A rapid assessment of Scleractinian and non-Scleractinian coral growth forms along the Saudi Arabian coast,Red Sea

In this study we assessed the current status of coral reefs along the Saudi Arabian coast of the Red Sea. Among the three growth forms of Acroporid corals, the branching forms were found to dominate in the Farassan Islands(44.55%±11.10% cover) followed by tabular forms in the Doga Islands(ranging between 18%±6.47% and 18.30%±9.47% cover). Digitate forms were rarely found along the coast except at Maqna. Among the five growth forms of non-Acroporid corals, we observed maximum cover of branching forms in the Yanbu offshore area(58.89%±15.11% cover) followed by the Jeddah coast(24.76%±14.04% cover). The Millepora spp., a non-Scleractinian coral, was abundant at all the near-shore sites, such as Jeddah(10.70%±8.21%) and Al-Wajh(9.81%±6.69%). The live coral cover(including both Scleractinian and non-Scleractinian corals) of Saudi Red Sea coast was seen to be higher in the north and gradually decrease towards the south. Principal Component analysis showed that the contribution of Acroporid corals was greater in the southern region than in the northern and middle regions, but vice-versa in the case of non-Acroporid corals. Bray-Curtis cluster analysis categorized all the study sites into two major clusters with 60% similarity. Among them, one cluster-forming sites from Maqna to Masturah(Northern region) and the second one comprised the middle and southern regions(Jeddah to Farassan Islands), and one outlier Rabigh.     

Coral reef bleaching at Agatti Island of Lakshadweep atolls, India

A survey on coral bleaching was carried out at Agatti Island of Lakshadweep from May to June 2010.Elevated sea surface temperatures(SSTs)of the region exceeded the seasonal average and delayed the onset of monsoon,which triggered widespread bleaching of corals.The Agatti reefs showed an average of 73%bleached corals with apparent bleaching-related mortality of sea anemones(87%)and giant clams(83%).The SST increased up to 34℃with an average maximum SST of 32.5℃ during the study period between May and June 2010.Coral reefs on the southern side of the island are fully or partially exposed to sun light during low tide in contrast to the other side.This suggests that the mortality is more likely due to the low tide exposure than exclusively due to the elevated SST.Observations indicated a clear increase in coral bleaching during April 2010,at levels higher than that in normal summer.     

徐闻8种珊瑚共附生真菌的分离及初步鉴定

从徐闻珊瑚保护区的8种珊瑚中分离共附生真菌,以获得珊瑚共附生可培养真菌的多样性信息。选用5种培养基,采用平板涂布法培养分离共附生真菌,并进行形态鉴定。8种珊瑚共分离121株真菌,鉴定了其中97株真菌,分属于14个属,青霉属和枝孢霉为优势种属,其次是曲霉属和木霉属。二异角孔珊瑚上分离出22株,数量最多;盔型珊瑚上分离菌株数量最少仅8株。除优势种属外,不同珊瑚样品上真菌种类分布有较大差异,炭角菌属和葡萄穗霉菌属均来源于盔形珊瑚,镰刀菌属在盔形珊瑚和角孔珊瑚上较为常见,盔形珊瑚样品上还分离出2株散囊菌属,1株节菱孢属,因此盔形珊瑚的种群最为丰富;不同培养基分离真菌的能力不同,淀粉培养基分离的菌株最多占所有分离菌株的30.6%,CDA培养基最少,但种类特异。     

Trend in coral-algal phase shift in the Mandapam group of islands,Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve,India

