In-situ observation of deep water corals in the northern Red Sea waters of Saudi Arabia

Three sites offshore of the Saudi Arabia coast in the northern Red Sea were surveyed in November 2012 to search for deep-water coral (DWC) grounds using a Remotely Operated Vehicle. A total of 156 colonies were positively identified between 400 and 760 m, and were represented by seven species belonging to Scleractinia (3), Alcyonacea (3) and Antipatharia (1). The scleractinians Dasmosmilia valida Marenzeller, 1907, Eguchipsammia fistula (Alcock, 1902) and Rhizotrochus typus Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1848 were identified to species level, while the octocorals Acanthogorgia sp., Chironephthya sp., Pseudopterogorgia sp., and the antipatharian Stichopathes sp., were identified to genus level. Overall, the highest abundance of DWC was observed at Site A1, the closest to the coast. The most abundant species in the study area was D. valida, which lives attached to rocky substrates and represented 42% of the total coral population at site A1. Water column attributes at this depth were quite homogenous with temperature ca. 21.6 °C, salinity ca. 40.56, dissolved oxygen ca. 1.75 ml L⁻¹ and current velocity from 0.6 to 34.5 cm s⁻¹ with a mean value of 9.5 cm s⁻¹. Interestingly, these DWC can cope with high temperature and salinity, compared to those in other regions.     

鹿回头佳丽鹿角珊瑚卵母细胞发育的组织学研究

海南省三亚市鹿回头海域珊瑚礁生态系统退化严重,为了恢复珊瑚礁资源,引进国际上最新的珊瑚礁恢复策略--捕获珊瑚幼虫安放到珊瑚礁退化区域,该策略的重点是准确掌握珊瑚的排卵时间.实验通过组织学分析珊瑚卵母细胞发育情况从而判定珊瑚的排卵时间,而野外的珊瑚幼虫捕获实验也证实我们对排卵时间的判断.通过观测卵母细胞的发育情况,我们确定佳丽鹿角珊瑚Acropora pulchra的排卵时间为4月底5月初.同时也证实佳丽鹿角珊瑚共生的虫黄藻Zooxanthellae是后天获得的.将组织学分析应用到珊瑚礁的恢复中来,使得以后大量的捕获珊瑚幼虫,加快对珊瑚礁退化区域进行恢复成为可能.     

Ecohydrographic constraints on biodiversity and distribution of phytoplankton and zooplankton in coral reefs of the Red Sea,Saudi Arabia

An integral concept of ecological research is the constraint of biodiversity along latitudinal and environmental gradients. The Red Sea features a natural example of a latitudinal gradient of salinity, temperature and nutrient richness. Coral reefs along the Red Sea coasts are supported with allochthonous resources such as oceanic and neritic phytoplankton and zooplankton; however, relatively little is known about how the ecohydrography correlates with plankton biodiversity and abundance. In this article we present the biodiversity of phytoplankton and zooplankton in Red Sea coral reefs. Oceanographic data (temperature, salinity), water samples for nutrient analysis, particulate organic matter, phytoplankton and zooplankton, the latter with special reference to Copepoda (Crustacea), were collected at nine coral reefs over ~1500 km distance along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. The trophic state of ambient waters [as indicated by chlorophyll a (Chl a)] changed from strong oligotrophy in the north to mesotrophy in the south and was associated with increasing biomasses of Bacillariophyceae, picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus as indicated by pigment fingerprinting (CHEMTAX) and flow cytometry. Net‐phytoplankton microscopy revealed a Trichodesmium erythraeum (Cyanobacteria) bloom north of the Farasan Islands. Several potentially harmful algae, including Dinophysis miles and Gonyaulax spinifera (Dinophyceae), were encountered in larger numbers in the vicinity of the aquaculture facilities at Al Lith. Changes in zooplankton abundance were mainly correlated to the phytoplankton biomass following the latitudinal gradient. The largest zooplankton abundance was observed at the Farasan Archipelago, despite high abundances of copepodites, veligers (Gastropoda larvae) and Chaetognatha at Al Lith. Although the community composition changed over latitude, biodiversity indices of phytoplankton and zooplankton did not exhibit a systematic pattern. As this study constitutes the first current account of the plankton biodiversity in Red Sea coral reefs at a large spatial scale, the results will be informative for ecosystem‐based management along the coastline of Saudi Arabia.     

