This document provides information about coral reefs, including their structure, formation, distribution, and ecology. It discusses the three major types of reefs: fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Fringing reefs form nearshore, while barrier reefs are separated from land by a lagoon. Atolls form from the subsidence of islands below sea level. Coral reefs require certain environmental conditions like warm temperatures, high light levels, low turbidity, and full salinity. They are biodiverse ecosystems that are ecologically and economically important but also face threats from bleaching, climate change, overharvesting, and other human impacts.
Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropoda, Torsion, Locomotion, Digestion,Reproductio...Dr. Muhammad Moosa
In this presentation, Phylum Mollusca Is described. After watching this you will learn Evolutionary Perspective of Mollusca and Relationships to Other Animals, Molluscan Characteristics, Class Gastropoda, Torsion, Shell Coiling, Locomotion, Feeding and Digestion, Other Maintenance Functions, Reproduction and Development, Gastropod Diversity, Class Bivalvia, Shell and Associated Structures Gas Exchange, Filter Feeding, and Digestion, Other Maintenance Functions Reproduction and Development, Bivalve Diversity, Class Cephalopoda, Shell, Locomotion, Feeding and Digestion, Other Maintenance Functions, Learning, Reproduction and Development, Class Polyplacophora, Class Scaphopoda, Class Monoplacophora, Class Solenogastres, Class Caudofoveata, Further Phylogenetic Considerations. It is part of BS Zoology Course, Animal diversity.
Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropoda, Torsion, Locomotion, Digestion,Reproductio...Dr. Muhammad Moosa
In this presentation, Phylum Mollusca Is described. After watching this you will learn Evolutionary Perspective of Mollusca and Relationships to Other Animals, Molluscan Characteristics, Class Gastropoda, Torsion, Shell Coiling, Locomotion, Feeding and Digestion, Other Maintenance Functions, Reproduction and Development, Gastropod Diversity, Class Bivalvia, Shell and Associated Structures Gas Exchange, Filter Feeding, and Digestion, Other Maintenance Functions Reproduction and Development, Bivalve Diversity, Class Cephalopoda, Shell, Locomotion, Feeding and Digestion, Other Maintenance Functions, Learning, Reproduction and Development, Class Polyplacophora, Class Scaphopoda, Class Monoplacophora, Class Solenogastres, Class Caudofoveata, Further Phylogenetic Considerations. It is part of BS Zoology Course, Animal diversity.
Salinity is one of the environmental factors that influence the growth performance of many fish. Salinity effects have been studied in several species of fish in ponds .
Lakes are helpful in controlling weather and local climate. Lakes are helpful for creating irrigation facilities and recreation. In some places, lakes are good sources for water supply for drinking. Every lake, is unique in terms of its size, morphometry, water availability, water chemistry, physics, hydrology and biology. There are several type, kinds and categories of lakes in the world.
A brief description about chanda fish.Scientific name is chanda namaFound in standing and running waters; clear streams, canals, beels, ponds, and inundated paddy fields. Abundant during rainy season .This species could effectively be used in the control of guinea worms and also for malarial control. These small, bony, fleshy fishes are sold in heaps along with other small fishes in the market. Popular for aquarium purposes.
Almost all natural bodies of water bear fish life, the exceptions being very hot thermal ponds and extremely salt-alkaline lakes such as the Dead Sea and Great Salt Lake. The fishes belong to the most numerous and diversified group among vertebrates. They dominate the water bodies of the world through a variety of morphological, physiological and behavioral adaptations. They have been in existence for more than 450 million years. A total of 24618 species of fishes belonging to 482 families and 4258 genera have so far been described. About 58% of the fish species are marine while 41% are freshwater inhabitants and 1% migrants. In our Indian region alone, there are 2,500 species of which 930 are inhabitants of freshwater and the rest live in the seas. In other words, India harbours 11.5% of the fish fauna so far known in the world. There are over 800 living species of sharks and rays, 30 species of chimaeras and ratfishes, 6 species of lung fishes, 1 species of coelacanths, 36 species of long ray finned bichirs, sturgeons and paddlefishes. The Neopterygii are the rest of the known species of modem fishes. All these fishes inhabit various niches in the aquatic environment. The diversified habitats of fishes include open oceans, deep oceanic trenches, nearshore waters, saline coastal embayments, brackishwaters, estuaries, intermittent streams, tiny desert springs, vernal pools, cold mountain streams, lakes, ponds, etc.
