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1.
In this study, we assess coral health by detecting the severity of coral diseases and compromised health states on massive Porites. Field surveys are conducted at twenty-two sites covering the eastern, inner and western Gulf of Thailand as well as the Andaman Sea during 2010-2015. A total of nine coral diseases and signs of compromised health are observed in the waters of Thailand, consisting of pigmentation responses (pink lines, pink patches, pink spots and pink borers), white syndromes (white patches, white bands and ulcerative white spots), growth anomalies, and unusual bleaching patterns. The highest severity of all observed coral diseases and signs of compromised health are found at Ko Khang Khao in the inner Gulf of Thailand, while that observed in the Andaman Sea is relatively low. Composition of the diseases vary across the study sites. Four groups of study sites, in which there is an 80% similarity of diseases or signs of compromised health composition, are clustered and detected based on the Bray-Curtis similarity. The canonical analysis of principal coordinates reveal that most study sites in the Gulf of Thailand, especially the inner Gulf of Thailand, tend to show a high severity of the diseases. The association of disease severity and composition and the level of human impact are also detected. The study sites located near the shores and/or the areas with intensive tourism tend to have higher human impact, especially on poor water quality, which may be linked to the higher severity and composition of coral diseases and signs of compromised health in the Gulf of Thailand. Fish bites are also observed in many study sites. The severity of fish bites in the Gulf of Thailand is much lower compared to the Andaman Sea. Ko Rawi exhibits the highest severity, following by Ko Surin Nua and Ko Butang. The study sites within marine national park boundaries have a significantly higher severity of fish bites than those outside of the marine national park boundaries. This study suggests that higher coral diseases and signs of compromised health severity might be linked to anthropogenic disturbances on coral communities in the waters of Thailand.  相似文献   

2.
Corals in the Eastern Pacific extend south from the Gulf of California to Ecuador and oceanic Chile, and west from Colombia to Clipperton Atoll. Nevertheless, large stretches of the Mexican Pacific remain fundamentally unstudied. Therefore, to assess the current conditions of coral communities, a coastal fringe ～300 km long (17°40′ N, 101°39′ W to 16°46′ N, 99°49′ W) was surveyed within the Southern Mexican Pacific, between 2005 and 2009. Fifteen stony coral species were identified at 13 coral communities and six Pocillopora‐dominated fringing reefs, with Pocillopora verrucosa and Pocillopora damicornis the primary contributing taxa. Reef development was identified in embayments or behind rocks or islands that offered shelter from northern and northwestern winds. Observations of Pocillopora effusus, Pocillopora inflata, Porites lobata, Pavona clavus, and Pavona varians expanded the species known geographic ranges by several degrees of latitude, suggesting reef building fauna comprised a mixture of widespread and relatively rare Eastern Pacific corals. Results indicated greater live coral cover in the Ixtapa‐Zihuatanejo area (15–73%) than in the Acapulco localities, which had high algal dominance; the reefs in the latter region exhibited high erosion. Regional differences are likely the result of long‐standing anthropogenic pressures around Acapulco since 1950, when it became an important tourist destination. This paper is the first detailed report of ecologically stressed corals and coral reefs from the state of Guerrero on the Mexican Southern Pacific coast.  相似文献   

3.
The size structure of coral populations is the culmination of key demographic events, including recruitment, mortality and growth, thereby providing important insights to recent ecological dynamics. Importantly, the size structure of corals reflects both intrinsic (inherent life-history characteristics) and extrinsic (enhanced mortality due to chronic or acute disturbances) forcing on local populations, enabling post-hoc assessment of spatial and taxonomic differences in susceptibility to disturbance. This study examined the size structure of four locally abundant corals (Acropora downingi, Favia pallida, Platygyra daedalea, and massive Porites spp.) in two regions of the Persian Gulf: the southern Gulf (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) and eastern Gulf (western Musandam). Significant and consistent differences were apparent in mean colony sizes and size-distributions between regions. All corals in the southern Gulf were significantly smaller, and their size structure positively skewed and relatively more leptokurtic (i.e., peaky) compared to corals in the eastern Gulf. Sea surface temperatures, salinity, and the recent frequency of mass bleaching are all higher, in the southern Gulf, suggesting higher mortality rates and/or slower growth in these populations. Differences in size structure between locations were more pronounced than differences between species at each location, suggesting that extreme differences in environmental conditions and disturbance events have a greater influence on population dynamics in the Gulf than inherent differences in their life-history characteristics.  相似文献   