永兴岛及七连屿造礁石珊瑚近10年变化分析

根据2007-2016年珊瑚礁监测数据,永兴岛及七连屿共调查到造礁石珊瑚11科113种,常见种有鹿角杯形珊瑚Pocillopora damicornis、疣状杯形珊瑚Pocillopora Verrucosa、粗野鹿角珊瑚Acropora humilis、澄黄滨珊瑚Porites lutea、丛生盔形珊瑚Galaxea fascicularis、梳状菊花珊瑚Goniastrea pectinata及锯齿刺星珊瑚Cyphastrea serailia等。研究区域内造礁石珊瑚种类近10年（2007-2016年）来下降明显,其中永兴岛从39种下降到18种,下降率为53.85%;北岛从23种下降到17种,下降率为26.09%;赵述岛从46种下降到12种,下降率为73.91%;西沙洲从51种下降到15种,下降率为70.59%。群体形态群落中皮壳状种类数最为稳定,分枝类下降了59.26%;叶片状下降了75.00%;圆盘状下降了87.50%;团块状下降了57.14%。通过对研究区域造礁石珊瑚种类组成及群落形态等方面的变化分析可见,人为活动、长棘海星、珊瑚病害、台风及全球升温等因素逐渐影响到西沙海域的珊瑚礁生态系统。     

海南昌江沿岸海域石珊瑚的物种多样性及其分布

2009年3月,采用水下照相及摄像方法,对海南昌江沿岸海域的石珊瑚物种多样性、分布及覆盖度进行了调查.结合历史资料,共发现石珊瑚10科15属28种和1未定种.其中鹿角珊瑚属（Acropora）、角蜂巢珊瑚属（Favites）、叶状珊瑚属（Lobophyllia）等为优势类群,常见分布珊瑚种类有角孔珊瑚（Gonioporasp.）、标准蜂巢珊瑚（Favia speciosa）、五边角蜂巢珊瑚（Favites pentagona）、多孔鹿角珊瑚（Acropora millepora）、十字牡丹珊瑚（Pavona decussata）、伞房叶状珊瑚（Lobophyllia corymbosa）等.石珊瑚主要分布于海尾镇三联村以南海域,覆盖率最高为12%.本次调查在海南昌江沿岸海域记录的珊瑚种类数多于以前的记录,但少于海南南岸的三亚鹿回头,也少于北部的广西涠洲岛、广东徐闻、香港等海域,随着调查次数的增加,预计会有更多的种类被发现.该海域是北部湾珊瑚幼虫交流的中间过渡区,对珊瑚礁的保护与恢复具有重要意义.     

Distribution and population structure of deep‐dwelling red coral in the Northwest Mediterranean

Commercially harvested since ancient times, the highly valuable red coral Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758) is an octocoral endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it occurs on rocky bottoms over a wide bathymetric range. Current knowledge is restricted to its shallow populations (15–50 m depth), with comparably little attention given to the deeper populations (50–200 m) that are nowadays the main target of exploitation. In this study, red coral distribution and population structure were assessed in three historically exploited areas (Amalfi, Ischia Island and Elba Island) in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean Sea) between 50 and 130 m depth by means of ROV during a cruise carried out in the summer of 2010. Red coral populations showed a maximum patch frequency of 0.20 ± 0.04 SD patches·m^?1 and a density ranging between 28 and 204 colonies·m^?2, with a fairly continuous bathymetric distribution. The highest red coral densities in the investigated areas were found on cliffs and boulders mainly exposed to the east, at the greatest depth, and characterized by medium percentage sediment cover. The study populations contained a high percentage (46% on average) of harvestable colonies (>7 mm basal diameter). Moreover, some colonies with fifth‐order branches were also observed, highlighting the probable older age of some components of these populations. The Ischia population showed the highest colony occupancy, density and size, suggesting a better conservation status than the populations at the other study locations. These results indicate that deep dwelling red coral populations in non‐stressed or less‐harvested areas may diverge from the inverse size‐density relationship previously observed in red coral populations with increasing depth.     

涠洲岛西南部海域造礁石珊瑚的群落结构特征分析

采用2019年5月14?22日开展的断面法调查数据,分析了涠洲岛西南部海域的造礁石珊瑚群落结构特征。结果表明:涠洲岛西南部海域造礁石珊瑚共有9科38种,优势种为滨珊瑚(Porites sp.)、秘密角蜂巢珊瑚(Favites abdita)、斯氏角孔珊瑚(Goniopora stutchburyi)等团块状珊瑚。活造礁石珊瑚覆盖率为5.20%～31.20%,平均值为16.66%,远离海岸或靠近海岸但水较深的站位覆盖率较高。石珊瑚补充量较低、病害少、死亡率较低。造礁石珊瑚群落的物种多样性、优势度、均匀度互相呈显著正相关关系(p<0.05)。靠近岩壁的站位,水较深且船舶通行和游客潜水等影响较少,活造礁石珊瑚覆盖率和多样性程度均较高。受侵蚀海岸悬浮泥沙和潜水旅游影响较大的砂质岸段站位,活造礁石珊瑚覆盖率最低、优势种的优势度最高、多样性程度相对较低。人为活动、西南季风、风暴潮、海岸侵蚀悬沙、极端气候是影响涠洲岛西南部海域造礁石珊瑚礁生态系统的主要因素。     