Classification of marine environment pptAshish sahu
The main divisions of the marine environment. The two primary divisions of the sea are the benthic and the pelagic. The former includes all of the ocean floor, while the latter includes the whole mass of water. ... The deep-sea system is divided into an upper (archibenthic) and a lower (abyssal-benthic) zone.
ADAPTATION OF MARINE ORGANISMS TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTJaneAlamAdnan
Adaptation is an evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes increasingly well suited to living in a particular habitat. It is not a quick process! Natural selection over many generations results in helpful traits becoming more common in a population. This occurs because individuals with these traits are better adapted to the environment and therefore more likely to survive and breed. Adaptation is also a common term to describe these helpful or adaptive traits. In other words, an adaptation is a feature of an organism that enables it to live in a particular habitat.
Mechanism of hilsa (tenualosa ilisha) migration and its impact to natureihn FreeStyle Corp.
Mechanism of Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) Migration and its Impact to Nature
Tenualosa ilisha (ilish, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad) is a species of fish in the herring family (Clupeidae), and a popular food fish in South Asia. Five type of ilish can be found worldwide. Yearly ilish caught are 5,000,000 ton. Among them, 50%-60% are caught by Bangladesh, 15%-20% are caught by India, Pakistan and rest 5%-10% are caught by Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. The fish contributes about 12% of the total fish production and about 1% of GDP in Bangladesh.
Salinity is one of the environmental factors that influence the growth performance of many fish. Salinity effects have been studied in several species of fish in ponds .
Lakes are helpful in controlling weather and local climate. Lakes are helpful for creating irrigation facilities and recreation. In some places, lakes are good sources for water supply for drinking. Every lake, is unique in terms of its size, morphometry, water availability, water chemistry, physics, hydrology and biology. There are several type, kinds and categories of lakes in the world.
A brief description about chanda fish.Scientific name is chanda namaFound in standing and running waters; clear streams, canals, beels, ponds, and inundated paddy fields. Abundant during rainy season .This species could effectively be used in the control of guinea worms and also for malarial control. These small, bony, fleshy fishes are sold in heaps along with other small fishes in the market. Popular for aquarium purposes.
Almost all natural bodies of water bear fish life, the exceptions being very hot thermal ponds and extremely salt-alkaline lakes such as the Dead Sea and Great Salt Lake. The fishes belong to the most numerous and diversified group among vertebrates. They dominate the water bodies of the world through a variety of morphological, physiological and behavioral adaptations. They have been in existence for more than 450 million years. A total of 24618 species of fishes belonging to 482 families and 4258 genera have so far been described. About 58% of the fish species are marine while 41% are freshwater inhabitants and 1% migrants. In our Indian region alone, there are 2,500 species of which 930 are inhabitants of freshwater and the rest live in the seas. In other words, India harbours 11.5% of the fish fauna so far known in the world. There are over 800 living species of sharks and rays, 30 species of chimaeras and ratfishes, 6 species of lung fishes, 1 species of coelacanths, 36 species of long ray finned bichirs, sturgeons and paddlefishes. The Neopterygii are the rest of the known species of modem fishes. All these fishes inhabit various niches in the aquatic environment. The diversified habitats of fishes include open oceans, deep oceanic trenches, nearshore waters, saline coastal embayments, brackishwaters, estuaries, intermittent streams, tiny desert springs, vernal pools, cold mountain streams, lakes, ponds, etc.
Classification of marine environment pptAshish sahu
The main divisions of the marine environment. The two primary divisions of the sea are the benthic and the pelagic. The former includes all of the ocean floor, while the latter includes the whole mass of water. ... The deep-sea system is divided into an upper (archibenthic) and a lower (abyssal-benthic) zone.
ADAPTATION OF MARINE ORGANISMS TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTJaneAlamAdnan
Adaptation is an evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes increasingly well suited to living in a particular habitat. It is not a quick process! Natural selection over many generations results in helpful traits becoming more common in a population. This occurs because individuals with these traits are better adapted to the environment and therefore more likely to survive and breed. Adaptation is also a common term to describe these helpful or adaptive traits. In other words, an adaptation is a feature of an organism that enables it to live in a particular habitat.
Mechanism of hilsa (tenualosa ilisha) migration and its impact to natureihn FreeStyle Corp.
Mechanism of Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) Migration and its Impact to Nature
Tenualosa ilisha (ilish, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad) is a species of fish in the herring family (Clupeidae), and a popular food fish in South Asia. Five type of ilish can be found worldwide. Yearly ilish caught are 5,000,000 ton. Among them, 50%-60% are caught by Bangladesh, 15%-20% are caught by India, Pakistan and rest 5%-10% are caught by Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. The fish contributes about 12% of the total fish production and about 1% of GDP in Bangladesh.