The present study revealed proliferation of macro-algae modifying coral reef ecosystems in a different manner due to diseases and sedimentations in the Mandapam group of islands in the Gulf of Mannar. Benthic surveys were conducted with major attack of seven coral reefs diseases with high sedimentation rate, nine species of fleshy macro-algae(Turbinaria ornata, Turbinaria conaides, Caulerpa scalpelliformis, Caulerpa racemosa, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Padina gymnosphora, Sargassum wightii, Ulva reticulata and Calurpa lentillifera) proliferation against major corals life forms(Acropora branching, Acropora digitate, Acropora tabulate, coral massive, coral submassive, coral foliose and coral encrusting). The results confirm that diseased corals most favor to macro-algae growth(15.27%) rather than the sedimentation covered corals(8.24 %). In the degradation of coral life forms, massive corals were more highly damaged(7.05%) than any other forms. Within a short period of time(May to September), coral coverage shrank to 17.4% from 21.9%, macro-algae increased 23.51% and the average sedimentation rate attained 77.52 mg cm~(-2) d~(-1) with persisting coral reef diseases of 17.59%. The Pearson correlation showed that the coral cover decreased with increasing macro-algae growth, which was statistically significant(r =-0.774, n = 100, P 0.0005). The proliferation of the various macro-algae C. scalpellifrmis, T. ornata, C. racemosa, T. conaides, U. reticulata, S. wightii, K. alvarezii, P. gymnosphora and C. lentillifera increased with percentages of 6.0, 5.8, 5.7, 4.9, 4.2, 3.7, 2.7 and 1.9, respectively. If this trend continues, the next generation of new recruit corals will undoubtedly lead to a phase shift in Gulf of Mannar corals.     

Trace metal anomalies in bleached <Emphasis Type="Italic">Porites</Emphasis> coral at Meiji Reef,tropical South China Sea

Coral bleaching has generally been recognized as the main reason for tropical coral reef degradation, but there are few long-term records of coral bleaching events. In this study, trace metals including chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), tin (Sn), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), and yttrium (Y), were analyzed in two Porites corals collected from Meiji Reef in the tropical South China Sea (SCS) to assess differences in trace metal concentrations in bleached compared with unbleached coral growth bands. Ti, V, Cr, and Mo generally showed irregular fluctuations in both corals. Bleached layers contained high concentrations of Mn, Cu, Sn, and Pb. Unbleached layers showed moderately high concentrations of Mn and Cu only. The different distribution of trace metals in Porites may be attributable to different selectivity on the basis of vital utility or toxicity. Ti, V, Cr, and Mo are discriminated against by both coral polyps and zooxanthellae, but Mn, Cu, Sn, and Pb are accumulated by zooxanthellae and only Mn and Cu are accumulated by polyps as essential elements. The marked increase in Cu, Mn, Pb, and Sn are associated with bleaching processes, including mucus secretion, tissue retraction, and zooxanthellae expulsion and occlusion. Variation in these trace elements within the coral skeleton can be used as potential tracers of short-lived bleaching events.     

Genotype and Phylogenetic Diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Symbiodinium</Emphasis> ITS2 Sequences Within Clade C in Three Typical Coral Species from Luhuitou Fringing Reef of the South China Sea

Dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium, including nine clades (A–I), mainly form mutualistic symbioses with corals. More than 100 Symbiodinium molecular types have been identified by the ITS2-based genotype method within any given clade, and specifically within Symbiodinium clade C. However, the genotype identification method using the ITS2 sequence is likely to lead to high diversity estimates due to the intra-genomic variations in the ITS2 space; thus, further validation is essential for a correct identification. In this study, the molecular diversity of Symbiodinium ITS2 sequences cloned from two stone corals, Acropora sp. SY-01 and Pocillopora sp. SY-05, and one soft coral, Sarcophyton sp. SY-07, living in the northern part of South China Sea (SCS), were analyzed and compared using the ITS2-based genotype identification method, coupled with ITS2-based secondary structural and phylogenetic analyses. As the result, 12 Symbiodinium ITS2 genotypes were identified, while only six and three Symbiodinium ITS2 genotypes were supported by ITS2-based secondary structural and phylogenetic analyses, respectively. In addition, no shared Symbiodinium ITS2 genotypes were observed among the three coral species, suggesting coral species-dependent Symbiodinium genotypes were within clade C. In summary, the present study provides a theoretical basis for validating the molecular diversity of Symbiodinium ITS2 genotypes in corals.     