4.
Knowledge of coral recruitment patterns helps us understand how reefs react following major disturbances and provides us with an early warning system for predicting future reef health problems. We have reconstructed and interpreted historical and modern-day recruitment patterns, using a combination of growth modelling and in situ recruitment experiments, in order to understand how hurricanes, storms and bleaching events have influenced coral recruitment on the Caribbean coastline of Tobago. Whilst Tobago does not lie within the main hurricane belt results indicate that regional hurricane events negatively impact coral recruitment patterns in the Southern Caribbean. In years following hurricanes, tropical storms and bleaching events, coral recruitment was reduced when compared to normal years (p = 0.016). Following Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and the 2005–2006 bleaching event, coral recruitment was markedly limited with only 2% (n = 6) of colonies estimated to have recruited during 2006 and 2007. Our experimental results indicate that despite multiple large-scale disturbances corals are still recruiting on Tobago’s marginal reef systems, albeit in low numbers.  相似文献   

5.
The ecological and economic values of coral reef communities have encouraged efforts to implement periodic visual survey programs to secure their conservation. To date, visual monitoring‐based approaches have detected bleaching events weeks or months after the initial onset. An evaluation of the stress response of coral colonies, as well as their ability to resist and recover from the stress events, may increase our understanding of the physiological processes underling the stress and/or acclimation responses. Coral bleaching events, caused primarily by abnormally high temperatures, are continuously affecting coral communities worldwide. To evaluate the stress and recovery responses of the reef‐building coral Pocillopora verrucosa, a laboratory study was conducted herein. Coral nubbins were exposed to high temperatures to induce bleaching, and their ability to resist and recover from bleaching was subsequently monitored after returning the corals to ambient temperature. Lipid and chlorophyll concentrations, as well as Symbiodinium spp. density, decreased in samples exposed to nearly 31°C, slowly recovering to near‐control levels upon return to non‐stressful conditions. The present data set allows for an assessment of the vulnerability and ability of this common species to resist sub‐optimal environmental conditions, particularly the thermal stress events that will occur more commonly in their habitats as global seawater temperatures continue to rise.  相似文献   

6.
Recent studies suggest a future increase in sponge bioerosion as an outcome of coral reef decline around the world. However, the factors that shape boring sponge assemblages in coral reefs are not currently well understood. This work presents the results of a 17‐month assessment of the presence and species richness of boring sponges in fragments collected from living corals, dead coral reef matrix and coral rubble from Punta de Mita and Isabel Island, two coral reefs from the central coast of the Mexican Pacific Ocean. Both localities have a high cover of dead corals generated by past El Niño Southern Oscillation events, but Punta de Mita was also highly exposed to anthropogenic impacts. Additionally, environmental factors (water transparency, water movement, temperature, sediment deposition, SST, and chlorophyll concentration) were assessed to test the hypothesis that environmental conditions which are potentially harmful for corals can enhance sponge bioerosion. Isabel Island and Punta de Mita showed a similar species richness (13 and 11 species, respectively) but boring sponge presence in both live and dead corals was higher at Isabel Island (57.6%) than at Punta de Mita (35.7%). The same result was obtained when each type of substrate was analysed separately: dead coral reef matrix (81.3% versus 55.5%), coral rubble (47.7% versus 20.0%) and living corals (43.7% versus 31.7%). A principal components analysis showed a higher environmental heterogeneity at Punta de Mita, as well as important environmental differences between Punta de Mita and Isabel Island, due to sediment deposition (2.0 versus 0.2 kg·m?2·d?1) and water movement (24.5% versus 20.5% plaster dissolution day?1), that were also negatively correlated with boring sponge presence (r = ?0.7). By analysing the boring sponge assemblage, we found that environmental settings, together with habitat availability (i.e., dead coral substrate) differentiated assemblage structure at both localities. Major structural differences were largely due to species such as Cliona vermifera, Cliona tropicalis and Aka cryptica. In conclusion, factors such as habitat availability favored the presence of boring sponges but some environmental factors such as abrasion resulting from moving sediment acted restrictively, and exerted a major role in structuring boring sponge assemblages in the Mexican Pacific.  相似文献   