Marine Scoops Guide To Coral Reefs (Part 1/3)Marine Scoop
A brief introduction to coral biology, reef formation and coral reproduction. Check out more at www.marinescoop.com and sign up to our weekly newsletter to receive parts II and III as soon as they are released! Part II will cover natural threats to coral reefs, coral bleaching, reef pollution, reef sedimentation, coral reef acidification and coral disease. Part III will cover overexploitation of reefs, destructive fishing practices on reefs, coral reef management and marine protected areas. Feel free to suggest another marine ecosystem to cover!
This presentation is for my school assessment on global environments. I chose coral reefs. My project explains coral reefs and the geographical processes involved with it as well.
A2 CAMBRIDGE GEOGRAPHY: COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS - CORAL REEFS. It contains: what are coral reefs, the development of corals, growth rates, polyps and algae, reef formation, fringing reefs, barrier reefs, atolls, threats to coral.
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Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
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Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology:
Ethnobotany in herbal drug evaluation,
Impact of Ethnobotany in traditional medicine,
New development in herbals,
Bio-prospecting tools for drug discovery,
Role of Ethnopharmacology in drug evaluation,
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1. Coral reefs
• What is a Reef?
• Types of Reefs
• Reef Formation
• Reef Distribution
• Coral Biology
• Coral Reef Ecology
• Reef Conservation
ML2007
S. Norton
2. What is a reef?
"...a rigid structure composed of calcareous
skeletons of various organisms, interlocked
or cemented together by growth, and of
detrital material derived from the break up
of such skeletons, and the structure
maintains its upper surface at or near the
level of the sea." (MacNiel, 1954)
3. Coral reefs
Limestone and calcareous sediments built by
living organisms.
Coral colonies are short-lived (years to decades).
They are the largest biogenic structures on the
face of the earth.
www.abc.net.au/science/news/
enviro/EnviroRepublish_1003558.htm
Coral reefs have been around for millions of years.
4. Reef Forming Organisms
• Worms (Polychaeta, etc.)
• Calcareous Algae
• Sponges (Porifera)
• Bivalves (and other members
of Mollusca)
• Other minor phyla (Bryozoa,
Brachiopoda, etc.)
• Corals (Cnidaria)
9. Three major types of coral reefs
• Fringing
• Barrier
• Atoll
• Proposed by Darwin (1842)
“On the Structure and
Distribution of Coral Reefs”
10. Three major types of coral reefs
• Fringing
• Barrier
• Atoll
• ...cuspate,
mesh,
patch,
platform...
• Proposed by Darwin (1842)
“On the Structure and
Distribution of Coral Reefs”
• Morphology based on “size,
shape and nearby land if
any”
11. Fringing Reef
Nearshore, well-lighted marine waters
Narrow zone if submarine slope is steep
Wide zone if submarine slope is gentle
Young volcanic islands in tropics ideal:
•Lots of oxygen and nutrients
•Very low FW input, so high S‰ & low silt
12. Fringing Reefs
Coral Rock of Fringing Reefs is relatively
“thin” (usually 25-50 m), except where
landmass is subsiding
Longest reef in world is Red Sea = 4000 km if
straightened out.
13. Fringe Reefs
Castro & Huber Fig. 13.14
Reef regions include the flat, crest, and slope.
Mangroves, seagrass or sandy beaches may line the shore;
fringing reefs typically lack a lagoon.
14. Fringing Reefs grade into Barrier Reefs
Castro & Huber Fig. 13.17
www.tropichorizon.com/belize.html
Barrier reefs typically have a deeper water lagoon
or channel separating the reef crest from the shore.
15. Barrier Reefs
Linear structures separated by a lagoon (up to 100 km)
100-200 m thickness of coral rock
Annular around island
Reefs rise from terrace or platform
16. Great Barrier Reef
• 2000 km long
• 5-75 km wide
• Long, complex geographic
history
18. Atolls
Castro & Huber Fig. 13.22
Found primarily in the Pacific, atolls develop on the tops of seamounts.
19. Formation of Atolls
Raven et al. 6.21
Subsidence Theory:
Atolls begin as fringing
reefs around volcanic
islands that have emerged
above sea level.
