coral (CWC) reefs occur in temperate regions, where strong seasonality in temperature and light leads to a short but highly productive spring period. How CWCs respond...     

Increasing coral calcification in Orbicella faveolata and Pseudodiploria strigosa at Flower Garden Banks,Gulf of Mexico

Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are globally in decline and western Atlantic reefs have experienced the greatest losses in live coral cover of any region. The Flower Garden Banks (FGB) in the Gulf of...     

Skeletal growth,morphology and skeletal parameters of a temperate,solitary and zooxanthellate coral along a depth gradient in the Dardanelles (Turkey)

Coral Reefs - Studying coral populations along depth gradients is important to find out if deeper habitats can act as microrefugia from bleaching and/or mortality events associated with high...     

Prevalence and extent of coral diseases in shallow and mesophotic reefs of the Southwestern Atlantic

Coral Reefs - Coral reef ecology has advanced in many fields, but disease patterns across depth gradients remain unclear. By comparing the prevalence and extent of bleaching and diseases in 160...     

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI): Global priorities for the conservation and management of coral reefs and the need for partnerships

Coral Reefs -  The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is an international partnership, established to reverse the global degradation of coral reefs. In this paper, the ICRI process is...     

Genetic diversity of isolated populations of Nautilus pompilius (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) in the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea

Nautilus species are the only remaining cephalopods with an external shell. Targeted heavily by the shell trade across their distribution area, these species have a poorly known population structure and genetics. Molecular techniques have been used to assess levels of inter- and intra-population genetic diversity in isolated populations of Nautilus in the northern sections of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia and in the Coral Sea. Distinct populations, physically separated by depths in excess of 1,000 m were examined. RAPD analysis of genetic differences showed limited differentiation of the “Northern GBR” populations and the “Coral Sea” populations. Discrimination between the two geographic groups was observed from these data. In addition, partial sequencing of the CoxI gene region, yielded 575 bp of sequence, which was aligned for 43 samples and phylogenetic trees constructed to examine genetic relationships. Two distinct clades were resolved in the resulting trees, representing the “Northern GBR” and “Coral Sea” population groups. Inter- and intra-population relationships are presented and discussed. The differentiation of the Nautilus populations from the Northern section of the Great Barrier Reef and those from the Coral Sea were supported by two distinctly different methodologies and the significance of this separation and the potential evolutionary divergence of these two population groups is discussed.     

Seasonal,lunar, and diel patterns in spawning by the giant barrel sponge,Xestospongia muta

Coral Reefs - Temporal patterns in giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta) spawning were compiled from 32 observations spanning 17 years and three Caribbean locations (Florida, Belize, and...