7.
Pollution, turbidity and coral bleaching history, as well as coral diversity, vary along the Tanzanian coastline. Prior to this study, it was not known whether exposure to such environmental variation might have influenced the diversity and distribution of Symbiodinium along this coastline. Such information can provide insight into whether Tanzanian reef-building corals develop adaptation to current trends of climate change. Here, 10 reef-building coral samples were collected from different reefs along the Tanzanian coast with different micro-environments and bleaching histories. The ITS-2 region of ribosomal DNA was employed in the characterisation of Symbiodinium harboured by reef-building corals. DGGE fingerprints and DNA sequences showed that most coral species host a single Symbiodinium type, which is maintained throughout the coast regardless of local environmental differences. We present polymorphic symbioses in Acropora spp., Millepora sp. and Galaxea fascicularis in mainly turbid and warm environments as a sign of adaptation to harsh conditions. However, such adaptation may not provide marked resistance to bleaching because Acropora is a bleaching-susceptible genus.  相似文献   

8.
Eastern Pacific reefs are mostly made up of interlocking coral branches of Pocillopora, which are easily broken by physical forces associated with heavy swells and winds. In this study we investigated the potential of these coral fragments to enable propagation of boring sponges. For this, we quantified the frequency of occurrence and diversity of boring sponges in fragments of corals recently trapped among the branches of live colonies, and later tested the hypothesis that these sponges colonize new branches of corals. Nearly 80% of the coral colonies investigated had coral fragments among their branches, and 69% of these coral fragments contained boring sponges (11 species), some of these sponges in reproduction (23% of them carried oocytes). To test whether sponges inhabiting coral fragments could colonize new branching corals we transplanted them to healthy branches, and to branches whose living tissue was mechanically eliminated to simulate damage produced by grazing and death after bleaching and other causes of coral tissue mortality. All the transplanted coral fragments cemented to each new colony by means of calcification, and of the three sponge species tested (Cliona vermifera, Cliona tropicalis and Thoosa mismalolli) only C. vermifera was able to colonize both new living branches (26.9%) and cleaned branches (65.5%). The apparent capability of C. vermifera to colonize by direct contact may be another key ability of this species to maintain high frequency of occurrence in Pacific coral reefs. However, although C. tropicalis and T. mismalolli were not able to colonize new coral substrata by direct contact, coral fragments have the potential to contribute to local persistence of these sponges and to their dispersal, both by asexual (fragments) and sexual means (transport of sexual products). The present findings may partly explain the current increase of excavating sponges on deteriorating reefs with a large availability of dead branching corals.  相似文献   

9.
The southern Arabian Gulf houses some of the most thermally tolerant corals on earth, but severe bleaching in the late 1990s caused widespread mortality. More than a decade later, corals still dominated benthos (mean: 40 ± 3% cover on 10 sites spanning > 350 km; range: 11.0-65.6%), but coral communities varied spatially. Sites to the west generally had low species richness and coral cover (mean: 3.2 species per transect, 31% cover), with Porites dominated communities (88% of coral) that are distinct from more diverse and higher cover eastern sites (mean: 10.3 species per transect, 62% cover). These patterns reflect both the more extreme bleaching to the west in the late 1990s as well as the higher faviid dominated recruitment to the east in subsequent years. There has been limited recovery of the formerly dominant Acropora, which now represents <1% of the benthos, likely as a result of recruitment failure. Results indicate that severe bleaching can have substantial long-term impacts on coral communities, even in areas with corals tolerant to environmental extremes.  相似文献   