20. Formation of Atolls
Raven et al. 6.21
Subsidence Theory:
As magma sources drop, the
seamount subsides and the
reef becomes a barrier reef.
21. Formation of Atolls
Raven et al. 6.21
Subsidence Theory:
As the seamount continues
its subsidence below the
surface, corals grow on top
of the seamount, keeping
corals in the photic zone.
22. Atoll Examples
Deep sea atolls from sea floor (e.g.,
Palau).
Shelf atolls from continental
shelf (e.g., Belize).
Eniwetok Atoll is 1.25 km of
shallow-water coral limestones on
top of a 3.25 km high volcano
23. A Map of Earth's Coral Reefs
• The pink regions represent the primary reef areas.
• The dark gray lines are major ocean currents.
• The lighter gray lines represent the 20 degree isotherm latitude. It is above or
below this location that the water is too cold to sustain coral polyps.
24. Global distribution of coral reefs
Purves et al. Fig. 54.28
Reefs are absent where coastal waters are too cold or rivers bring in
low-salinity water and high sediment loads.
25. Global diversity of corals
At the species level (??), there are over 700 species of corals in the
Indo-Pacific versus approximately 60 in the Atlantic.
Purves et al. Fig. 54.28
The center of biodiversity of corals is the Indo-Pacific: Australia,
Micronesia, Indonesia, Philippines, etc.
Genera of corals
26. Biodiversity of coral reefs
Coral reefs harbor more examples of evolutionary diversity (phyla,
classes, etc.) than any place on Earth.
The Great Barrier Reef
~350 spp. of hermatypic corals
>4000 spp. of molluscs
1500 spp. of fish
240 spp. of seabirds.
Nybakken & Bertness Table 9.2
27. Clines in diversity
Clines in species richness have been recorded for marine organisms
as well, including:
fish
corals
snails
lobsters
Roberts et al. 2002. Science 295:1280-1284
28. General Conditions for Coral Reefs
• 20-30°C
• 32‰ S or above
• Adequate Surface Substrate
• High Light Levels
• 25 m or shallower (light)
• Low Turbidity (feeding, light, substrate)
29. Necessary conditions for coral reefs: Light
The symbionts require light for
photosynthesis.
Karleskint Fig. 15.10
30. Necessary conditions for coral reefs: Light
Most coral growth occurs shallower
than 25 m.
Karleskint Fig. 15.10
31. Necessary conditions for coral reefs: Light
The compensation point is 1-2% of
surface intensity.
Karleskint Fig. 15.10
35. Sediments smother small corals
and/or inhibit feeding.
www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/overview/part_02.html
Necessary conditions for coral reefs:
Low turbidity and sedimentation
36. Some corals produce large
quantities of mucus to trap and
remove sediment.
www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/overview/part_02.html
Necessary conditions for coral reefs:
Low turbidity and sedimentation
37. Necessary conditions for coral reefs: Full salinity waters
Corals are stenohaline
photography.nationalgeographic.com
38. Necessary conditions for coral reefs: Subtidal waters
The upper limit of coral
colonies is the lower
part of the intertidal.
Castro&HuberFig.13.16
39. Necessary conditions for coral reefs: Low [Nutrients]
Grow well under low
[nutrient].
Under higher
[nutrient], fleshy
algae flourish.
knowledge.allianz.com
40. Necessary conditions for coral reefs: High wave energy
At least moderate amounts of wave or current
41. Necessary conditions for coral reefs: High wave energy
Waves and longshore currents
bring nutrients and
phytoplankton.
dnr.louisiana.gov
42. Necessary conditions for coral reefs: High wave energy
Storms destroy coral calcium
carbonate skeletons.
43. Castro & Huber 13.7
Branching corals:
fast growth rates
vulnerable to storm damage
Morphological diversity among corals
44. Castro & Huber 13.7
Massive corals:
grow more slowly
but are very stable
Morphological diversity among corals
46. Castro & Huber 13.7
Encrusting corals:
high wave energy.
Morphological diversity among corals
47. Castro & Huber 13.7
Free-living corals:
single polyp
not cemented to the surface
Morphological diversity among corals
48. Mechanisms for reef growth
Castro & Huber Fig. 13.8
Corals provide a large framework for
reef development.
Encrusting coralline algae, sponges, and
bryozoans bind the CaCO3 sediments
together.
They build a 3-D framework.
Calcareous sediments from algae and
algal rubble collect in gaps.
Further geological processes turn this
complex into limestone.