Temporal stability of Symbiodinium phylotype in scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis from a tropical fringing reef in the South China Sea

Symbiodinium sp. occurs in a symbiotic association with various marine invertebrates, including the scleractinian corals. Understanding the flexibility and specificity in coral-algal symbiosis can have important implications for predicting the future of coral reefs in the era of global climate change. In the present study, we conducted Symbiodinium phylotype analysis, based on polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), in the scleractinian coral, Galaxea fascicularis, from a tropical fringing reef in Hainan Island, over a 1-yr period. Our results showed that Galaxea fascicularis could associate with Symbiodinium clade C and D either individually or simultaneously. However, during the sampling period, the Symbiodinium phylotype did not change significantly in the scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis, although the seawater temperature decreased sharply in the winter season. This study further suggests that the shift in Symbiodinium communities in response to seasonally fluctuating environments might not be a universal feature of coral-algal associations.     

Antifouling effect of bioactive compounds from selected marine organisms in the Obhur Creek,Red Sea

Three species of sponges and a tunicate were collected from Obhur creek of Jeddah coast for this bioactivity study. In order to assess the antifouling efficacy of selected marine organisms, methanolic extracts of these organisms were tested against different fouling bacterial forms and II-instar stage of the barnacle, Balanus amphitrite. Antibiosis, bioactivity and followed by multivariate analyses were carried out to check the efficacy of antifouling effect of the selected marine organisms. Principal component analysis revealed the exemplary antifouling efficacy of the sponge extracts of Stylissa sp. observed followed by Hyrtios sp. against bacterial forms in the laboratory study. De-trended correspondence analysis confirmed that the contribution of antifouling efficacy of the selected sponge extracts was observed to be more towards Bacillus sp., Vibrio sp. and Alteromonas sp. Moreover, the efficacy of Hyrtios sp. extract(20.430 μg m L~(-1)) followed by Stylissa sp.(30.945 μg m L~(-1)) showed higher against barnacle instar compared with other extracts in the bioactivity assay. Bray-Curtis cluster analysis under paired linkage categorized all the sponge extracts into one major cluster with 75% similarity, and one outlier tunicate. More than 80% similarity observed between Hyrtios sp. and Stylissa sp. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) showed that the contribution of major peaks found in the marine organisms were towards sulfones, sulfoxides, cyanates and ketones.     

Biodegradation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enteromorpha</Emphasis> polysaccharides by intestinal micro-community from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Siganus oramin</Emphasis>

Micro-communities are supposed to have more potential functions of biodegradation of polysaccharides than single strain; however, the intestinal micro-communities involved in the biodegradation of Enteromorpha polysaccharides (EP) were seldom reported. In order to obtain the EP-degrading micro-community, the intestines of Siganus oramin was obtained to isolate the micro-communities, which were enriched by 0.3% of EP as the sole carbon source. A stable micro-community with EP degradative capability was achieved after seven generations of subculture, named H1. Results showed that H1 was able to degrade 75% of EP within 24 hours, and the activity of EP lyases reached 500 U mL^?1 in 32 hours. With denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis, ten bacteria closely related to Marinomonas pontica, Microbacterium sp., Leucobacter chironomi, Cyclobacterium sp., Algoriphagus winogradskyi, Pseudoalteromonas sp. and Vibrio sp. were determined. Furthermore, compared with the DGGE bands sequence and the clone library analysis, the dominant bacteria of the EP-biodegrading micro- community were Pseudoalteromonas sp. and Vibrio sp., with the respective proportion of 38% and 46%, and they should play an important role in EP degradation together with other degrading bacteria in the micro-community H1.     

New discovery of coral rubbings in the north-western Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, Western India �� GIS based evaluation

The Gulf of Kachchh in western India, with its arid climate, large semi-diurnal tidal amplitudes, negative water balance and near-pristine water quality, is being extensively developed as oil importing bases for economic reasons in connection with its proximity to the oil exporting countries of the Middle East. Besides, new coral rubbings were sighted in Jakhau, north-western Gulf of Kachchh. Dredging in Mandvi of the north Gulf covering 3.5 km² revealed a similar assortment of live corals with their associated flora and fauna. These pioneering observations demonstrate that there exist live corals of young polyps-colony of Favia sp. belonging to the family Faviidae in the north-western Gulf of Kachchh. The environmental parameters there were carefully recorded as: surface water temperature (°C) varying from 29 to 31.8, salinity (ppt), pH, dissolved oxygen (mgL⁻¹) and total suspended solids (mgL⁻¹) in the ranges of 37–43.5, 7.7–8.45, 5.4–6.8 and 11–31, respectively.     