10.
This paper presents the first compilation of information on the spatial distribution of scleractinian cold-water corals in the Gulf of Cádiz based on literature research and own observations (video footage, sediment samples). Scleractinian cold-water corals are widely distributed along the Spanish and Moroccan margins in the Gulf of Cádiz, where they are mainly associated with mud volcanoes, diapiric ridges, steep fault escarpments, and coral mounds. Dendrophyllia cornigera, Dendrophyllia alternata, Eguchipsammia cornucopia, Madrepora oculata and Lophelia pertusa are the most abundant reef-forming species. Today, they are almost solely present as isolated patches of fossil coral and coral rubble. The absence of living scleractinian corals is likely related to a reduced food supply caused by low productivity and diminished tidal effects. In contrast, during the past 48 kyr scleractinian corals were abundant in the Gulf of Cádiz, although their occurrence demonstrates no relationship with main climatic or oceanographic changes. Nevertheless, there exists a conspicuous relationship when the main species are considered separately. Dendrophylliids are associated with periods of relatively stable and warm conditions. The occurrence of L. pertusa mainly clusters within the last glacial when bottom current strength in the Gulf of Cádiz was enhanced and long-term stable conditions existed in terms of temperature. Madrepora oculata shows a higher tolerance to abrupt environmental changes.  相似文献   

11.
Osmotic stress represents a limiting physical parameter for marine organisms and especially for sessile scleractinian corals which are known to be basically stenohaline and osmoconformers. The salinity changes may cause important cellular damage since corals lack any developed physiological regulatory system. One mechanism of reaction to deleterious conditions is the rapid increase of the induction of heat shock proteins. This study highlights the modulation of the expression of a mitochondrial heat shock protein, such as the chaperonin Hsp60, in the animal tissues of the scleractinian coral Seriatopora caliendrum under three salinity scenarios (hypersalinity of 45 ppt, hyposalinity of 25 ppt and extreme hyposalinity of 15 ppt). The study was performed during the time course of a 2-day period and accompanied also by the assessment of the coral health condition. For each salinity stress S. caliendrum responds differently at the morphological and cellular levels, since the Hsp60 exhibited specific patterns of expression and the coral showed different tissue appearance. Furthermore, the response reflects the severity and exposure length of the disturbance. However, the results indicate that S. caliendrum seems able to tolerates high salinity better than low salinity. In particular, in extreme hyposalinity conditions, a considerable gradual down-regulation of Hsp60 was detected accompanied by necrosis and degradation of the coral tissues. The study suggests that Hsp60 may be involved in the mechanisms of cellular response to stress caused by exposure to adverse salinity.  相似文献   

12.
Coral cell aggregates (tissue balls) from four species (Acropora muricata, Fungia repanda, Pavona cactus and Pocillopora damicornis) were used as an indicator to investigate the effects on the corals of thermal stress and of chemical extracts from three sponges (Adocia sp., Haliclona sp. and Lissodendoryx sp.) and one ascidian (Didemnum molle). The formation and disintegration of tissue balls were studied through exposure to a temperature range of 23–30 °C at time intervals of 0–90 min, and to sponge and ascidian crude extracts at concentrations of 50–200 µg ml?1 at temperatures of 23 and 30 °C and at time intervals of 10, 60 and 120 min. The negative effect of temperature on overall tissue ball density (number per cm2 of coral surface) was greatest at higher temperatures (28 and 30 °C) but varied among coral species. Tissue balls of P. damicornis were the most robust whereas those of A. muricata were the most sensitive. High concentrations of extracts of Adocia sp., Haliclona sp. and Lissodendoryx sp. generally inhibited the formation of tissue balls or caused their disintegration, or both, most markedly at 30 °C. Adocia sp. induced the least negative effects and Haliclona sp. the most. No tissue balls were formed in the presence of D. molle extracts (50 and 100 µg ml?1), indicating a high level of interference with tissue ball formation. The differential susceptibility to thermal and chemical stressors exhibited by the corals under study have possible implications for the interactions of the corals with other sedentary reef organisms under climate change-driven ocean warming.  相似文献   