49. Importance of calcareous algae
On the Great Barrier Reef, 17-40% of surface sediment are derived
from calcareous red algae and 10-30% from Halimeda.
coexploration.org/bbsr/coral/
assets/images/halimeda.jpg
Halimeda and Porolithon, have 95% or more
of their body mass as calcium carbonate.
www.coralreefnetwork.com/
marlife/stepath/rhodophyta2.html
50. Distribution of corals along a reef
Nybakken & Bertness Fig. 9.23
The inner lagoon/reef flat.
51. Distribution of corals along a reef
Nybakken & Bertness Fig. 9.23
At the reef crest:
-Pacific: crustose coraline algae, heavy
branching corals
-Atlantic: just branching corals.
52. Distribution of corals along a reef
Massive corals dominate the
middle depths of the reef
slope.
53. Patterns of coral recruitment
Both sexual reproduction (brooding and broadcast) and asexual
reproduction (fragmentation) contribute to the recruitment of new corals.
54. Patterns of coral recruitment
Levinton 2001 Fig. 5.12
Planulae settle close to their
parents.
Both sexual reproduction (brooding and broadcast) and asexual
reproduction (fragmentation) contribute to the recruitment of new corals.
55. Interspecific interactions on coral reefs
Among primary space occupiers,
competition is a critically important
phenomenon.
56. Interspecific interactions on coral reefs
Exploitative Competition
Heron Island, Joe Connell in Nybakken & Bertness Fig. 9.27
1963
1965
Faster growers may extend over
and shade slower-growing forms.
58. Importance of Invertebrate-Alga Symbiosis
Coral Reefs
High productivity in low [nutrient] water (over 2000
g C m-2
y-1
)
Some octocorals have no nematocysts, reduced
digestive tracts and show no behavioural changes in
the presence of µzooplankton prey
Some die without light, but can live and grow in FSW
Insufficient zooplankton populations to sustain reef
growth (~10%)
59. Autotrophy vs. heterotrophy in corals
In general, shallow water corals rely more
on their symbionts for nutrition.
Nybakken & Bertness Fig. 9.8
Deeper water corals are more predaceous.
Nybakken & Bertness Fig. 9.26
This pattern can even be seen
intraspecifically in these skeletons
of Montastrea cavernosa from
shallow water (left) vs. deep water
(right) in the Caribbean Sea .
60. Importance of Reefs
While they comprise only 0.2% of the ocean’s surface, coral reefs are
home to a third of the ocean’s fish species.
65. Coral Bleaching
Exposed reef flat in Hawai’i with white patches of coral
that have expulsed their algal symbionts.
66. • Archipelago is 823 km long and 130 km wide at its greatest width.
• ~90,000 square km.
• 26 natural Atolls
• About 200 islands are inhabited.
Sea level rise and the Maldives
67. • Maldives islands are on average
1.5 meters above sea level
• Flooding will be a problem
• Sea level may rise so quickly that
it will erode the coral islands.
Sea level rise and the Maldives
68. Ocean Acidification
Increased Atmospheric
[CO2] results in
decrease in pH of the
oceans.
Corals and other
organisms with calcium
carbonate skeletons
can’t lay down CaCO3
and skeletons dissolve.
69. Tales of two echinoderms
Diadema antillarum -
long-spined urchin
While not described as such, both species play major roles in the
health of coral reefs - keystone species??
Acanthaster planci -
Crown of thorns starfish
70. Diadema’s story
sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagghudingar
Before 1983, D. antillarum was a
large, abundant herbivore found on
Caribbean coral reefs, eelgrass beds,
mangrove roots, and sand flats.
Noctural foraging by D. antillarum
in seagrass beds brought nutrients
into the patch reefs that it used for
shelter.
Levinton 2001, CD
71. Lessios 1988. Fig. 1
In January 1983, sick D. antillarum appeared at Punta Galeta,
Panama.
Spatial and temporal patterns of Diadema mortality
Within a year, the
disease spread
2000 km east.
At a wide range of sites, D. antillarum populations plummeted by
more than 93% from pre-outbreak levels, up to 98% reductions.
72. What was responsible?
The fast spread of the disease and
spread of disease to lab animals
living in running seawater indicated
a water-borne agent.
www.health.qld.gov.au/EndoscopeReprocessing
/images/page_images/137_clostridium.jpg
Two species of Clostridium bacteria,
collected from infected animals,
were lethal when injected into
healthy animals.
73. The delayed recovery
Recruitment of D. antillarum failed across the Caribbean within 5-7 months after the
epidemic.