Coral Ba/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios as proxies of precipitation and terrestrial input at the eastern offshore area of Hainan Island

Geochemical ratios in coral reef skeletons could be used as proxies to reconstruct past climatological and environmental records in data-poor regions. Using a 103-year data set(1902 to 2005), the annual variations in Ba/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios of Porites lutea skeletons at an eastern offshore area of Hainan Island(19?12'28.4'N, 110?37'38.8'E) were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-optic emission spectrometry(ICP-OES). The analysis results showed that Ba/Ca ratios varied from a minimum of 3.120 μmol mol~(-1) in 1903 to a maximum of 10.064 μmol mol~(-1) in 1944, with an average of 5.256 μmol mol~(-1). Mn/Ca ratios varied from 0.206 to 5.708 μmol mol~(-1) with an annual average of 1.234 μmol mol~(-1), with peak values in 2001, 1964 and 1932, that correlated with strong rainfall events caused by typhoons. Variation in Ba/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios were compared with available river discharge and precipitation records, providing insight into past climatological events. Human activities and their indirect effects could impact the strength of the relationship between Ba/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios and observed precipitation and terrestrial input in the future.     

Studies on the community structures of meiofauna and marine nematode at six stations in the Southern Yellow Sea,China

1Introduction As part of a comprehensive investigation of ecosys-tem dynamics in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea,astudy has been made of meiofauna,defined here asmetazoans passing a0.5mm sieve but retained by a0.031mm sieve.Meiofauna is an important energeticgroup in benthic small food web due to their smallsize,high abundance and fast turnover rates.Theproduction of meiofauna is equal to or higher than thatof macrofauna in estuaries,shallow waters and deepseas(Gerlach,1971;Platt and Warw…     

Annual variations of biogenic element contents of manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) bottom-cultivated in Jiaozhou Bay,China

Manila clam(Ruditapes philippinarum) was monthly sampled from its benthic aquaculture area in Jiaozhou Bay from May 2009 to June 2010. The annual variations of major elemental composition, organic content, fatness and element ratio of Manila clam were examined. The element removal effect of clam farming in Jiaozhou Bay was analyzed based on natural mortality and clam harvest. The results indicated that the variation trend of carbon content in shell(Cshell) was similar to that in clam(Cclam). Such a variation was higher in summer and autumn than in other seasons, which ranged from 9.10 ± 0.13 to 10.38 ± 0.09 mmol g-1 and from 11.28 ± 0.29 to 12.36 ± 0.06 mmol g-1, respectively. Carbon content of flesh(Cflesh) showed an opposite variation trend to that of shell in most months, varying from 29.42 ± 0.05 to 33.64 ± 0.62 mmol g-1. Nitrogen content of shell(Nshell) and flesh(Nflesh) changed seasonally, which was relatively low in spring and summer. Nshell and Nflesh varied from 0.07 ± 0.009 to 0.14 ± 0.009 mmol g-1 and from 5.46 ± 0.12 to 7.39 ± 0.43 mmol g-1, respectively. Total nitrogen content of clam ranged from 0.50 ± 0.003 to 0.76 ± 0.10 mmol g-1 with a falling tend except for a high value in March 2010. Phosphorus content of clam(Nclam) fluctuated largely, while phosphorus content of shell(Pshell) was less varied than that of flesh(Pflesh). Pshell varied from 0.006 ± 0.001 to 0.016 ± 0.001 mmol g-1; while Pflesh fluctuated between 0.058 ± 0.017 and 0.293 ± 0.029 mmol g-1. Pclam ranged from 0.015 ± 0.002 to 0.041 ± 0.006 mmol g-1. Carbon and nitrogen content were slightly affected by shell length, width or height. Elemental contents were closely related to the reproduction cycle. The removal amounts of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from clam harvest and natural death in Jiaozhou Bay were 2.92×104 t, 1420 t and 145 t, respectively. The nutrient removal may aid to reduce the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, the main causes of eutrophication, and to maintain the ecosystem health of Jiaozhou Bay.     