13.
Bleaching (whitening) of cnidarians such as corals and sea anemones has caused widespread degradation of coral reefs around the world and is therefore an urgent issue for coral reef science and conservation. Although cnidarians often bleach in aquaria, methods for experimental induction of bleaching in wild cnidarians are lacking, which impedes scientists’ ability to understand the ultimate effects of bleaching on the broader ecosystem. In this study, we investigated the utility of an in situ method for experimental induction of bleaching in the tropical sea anemone Heteractis crispa. Healthy, wild anemones were covered with opaque black plastic sheets, mesh cages or left undisturbed (controls) and tentacle colour and body size were monitored with a colour reference card and flexible tape, respectively, every 1–3 days for 15 days. Caged and control anemones remained unchanged for the duration of the experiment, but covered anemones commenced whitening after 4–6 days and were completely white after 7–14 days (mean time to bleaching ± SE = 10.1 ± 0.7 days). Experimental bleaching occurred without reduction in anemone body size and was visibly similar to natural bleaching seen previously in H. crispa. We hypothesize that light‐deprivation, reduced water flow, physical contact or some combination of these factors caused the bleaching. This study provides the basis for a simple and rapid method of inducing bleaching in situ, which releases scientists’ dependence on sporadic natural bleaching events or artificial aquarium experiments, and provides a means to investigate the effects of bleaching on other ecosystem components such as fishes.  相似文献   

14.
Sven Zea 《Marine Ecology》2011,32(2):162-173
The Caribbean sponge Cliona delitrix is among the strongest reef space competitors; it is able to overpower entire coral heads by undermining coral polyps. It has become abundant in reefs exposed to organic pollution, such as San Andrés Island, Colombia, SW Caribbean. Forty‐four sponge‐colonized coral colonies were followed‐up for 13 months to establish the circumstances and the speed at which this sponge advances laterally into live coral tissue and the coral tissue retreats. Cliona delitrix presence and abundance was recorded at seven stations to interpret current reef space and coral species colonization trends. The spread of C. delitrix on a coral colony was preceded by a band of dead coral a few millimeters to several centimeters wide. However, the sponge was directly responsible for coral death only when live coral tissue was within about 2 cm distance; coral death became sponge advance‐independent at greater distances, being indirectly dependent on other conditions that tend to accelerate its retreat. Cliona delitrix advanced fastest into recently killed clean coral calices; however, sponge spread slowed down when these became colonized by algae. The lateral advance of C. delitrix was slower than other Cliona spp. encrusting excavating sponges, probably owing to the greater depth of its excavation into the substratum. Cliona delitrix prefers elevated portions of massive corals, apparently settling on recently dead areas. It currently inhabits 6–9% of colonies in reefs bordering San Andrés. It was found more frequently in Siderastrea siderea (the most abundant local massive coral), which is apparently more susceptible to tissue mortality than other corals. Current massive coral mortality caused by C. delitrix could initially change the relative proportions of coral species and in the long‐term favor foliose and branching corals.  相似文献   