Over a decade later, recruitment of D. antillarum was still sparse.
Hughes (1994. Science 265:1547-1551)
documented changes in Diadema
populations and community impacts in
Jamaica.
74. In Jamaica, coral
% cover declined
from an average of
52% in 1980 to
3% in the 1990’s.
Hughes 1984. Fig. 5
Within months of the mass mortality of Diadema, populations of fleshy and
filamentous algae exploded across the Caribbean.
Consequences of Diadema’s absence
75. The bottom line
In Jamaica, overfishing of herbivorous fishes increased the
vulnerability of the coral reef to algal competition, but the fleshy algae
were kept in check by Diadema.
Hughes 1984. Fig. 6
Reefs dominated by corals
in the 1970’s were
dominated by algae in the
1990’s.
77. The story of Acanthaster planci
Acanthaster planci ranges from the
Indian Ocean, through the Indo-Pacific
to the Pacific Coast of central America.
In general, this species prefers
feeding on hermatypic corals,
especially the dominant coral in
the Indo-Pacific, Acropora spp.
78. The story of A. planci
Acanthaster planci feeds on corals by
everting its stomach over the coral
surface.
www.reef.crc.org.au/discover/plantsanimals/cots/
On the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), a healthy coral reef (40-50% coral
cover) can support 20-30 individuals per hectare.
79. The story of Acanthaster
Outbreaks have been noted since
the 1960’s.
80. Recovery after Acanthaster outbreaks
Even on heavily
damaged reefs, some
corals remain alive
and begin recovery.
Reefs with poorer larval supply may not recover after 15 years or more.
Levinton 2001. CD
81. What causes outbreaks?
2) They are the result of natural fluctuations caused by variation in the number of
new recruits.
1) Under conditions of food stress (e.g, after a storm), adult Acanthaster living in
deep water will use chemical cues to form aggregations in shallow water.
82. Milne 1995. Fig. 15.8
Examining rubble on
reefs does reveal periods
with high concentrations
of Acanthaster spines as
far back as 3,355 years
ago.
What causes
outbreaks?
83. www.culture-bx1.u-bordeaux.fr/Ateliers
/Internet/Etudiants/recifs/stress.html
The giant triton, Charonia tritonus, cuts
open an adult Acanthaster with its radula
and scapes up gonads and viscera.
What causes outbreaks?
3) Overharvesting of predators leads to higher
survival of Acanthaster juveniles and adults.
This species has been collected for its shell and numbers are
severely reduced.
Its effectiveness, even before its overharvest, is questioned because
each triton typically eats only one adult starfish per week.
84. What causes outbreaks?
If predation is important, why would one see sudden, simultaneous
outbreaks in multiple places in the same years?
In the Red Sea, pufferfishes and triggerfishes kill up to 4,000
individuals/ha/yr, leading to low abundance of A. planci there.
www.bio.davidson.edu/people
/midorcas/animalphysiology/
websites/1999/Rice/Aaron.htm
In the Indo-Pacific, the humphead
wrasse Cheilinus undulatus) is an active
predator on Acanthaster.
While adults are large (up to 200 kg),
they are not known to occur at high
densities.
85. What causes outbreaks?
4) Anthopogenic changes in water quality, especially after high rainfall
on land, have been proposed (Birkeland 1982) to drive outbreaks.
A) Low salinities and high temperatures from terrestrial runoff may
improve larval survival.
B) Increases in nutrients in runoff stimulates phytoplankton
production and this improves larval survival.
86. Strategies for Acanthaster control
Acanthaster outbreaks at economically-valuable sites (e.g.,
tourist sites) may be controlled by injecting sodium
bisulfate into each starfish.
Efforts of control the latest outbreak at just a few sites cost
the Australian government $1 million/yr.
87. Acknowledgements (Incomplete)
• Reef map courtesy of Jeremy Staford-Deitsch from his book entitled Reef.
• University of Hawaii, http://www.hawaii.edu/HIMB
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
• Chuck Fisher
• Steve Norton
Editor's Notes
Coral reefs are piles of limestone and calcareous sediments built by a thin veneer of living organisms. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing that can be seen from space without magnification. However, modern reefs are young (~10,000 years), growing on the skeletons of older reefs (100,000 years ago) drowned by a Holocene rise in sea level.
But the virtual backbone of coral reefs is formed from hermatypic corals.