Observation and numerical experiments for drag coefficient under typhoon wind forcing

This paper presents a study on drag coefficients under typhoon wind forcing based on observations and numerical experiments. The friction velocity and wind speed are measured at a marine observation platform in the South China Sea. Three typhoons: SOULIK(2013), TRAMI(2013) and FITOW(2013) are observed at a buoy station in the northeast sea area of Pingtan Island. A new parameterization is formulated for the wind drag coefficient as a function of wind speed. It is found that the drag coefficient(Cd) increases linearly with the slope of 0.083′10~(-3) for wind speed less than 24 m s~(-1). To investigate the drag coefficient under higher wind conditions, three numerical experiments are implemented for these three typhoons using SWAN wave model. The wind input data are objective reanalysis datasets, which are assimilated with many sources and provided every six hours with the resolution of 0.125?×0.125?. The numerical simulation results show a good agreement with wave observation data under typhoon wind forcing. The results indicate that the drag coefficient levels off with the linear slope of 0.012′10~(-3) for higher wind speeds(less than 34 m s~(-1)) and the new parameterization improvese the simulation accuracy compared with the Wu(1982) default used in SWAN.     

Turbulent dissipation and mixing in Prydz Bay

In this paper,we present measurements of velocity,temperature,salinity,and turbulence collected in Prydz Bay,Antarctica,during February,2005.The dissipation rates of turbulent kinetic energy(ε) and diapycnal diffusivities(K z) were estimated along a section in front of the Amery Ice Shelf.The dissipation rates and diapycnal diffusivities were spatially non-uniform,with higher values found in the western half of the section where ε reached 10-7 W/kg and K z reached 10-2 m 2 /s,about two and three orders of magnitude higher than those in the open ocean,respectively.In the western half of the section both the dissipation rates and diffusivities showed a high-low-high vertical structure.This vertical structure may have been determined by internal waves in the upper layer,where the ice shelf draft acts as a possible energy source,and by bottom-generated internal waves in the lower layer,where both tides and geostrophic currents are possible energy sources.The intense diapycnal mixing revealed in our observations could contribute to the production of Antarctic Bottom Water in Prydz Bay.     

Regional hard coral distribution within geomorphic and reef flat ecological zones determined by satellite imagery of the Xisha Islands,South China Sea

Coral reefs in the Xisha Islands(also known as the Paracel Islands in English), South China Sea, have experienced dramatic declines in coral cover. However, the current regional scale hard coral distribution of geomorphic and ecological zones, essential for reefs management in the context of global warming and ocean acidification, is not well documented. We analyzed data from field surveys, Landsat-8 and GF-1 images to map the distribution of hard coral within geomorphic zones and reef flat ecological zones. In situ surveys conducted in June 2014 on nine reefs provided a complete picture of reef status with regard to live coral diversity, evenness of coral cover and reef health(live versus dead cover) for the Xisha Islands. Mean coral cover was 12.5% in 2014 and damaged reefs seemed to show signs of recovery. Coral cover in sheltered habitats such as lagoon patch reefs and biotic dense zones of reef flats was higher, but there were large regional differences and low diversity. In contrast, the more exposed reef slopes had high coral diversity, along with high and more equal distributions of coral cover. Mean hard coral cover of other zones was 10%. The total Xisha reef system was estimated to cover 1 060 km~2, and the emergent reefs covered ~787 km~2. Hard corals of emergent reefs were considered to cover 97 km~2. The biotic dense zone of the reef flat was a very common zone on all simple atolls, especially the broader northern reef flats. The total cover of live and dead coral can reach above 70% in this zone, showing an equilibrium between live and dead coral as opposed to coral and algae. This information regarding the spatial distribution of hard coral can support and inform the management of Xisha reef ecosystems.     