How Episodic Coral Breakage Can Determine Community Structure: A South African Coral Reef Example

Abstract. Africa's southernmost coral reefs are situated in Natal Province, South Africa. The Natal coast is exposed to open Ocean swells and episodic storm swell conditions. Benthic communities on these reefs differentiated into three community types: shallow reefs (8–18 m) were dominated by alcyonacean corals and low-growing, massive Scleractinia; intermediate reefs (18–25 m) were dominated chiefly by branching and tabular Scleractinia of the genus Acropora (A. austera, A. clathrata); deep reefs were not dominated by corals but by sponges. Breakage and recovery experiments indicated that the difference in Acropora dominance between shallow and intermediate sites was caused by breakage in high swell conditions. Survival of experimentally produced A. austera fragments was significantly higher in intermediate than in shallow sites, where higher surge made re-attachment and regeneration unlikely. Also, colony morphology was adapted to differential surge conditions: colonies on the shallow reefs were smaller with shorter branches, while on intermediate reefs they were much bigger with long, widely spreading branches. Episodic breakage and low fragment survival due to high water-motion thus excluded branching corals from shallow reef sites.     

The Structure of Coral Communities at Hurghada in the Northern Red Sea

Abstract. The community structure of hard and soft corals, with an emphasis on hard corals, was determined by means of line-transects on 9 on-and off-shore reefs of different type and different wave exposure in the Northern Red Sea near Hurghada in Egypt. Coral communities were found to differentiate along a horizontal wind- and wave-exposure gradient. Exposed communities were dominated by Acropora species, sheltered communities by Porites species, and semi-exposed communities by Millepora species. Also, vertical within-reef zonations following a depth gradient were observed; these were unique for each exposure-determined community type. Average transect diversity was highest on semi-exposed reefs, lowest on sheltered reefs. Reef slopes were more diverse than other reef zones. The observed community structure was compared with data from the literature, and widely distributed, roughly comparable hard and soft coral communities were identified.     

Food Selection in Two Corallivorous Butterflyfishes, Chaetodon austriacus and C. trifascialis, in the Northern Red Sea

Abstract. Using an in situ observational approach, the food preferences among hard corals were examined for the two obligate coral‐feeding butterflyfishes Chaetodon austriacus and C. trifascialis in the Northern Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt. Chaetodon austriacus is a generalist coral feeder that feeds mainly on three genera of abundant hard corals (Acropora, Porites and Pocillopora). In contrast, C. trifascialis is a specialist coral feeder on Acropora spp. and Pocillopora verrucosa. In general, C. austriacus had a lower feeding rate than C. trifascialis (both species in the Northern Red Sea reefs had high feeding rates compared with other reefs). Ivlev's electivity index was calculated for the two species. This index shows that C. austriacus prefers Montipora and Pocillopora, and avoids Lobophyllia and Favites. On the other hand, C. trifascialis prefers Acropora valida and avoids Porites solida. Thus, the feeding preference and avoidance of these chaetodontids depend on both biting rate and food availability in the environment rather than on biting rate alone.     

厦金海域珊瑚体内重金属水平和分布特征

采用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪测定了厦金海域8种珊瑚中Cr、Mn、Co、Ni、Cu、Zn、As、Cd、Sn、Sb、Pb重金属的含量,通过数据处理、主成分分析方法,分析了重金属分布特征和其主要来源。采用单因子污染指数法对珊瑚重金属的污染水平进行了评价。结果表明,其平均浓度水平从大到小依次为:ZnMnSnCrCuAsNiPbSbCdCo。在8种珊瑚中,星柳珊瑚(Astrogrogia sp.)、等柳珊瑚(Paris fruticosa)、Paraplexaura sp.的重金属含量较高,花柳珊瑚(Anthogorgia sp.)和Guaiagorgia anas的含量较低。台湾海域珊瑚中Cu、Zn、Pb、Ni的含量、委内瑞拉海域珊瑚中Zn、Pb、Ni的含量远高于厦金海域珊瑚体内相同重金属含量,大堡礁珊瑚中Cu含量较厦金海域的略高。通过相关性分析发现,Cr、Co、Ni、Zn和Sn的种间差异较为显著。根据主成分分析,厦金海域珊瑚体内重金属元素可能的污染来源有:农业污染、港口生活污水和工业污水的排放、船舶油漆、涂料侵蚀、电镀工业。单因子污染指数法评价结果表明,6种重金属元素中,大佰屿、白哈礁和角屿的主要污染物是Mn。白哈礁、大佰屿站位的珊瑚体内重金属Mn处于重度污染水平,角屿站位的处于中度污染水平。     

Long-term impacts of coral bleaching events on the world's warmest reefs

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.     