15.
珊瑚白化是导致全球珊瑚礁生态系统衰退的最重要原因之一,野外观察结果表明不同种属的造礁石珊瑚对于海水温度升高的耐受性有所差异.选取多孔鹿角珊瑚(Acropora millepora)和丛生盔形珊瑚(Galaxea fascicularis)为研究对象,比较其共生藻在温度升高时的光生理差异.对多孔鹿角珊瑚和丛生盔形珊瑚共生藻的分子系统学研究结果表明:多孔鹿角珊瑚和丛生盔形珊瑚的共生藻属于不同系群,丛生盔形珊瑚共生藻属于D系群,而多孔鹿角珊瑚共生藻属于C1亚系群.当温度升高到30℃时并未对两种造礁石珊瑚共生藻光合系统Ⅱ造成损害,而当温度升高到34℃时两种造礁石珊瑚共生藻的Fv/Fm值急剧下降,其光合系统Ⅱ遭受损害.多孔鹿角珊瑚和丛生盔形珊瑚分别与不同系群的共生藻共生可能是导致其对海水温度升高耐受性不同的主要原因,与C1亚系群共生藻共生的多孔鹿角珊瑚对水温升高敏感,容易白化,而与D系群共生藻共生的丛生盔形珊瑚对水温升高的耐受性强,不易白化.  相似文献   

16.
Coral reefs throughout the world are under severe challenges from many environmental factors. This paper quantifies the size structure of populations and the growth rates of corals from 2000 to 2008 to test whether the Discovery Bay coral colonies showed resilience in the face of multiple acute stressors of hurricanes and bleaching. There was a reduction in numbers of colonies in the smallest size class for all the species at all the sites in 2006, after the mass bleaching of 2005, with subsequent increases for all species at all sites in 2007 and 2008. Radial growth rates (mm yr−1) of non-branching corals and linear extension rates (mm yr−1) of branching corals calculated on an annual basis from 2000–2008 showed few significant differences either spatially or temporally. At Dairy Bull reef, live coral cover increased from 13 ± 5% in 2006 to 20 ± 9% in 2007 and 31 ± 7% in 2008, while live Acropora species increased from 2 ± 2% in 2006 to 10 ± 4% in 2007 and 22 ± 7% in 2008. These studies indicate good levels of coral resilience on the fringing reefs around Discovery Bay in Jamaica.  相似文献   

17.
珊瑚移植一直被认为是增加退化珊瑚礁上珊瑚数量的重要手段之一。为了调查多种珊瑚移植方法和不同珊瑚种类的移植效果,我们选择了已严重退化并仍面临着人类和自然环境胁迫的三亚鹿回头珊瑚礁作为移植地,对5种珊瑚共902个断枝利用4种方法进行了移植。在移植后的10个月,移植珊瑚的存活率为45.5%。移植方法对于不同珊瑚种类具有不同效果,但没有一种方法能够对所有珊瑚的移植效果产生促进作用。虽然对于叶状蔷薇珊瑚（Montipora foliosa）和风信子鹿角珊瑚（Acropora hyacinthus）来说,适合的移植方法能够减缓其死亡速率,但并不能改变其死亡趋势。叶状蔷薇珊瑚和风信子鹿角珊瑚的移植个体呈现出高死亡率和明显的存活组织面积下降,而扁枝滨珊瑚（Porites andrewsi）和丛生盔形珊瑚（Galaxea fascicularis）死亡率和组织部分死亡率则优于前两者。扁枝滨珊瑚和丛生盔形珊瑚仅在一种移植方法中出现了存活组织面积明显增长。鹿角杯形珊瑚（Pocillopora damicornis）是移植珊瑚中唯一一种在所有移植方法上都呈现珊瑚平均存活面积增长的种类。实验结果说明在受到高度胁迫的海域进行珊瑚移植很难取得满意效果,珊瑚种类的选择对胁迫环境下的珊瑚移植效果具有决定性影响,而移植方法只能在部分程度上改善移植效果,但无法弥补鹿回头环境压力对敏感种类胁迫造成的影响。在鹿回头珊瑚礁需首先治理对珊瑚造成胁迫的因子,再进行珊瑚移植,并应优先考虑移植环境耐受性高的珊瑚种类。  相似文献   