ESR DATING OF CORAL REEFS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

ESR dating of aragonitic and calcitic corals , eolianite , calcrete , and corallineae from coral reefs in the South China Sea was applied to study of Quaternary reef geology . The ESR ages of calcitic corals correlated with the biostratigraphy , lithostratigraphy and geochemistry of Well Xi-Chen-1 and the oxygen-isotope stratigraphy of deep sea sediments, were reliable and up to 1.26 Ma. The selection of signals for dating and other related problems are discussed .     

Significance of different microalgal species for growth of moon jellyfish ephyrae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aurelia</Emphasis> sp.1

The scyphozoan Aurelia aurita (Linnaeus) sp. l., is a cosmopolitan species-complex which blooms seasonally in a variety of coastal and shelf sea environments around the world. The effects of different microalgal species on the growth of newly-released Aurelia sp.1 ephyrae were studied under laboratory conditions. We fed ephyrae with four different microalgal species (diatom, autotrophic dinoflagellate, heterotrophic dinoflagellate, and chlorophyta) plus Artemia nauplii for 12-24 d at 18°C. Results showed that the growth rate diverged significantly for Artemia nauplii compared to other food types. In addition, there was no significant variation between the growth rates for Skeletonema costatum and Prorocentrum donghaiense, and no significant variation was found in the growth rates for N. scintillans and P. subcordiformis. Artemia nauplii could support the energy requirement for the newly-released ephyrae to develop to meduase, and the ephyrae with Artemia nauplii showed a significant average growth rate of 25.85% d^?1. Newly-released ephyrae could grow slightly with some species of microalgae in the earliest development stage. Chain diatom Skeletonema costatum and autotrophic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense, could not support the growth of the ephyrae, while heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans and chlorophyta Platymonas subcordiformis could support the growth of the ephyrae. However, none of the ephyrae fed with the tested phytoplankton could mature to medusae.     

Dynamic monitoring of soil erosion for upper stream of Miyun Reservoir in the last 30 years

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE) was applied to assess the spatial distribution and dynamic properties of soil loss with geographic information system(GIS) and remote sensing(RS) technologies.To improve the accuracy of soil-erosion estimates,a new C-factor estimation model was developed based on land cover and time series normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) datasets.The new C-factor was then applied in the RUSLE to integrate rainfall,soil,vegetation,and topography data of different periods,and thus monitor the distribution of soil erosion patterns and their dynamics during a 30-year period of the upstream watershed of Miyun Reservoir(UWMR),China.The results showed that the new C-factor estimation method,which considers land cover status and dynamics,and explicitly incorporates within-land cover variability,was more rational,quantitative,and reliable.An average annual soil loss in UWMR of 25.68,21.04,and 16.80 t ha-1a-1was estimated for 1990,2000 and 2010,respectively,corroborated by comparing spatial and temporal variation in sediment yield.Between 2000 and 2010,a 1.38% average annual increase was observed in the area of lands that lost less than 5 t ha-1a-1,while during 1990-2000 such lands only increased on average by 0.46%.Areas that classified as severe,very severe and extremely severe accounted for 5.68% of the total UWMR in 2010,and primarily occurred in dry areas or grasslands of sloping fields.The reason for the change in rate of soil loss is explained by an increased appreciation of soil conservation by developers and planners.Moreover,we recommend that UWMR watershed adopt further conservation measures such as terraced plowing of dry land,afforestation,or grassland enclosures as part of a concerted effort to reduce on-going soil erosion.     

徐闻珊瑚礁礁栖无脊椎动物分布

采用均匀定点潜水观察和采集标本调查表明,徐闻珊瑚自然保护区除分布有40多种珊瑚 外,尚分布有隶属于软体动物门、节肢动物门、棘皮动物门、环节动物门、腔肠动物门和海绵动物门 的55科115种礁栖无脊椎动物,分布的方式主要有穴居、附着和固着等3种方式,部分种类在礁丛 中索饵而隐蔽或躲避在礁缝隙中。