Impacts of temperature anomalies on mortality of benthic organisms in the Adriatic Sea

Recurrent climate‐induced mass mortality episodes have been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea over the past 15 years, affecting rocky benthic communities. In this study, we provide for the first time a report on the annual mortality events of benthic sessile invertebrates occurring in the eastern part of the Adriatic Sea. Over the course of 14 consecutive years, we studied the sea temperature gradient to a depth of 40 m and found an abnormal summer warming trend and an increased frequency of above‐average temperatures. Mortality events were recorded in the summers of 10 observed years, in particular in 2009, when the highest mortality rates were recorded. Late in summer 2009, extensive mass mortality of sessile invertebrates was observed in the entire Eastern Adriatic Sea. We performed an analysis of selected target benthic species associated with mass mortality events with inter‐regional differences in hydrological and temperature conditions. We were able to characterize the mortality event by studying five areas covering the northern, central and southern regions of the Eastern Adriatic Sea. The degree of impact on each study area was quantified at 28 sites by estimating the proportion of affected target species. According to the obtained data, the northern sites (Cres area) were the least affected, whereas sites in the Central and Southern Adriatic [Tela??ica and Lastovo Nature Parks, Mljet National Park (NP)] displayed the highest impact. In summer 2009, sea surface temperatures reached values of 28 °C in the Cres area and 30 °C in Mljet NP. These thermal conditions were concomitant with moderate to severe mass mortalities of benthic populations. Mass mortality events reached depths of 45 m in most parts of the affected areas. Amongst studied species, the scleractinian coral and gorgonian populations suffered the most extensive damage during the mass mortality events.     

一种环境敏感型造礁石珊瑚Pocillopora sp.共生虫黄藻和细菌的生态特征

在气候和人类活动的长期影响下,南海珊瑚礁演变出生境各异的珊瑚礁生态系统.珊瑚对特殊生境的适应离不开体内共生微生物类群的调节.分析共生微生物的生态特征有助于了解珊瑚的环境适应机制,同时可以对珊瑚未来的进化趋势做出评估.本研究从南海低纬度的南沙群岛(NS)和西沙群岛(XS)以及相对高纬度的海南陵水(LS)3个珊瑚礁区采集一...     

Zooneuston and zooplankton abundance and diversity in relation to spatial and nycthemeral variations in the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Red Sea

Zooplankton and zooneuston observations were made at seven stations(four from the Gulf of Aqaba and three from the northern Red Sea), during September and October 2016. The main objective of this study was to assess the variability of nycthemeral fauna in relation to the sampling methods using two different types of nets namely,WP2 net and Neuston net along the two study sites, i.e., the Gulf of Aqaba and the northern Red Sea. Zooplankton was sampled vertically using a standard WP2 net from a depth of 200 m to the surface, whereas zooneuston was made using a standard Neuston net from a depth of 0–10 cm of the water surface. Total zooplankton density was maximum during night time((617.83 ± 201.84) ind./m~3) at the Gulf of Aqaba and total zooneuston was maximum during night at the northern Red Sea((60.94±29.48) ind./m~3), respectively. The most abundant taxa were Copepoda, Gastropoda, Bivalva, Chaetognatha, Tunicata and Ostracoda. The abundance was almost 50% higher at night time at both the Gulf of Aqaba and the northern Red Sea. Overall, 30 taxa covering 10 phyla and 27 taxa covering 8 phyla were recorded in the Gulf of Aqaba and the northern Red Sea.     