Distinct symbiont species which are found in different corals look nearly identical. LaJeunesse et al looked at Symbiodinium that previously had been grouped together as subsets of the same species. They examined specific DNA markers -- identifiers -- from the organisms cell nuclei, mitochondria and chloroplasts. Even though the symbionts appeared very much the same, except for their size, genetic evidence confirmed that the two are different species altogether. hundreds of other coral symbionts already identified with preliminarily genetic data are also distinct species with unique ecological distributions.
(e.g., Oahu = 300 m of Coral Rock). Red Sea fringing reef: No FW floods or terrigenous inputs.
Especially in the Caribbean and off continental areas that drop off steeply into deeper water, corals form fringing reefs.
The 300 km barrier reef off Belize is second in length to the 2,000 km of the Great Barrier Reef.
Great Barrier Reef in Australia is 2000 km long and 5-75 km wide Actually many reefs of various sizes and shapes Very long and complex geographic history
The Oxford English Dictionary says the word is "an adoption of the native name "atholhu" applied to the Maldives, which are typical examples of this structure".
Atolls are often horse-shoe shaped, with sandy strips of land (cays) surrounding a large central lagoon. Channels through the reef may facilitate exchange of water with the lagoon, or the lagoon could be isolated from direct exchange.
In 1842, Charles Darwin proposed the Subsidence Theory to explain the structure of atolls.
In 1842, Charles Darwin proposed the Subsidence Theory to explain the structure of atolls.
In 1842, Charles Darwin proposed the Subsidence Theory to explain the structure of atolls.
What other system have we studied that is determined by an 20 degree barier?
Coral reefs are found where there is a) warm, b) well-lit, c) clear, d) full salinity, e) subtidal waters, with e) high energy and f) low [nutrient] that allow calcareous organisms to secrete skeletons faster than these skeletons are eroded. ~1% of total Ocean surface area Most in Indo-Pacific North to Hawai’i and Southern Japan Caribbean Brazil south of Amazon’s Mouth
Coral reefs are the most species-rich environment in the ocean. A single reef may contain 500 fish species. The Great Barrier Reef system contains ~350 spp. of hermatypic corals, >4000 spp. of molluscs, 1500 spp. of fish, and 240 spp. of seabirds. Much of the biodiversity still remains to be described.
As has been recorded many times on land, clines in species richness have been recorded for marine organisms as well, including: For all taxa, species richness peaks in the Indonesian-Philippine region in the Pacific and in the Caribbean in the Atlantic.
The symbionts ( Symbiodinium spp .) of hermatypic corals require light for photosynthesis.
While reef-forming corals exist as deep as 70 m, most coral growth occurs shallower than 25 m.
Shallow water corals synthesize UV absorbing compounds to reduce damage from high light levels.
Areas with high levels of sedimentation and turbidity harm both autotrophic and heterotrophic sources of coral nutrition. What is the differene between turbidity and sedimentation?
Suspended particles absorb/scatter sunlight, leading to less light for photosynthesis by symbionts.
As sediment settles out of the water, it can smother/kill small corals or at least inhibit feeding. And corals can’t settle out on soft sediments.
,but this solution costs energy
What does it mean to be stenohaline? Most are intolerant of salinities <32-35 psu. Some Red Sea and Persian Gulf species can survive salinities as high as 42 psu.
Coral colonies can begin to die after only an hour or two of exposure. What kinds of things do you think kills them off? UV Light, Heat, Dessication…
Because corals are efficient in acquiring, conserving, and recycling nutrients, especially in the absence of effective grazing) algae and outcompete corals for light.
Corals grow best in locations exposed to at least moderate amounts of wave energy/flow. Why would this be?
On the plus side, waves and longshore currents bring nutrients and phytoplankton to coral colonies.
On the negative side, episodic storms, like cyclones and hurricanes, can destroy coral calcium carbonate skeletons. Evolved many different forms to maximize survival in high energysystems. Different strategies.
Branching corals typically have fast growth rates, but are vulnerable to storm damage.
Massive (brain) corals grow more slowly, but are very stable.
The morphology of plate-like corals enhance light collection in deeper water.
Encrusting corals are found in areas with high wave energy.
Over time, loose calcareous sediments from algae and corals (45%) and coral and algal rubble (41%) collect in gaps within the 3D framework.
A variety of algae play important roles on coral reefs. Some species, like Halimeda and Porolithon , have 95% or more of their body mass as calcium carbonate. The heavy skeleton deters herbivores and enables some species to live in the most wave-exposed reef habitats.
The inner lagoon/reef flat has small coral colonies (patch reefs) mixed among sand flats and seagrasses.