18.
肉芝软珊瑚属(Sarcophyton)是珊瑚礁生态系统中常见的软珊瑚,具有极强的药用价值.我国肉芝软珊瑚种类资源十分丰富,但目前国内对此种珊瑚的分类研究处于停滞状态,肉芝软珊瑚外部形态差异较小,难以直接进行种类鉴定.本研究采集海南省三亚市西瑁岛、万宁市甘蔗岛和大洲岛珊瑚礁区的26个肉芝软珊瑚样品,根据骨针形态学初步鉴定,并分析线粒体msh1基因和COI基因序列进行种类鉴定.结果显示:所有采集的26个样品,鉴定为5个种,分别为:Sarcophyton cherbonnieri、Sarcophyton crassum、Sarcophyton trocheliophorum、Sarcophyton glaucum和Sarcophyton ehrenbergi.其中S. cherbonnieri和S. crassum为我国新纪录种.本研究为海南岛附近海域肉芝软珊瑚的鉴定提供参考,并为我国软珊瑚种类鉴定和生物多样性的研究提供基础数据.  相似文献   

19.
Abstract. Two field experiments were performed on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, at Orpheus Island and Lizard Island, respectively, to investigate the effects of allelopathic soft corals on survivorship and community structure of scleractinian coral spat. Ceramic tiles were placed around the allelopathic soft corals Sinularia flexibilis (Quoy & Gaimard 1833) and Sarcophyton glaucum (Quoy & Gaimard 1833), and controls. One control consisted of settlement plates surrounding a scleractinian coral (non‐allelopathic planktivore); another control had no adult soft or scleractinian coral present. The experimental soft corals affected the recruitment of various taxonomic groups of coral spat differentially, as evidenced by the diversity of coral spat settling in treatments and controls. At Orpheus Island (O.I., n = 1038 spat) and Lizard Island (L.I., n = 7032 spat), there were significant differences between recruitment success of the two dominant coral taxa, Pocilloporidae (O.I., 61.4 %; L.I., 20.5 %) and Acroporidae (O.I., 33.7 %; L.I., 53 %). Settlement plates exposed to Sinularia flexibilis at either site had the lowest proportion of acroporid recruits. Diversity indices (Shannon‐Wiener Indices) varied significantly between treatments at both Orpheus and Lizard Islands. This appears to be due to selective inhibition of acroporid spat by Sinularia flexibilis at both sites. Growth of coral spat was higher on settlement plates in the presence of Sarcophyton at Lizard Island. Settlement of most associated epibiota was generally inhibited under these conditions. Coral spat survivorship was highest in the presence of Sinularia at Orpheus ­Island; at Lizard Island, this was the case with the Sarcophyton treatment. Higher survivorship, and in some cases growth, of coral spat near soft corals was apparently due to reduced competition for space between spat and associated epibiota. This hypothesis is supported by the results of a sister experiment where a coating of Sinularia flexibilis extract on settlement tiles significantly decreased fouling by sessile epibiota. Soft corals have an allelopathic effect on recruitment and early development of scleractinian corals and, consequently, on early coral reef community succession.  相似文献   

20.
The genus Symbiodinium plays an essential role in the resistance and survival of reef‐building corals during temperature anomalies. Coral colonies inhabiting the Persian Gulf (PG) experience extended periods of different stresses. Kish Island is located in the harsh environment of the Northern PG with previously reported bleaching episodes. Samples of six coral species from Northwestern Kish Island were analysed by internal transcribed spacer 2 of ribosomal DNA to identify in hospite Symbiodinium populations. The results showed that lineage D of Symbiodinium was the most prevalent clade among different coral colonies, while clade C was only detected in symbiosis with a single coral species. However, the detected Symbiodinium subclades belonged to two host generalists. The predominance of the stress tolerant Symbiodinium trenchii and subclade C3 could suggest an acclimatization strategy to cope with the hostile environment of the PG.  相似文献   

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