Symbiodinium diversity within Acropora muricata and the surrounding environment

Several long‐term studies have monitored populations of algal symbionts, Symbiodinium sp., in coral hosts over different temporal and spatial scales, and among multiple host species. The extension of these studies to include environmental pools of algal symbionts from sources such as the water column, sediments, free‐floating mucus mats and those settling on biofilms has only been studied by a few, yet has the potential to enhance our understanding of the dynamics and controls on symbiont populations. Adaptive changes in the coral symbiont complement rely either on the uptake of new strains from the environment or population expansion of rarer strains in the existing symbiont population. The relative scope for these alternative pathways of uptake is unknown. This study therefore examined spatial changes in Symbiodinium clades within the water column at two different time periods and compared these with other environmental pools (biofilms, sediments, and mucus mats) and those within the dominant reef‐building species at the study site, Acropora muricata. A diversity of algal symbiont clades were detected in environmental pools, with specific clades associated with different habitats. At an island scale, there was significant variation in clade composition between sites separated by 0.5–7 km, a result which was repeated for both sample periods encompassing different seasons (March 2009 and August 2010). Although no single environmental pool contained a Symbiodinium complement comparable to that of the host coral species investigated, the dominant coral Symbiodinium were available in combinations of the environmental pools, indicating that the coral has the potential to obtain its symbionts from a variety of environmental sources.     

Descriptions of four new species of the genus Reticunassa Iredale, 1936 (Gastropoda: Nassariidae) from the northeastern coast of Taiwan Island and the South China Sea

In the present study, four new species of the genus Reticunassa Iredale, 1936 collected from Chinese waters are described and illustrated. Reticunassa hugokooli sp. nov., Reticunassa jungi sp. nov. and Reticunassa aureolineata sp. nov. were collected from the northeastern coast of Taiwan Island, whereas Reticunassa fuscofasciata sp. nov. was collected from the northeastern coast of Taiwan Island and the South China Sea. The four new species can be distinguished conchologically from other congeners mainly in protoconch, shell shape, sculpture, and coloration. These findings demonstrate that the biodiversity of this group in China might be largely underestimated.     

海南儋州海域造礁石珊瑚种类组成及动态变化研究

文章通过断面法调查分析了儋州海域海花岛沿岸、南华墟沿岸和磷枪石岛沿岸造礁石珊瑚的种类组成与群落分布,结果表明：儋州海域造礁石珊瑚共有12科25属55种,相较于此前的研究增加了10个种,优势种为斯氏角孔珊瑚、澄黄滨珊瑚、柱角孔珊瑚;活造礁石珊瑚覆盖率急剧下降,由2012年的42.92%下降至现在的22.24%,降幅高至48.18%;造礁石珊瑚死亡率高居不下,长期维持在35%左右;初级群落以团块状造礁石珊瑚为优势种的趋势愈发明显,且单一绝对优势种的情况频繁出现,说明该海域造礁石珊瑚群落受到了较为严重的破坏,导致群落退化演替,分析认为这种破坏是由自然因素和人为活动共同造成的。     

近20年来大亚湾生态环境的变化及其发展趋势

依据中国科学院南海海洋研究所大亚湾海洋生物综合实验站20a来获得的大量现场观测数据和资料，对大亚湾生态环境和变化趋势进行了分析。其变化主要表现在：由贫营养状态发展到中营养状态，局部海域已出现富营养化的趋势，N／P比的平均值由20世纪80年代的101．5上升到近年的大于50，大亚湾营养盐限制因子由80年代的N限制过渡到目前的P限制；生物群落组成明显小型化，生物多样性降低，生物资源衰退。大亚湾具有珊瑚礁、红树林、岩礁等多种海岸类型，但近年出现了石珊瑚白化现象，珊瑚礁群落的优势种发生了改变，在大亚湾的澳头港附近水域多次发生赤潮。这些研究结果表明大亚湾生态系统正经历着快速的退化过程。     

Growth modelling indicates hurricanes and severe storms are linked to low coral recruitment in the Caribbean

This study set out to test the hypothesis that hurricanes and tropical storms limit the recruitment and subsequent survival of massive non-branching corals on the barrier reef off the coast of Belize in the Gulf of Honduras. Overall, the surface areas of 523 individual coral specimens were measured, and recruitment dates were then modelled. There was no significant difference in coral cover or coral biodiversity between any of the sites studied (p > 0.1). There were significant differences in non-branching coral recruitment in years when hurricanes impacted the area (p < 0.05) compared with years when no hurricanes impacted the area. There were significantly more non-branching massive corals recruited in non-hurricane years (mean 7.7) than in hurricane years (mean 3.8; p = 0.011). When years with tropical storms are added to the years with hurricanes, there was significantly lower coral recruitment (mean 4.7) relative to non-storm or hurricane years (mean 7.4; p = 0.019). These results show that hurricanes and severe storms limited the recruitment and survival of massive non-branching corals of the Mesoamerican barrier reef and on patch reefs near the Belize coast in the Caribbean, and suggests that marine park managers may need to assist coral recruitment in years where there are hurricanes or severe storms.