The inner lagoon/reef flat has small coral colonies (patch reefs) mixed among sand flats and seagrasses.
On one Caribbean reef, 75% of new coral colonies developed from coral fragments, 25% from settlement of planulae.
Not surprisingly, planulae from brooding corals settle close to their parents.
There is little open space and many species with common needs, like space and light. Upright branching corals grow more rapidly than encrusting or massive corals.
Faster growers may extend over and shade slower-growing forms. Shaded portion of coral often dies.
Many slower-growing corals produce mesenterial filaments from their gastrovascular cavities. Filaments contact living tissue of adjacent colony and digest it. Filaments may be several cm long. Other species battle with long sweaper tentacles, loaded with nematocysts.
The relative importance of photosynthesis ranges from >95% to ~50%.
Tourism in the Caribbean is worth over $10 billion, much of the attraction derived from healthy reefs and beaches.
Between just south of the equator and 8 degrees north, about 675 km south-west of Sri Lanka. he total area including land and sea is about 90,000 square km.
"The Maldives are being threatened by the rise in sea level due to global warming and increasingly violent weather.” Concrete retainer walls
Worse (not worst) Case Scenario: Corals extinct in 50 years.
In the Caribbean, grazing by D. antillarum kept abundance of foliose algae low, in spite of overfishing of herbivorous fishes at many sites. Potential predators were also removed by overfishing.
In just a few days, the bottom was littered with Diadema tests. Even faster, dead urchins appeared in Texas in August 1983 and from there to Bermuda, 4000 km from Panama in September.
No other organisms demonstrated any direct effects of the pathogen.
Other urchins have not increased in abundance to full this gap, in general. Hypotheses included 1) Allee effect on fertilization, 2) lack of adult cues for settlement, and 3) inadequate recruitment to overcome high larval/early juvenile mortality. Densities dropped 100-fold at sites in Jamaica. Two fishes that consumed lots of Diadema before the epidemic (both toadfishes) switched to other prey.
Adult corals were smothered by algae and larval recruitment of new corals failed. The only exception was at San Blas Is., Panama where herbivorous fishes kept algal populations/density/biomass close to pre-epidemic levels.
The massive die-off of Diadema highlighted the critical role of this herbivore in mediating competition between corals and fleshy algae.
Some areas are still dominated by long-lived, algae (like Sargassum ) These are chemically-protected from the few herbivorous fishes remaining.
Under food stress, they will switch to more massive corals, the reef-builders. When hard corals are depleted, they will eat hydrozoans, other anthozoans, sea anemones, sponges, molluscs, and algae
Young A. planci (<6mo.) are cryptic and feeds on coralline algae. At 6 months, they switch to corals and can grow from 1 cm to 25 cm in two years. Individuals are capable of consuming 5-6 m 2 of coral/yr. At these densities, they may increase species diversity by consuming the competitive dominant corals.
Outbreaks (population densities of Acanthaster which eat corals faster than they can regrow) have been noted since the 1960’s across the whole range of the species. At the GBR, outbreaks move from north to south over ~15 years. This may be driven by the East Australian Current.
Research at GBR has shown that reefs which receive large numbers of coral larvae from distant reefs recovery to normal levels of coral cover within 10 years. Even after coral cover is back to normal, the distribution of species may take much longer to reach pre-outbreak conditions as succession proceeds. If the frequency of outbreaks is faster than the pace of reef recovery, reefs will be dominated by weedy corals and some slower-recruiting species may go extinct.
However, storms are unlikely to cause significant damage to deep dwelling corals (even if A. planci is found there). With each female producing a billion eggs in a lifetime, a minor change in larval success can produce a dramatic increase in adult populations in just three years. Natural fluctuations in temperature, salinity, or planktonic productivity could improve larval survival and therefore trigger outbreaks.
It can swallow juveniles whole and spit out the spines.
In the Indo-Pacific, the humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus ) is an active predator on Acanthaster (and other toxic prey like sea hares and boxfish
Nutrient levels feeding into the GBR lagoon has increased several-fold since European settlement of Australia, with recent increases in fertilizer application. Many recent outbreaks have occurred near urbanized areas. It is very possible that outbreaks are a natural phenomenon, enhanced in space and frequency by current anthropogenic activities.
It does not appear that A. planci experiences disease outbreaks at high densities and they have few natural predators. Because A. planci can move at rates of 4 m/hr, control is an ongoing effort. Speaking of tourism, is promoting tourism a good way to save coral reefs?