11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

Poster Mini-Symposium 16: Ecosystem Assessment and Monitoring of Coral Reefs - New Technologies and Approaches
16.542
Improved Intermittent Flow Respirometry -Comparison Of The Metabolic Rates
Of Coral Reef And Temperate Scorpaenid Fishes
Marian-Alexander MERCKENS* 1 , Andreas KUNZMANN 1
1 Center for Tropical Marine Biology, Bremen, Germany
The metabolism of fishes has been studied for many years. The determination of the
metabolic rate of fishes has been optimized stepwise and for a few species valuable
comparative data are available. This also includes the introduction of combined
respiration and activity measurements .
Although activity level and particularly spontaneous activity of fishes have a strong
impact on their metabolic rates, it has been neglected in numerous publications. Our
present experimental set-up enables both the detailed documentation of spontaneous
activity and also the subsequent calculation of its contribution to the metabolic rate. We
were able to study both tropical fishes from coral reefs of Indonesia and temperate fishes
of the same family with exactly the same method. This allows for the first time a
comparison of metabolic rates from different climate zones.
In this study the metabolic rates of three species of the genera Scorpaenopsis and
Parascopaena from the tropics (Indonesian Seas) and Myoxocphalus scopius from the
temperate zone (North Sea) were examined.
The metabolic rates for a 50 gram fish are 40.9 mgO2 . h -1 kg -1 WM (tropical 24-
25°C) and 74.3 mgO2 . h -1 kg -1 WM (temperate 14°C) and therefore clearly lower
as compared to literature data.
In addition the metabolic rates of the temperate fishes were investigated at three different
temperatures (8°C, 14°C und 18°C). An increased temperature of 10°C induced a
doubling of the metabolic rate. At 18°C the metabolic rate of M. scopius is 106 mgO2 . h -
1 kg -1 WM, which is twice as high as the metabolic rate of the tropical species at 24-25°C.
The substantial lower metabolic rate of tropical species could be an expression of a much
more sluggish mode of life and a high potential scope for spontaneous acitivity.
16.543
Coralwatch: A Flexible Coral Bleaching Monitoring Tool For You And Your Group
Justin MARSHALL 1 , Dave LOGAN* 1 , Ulrike SIEBECK 1 , Ove HOEGH-GULDBERG 2 ,
Joanne MARSTON 3 , Jenny Miller GARMENDIA 4 , Ania BUDZIAK 4
1 School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2 Centre
for Marine Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 3 Project AWARE
Foundation, Frenchs Forest, Australia, 4 Project AWARE Foundation, Rancho Santa
Margarita, CA
Coral bleaching events seem set to become more frequent over the next decades. We
have developed an intermediate-scale, participative method of monitoring coral
bleaching: CoralWatch. The methodology centres on using a colour chart based on a
mixture of calibrated coral physiology and colour science. Since the chart’s introduction
in 2001 we have seen the publication of research papers and reports using the method and
users have contributed 15,356 samples from 160 reef sites www.coralwatch.org.
Today, CoralWatch is a monitoring system used globally (80 countries) by hundreds of
groups from schools to environmental groups, universities and government agencies.
Over a year ago, CoralWatch and Project AWARE Foundation, a non-profit
environmental organisation within the scuba diving community, formed a partnership to
involve the recreational and professional scuba divers in the effort to raise awareness and
gather data on a global scale. Since then, Project AWARE has registered over 600
AWARE CoralWatch operators worldwide and the number of data entries has
quadrupled. A Project AWARE workshop already conducted and a survey in design seek
to understand the opportunities and obstacles to program growth and enhancement.
Our goal is to expand and refine the program as a hands-on tool used to raise awareness
on perils of global warming. We also aim to engage and support individuals and groups
interested in using CoralWatch to monitor coral bleaching and contribute to a global data
set available to all and of use in research, school projects and policy guidance. In 2008
we will continue to integrate with other systems including remote sensing surveys,
ReefBase, Coral Reef Watch, BleachWatch and Reef Check. In this presentation we
introduce the system and answer some FAQs as well as provide methodological
suggestions to enhance monitoring and raise awareness simultaneously.
16.544
Mapping The Spatial Characteristics Of Acropora Populations:
Barry DEVINE* 1 , Pedro NIEVES 1
1 Eastern Caribbean Center, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Acropora palmata, Elkhorn Coral, has been recently added to the Endangered Species List as a
result of the catastrophic decline of these dominant nearshore corals over the past 20 years.
Understanding the spatial geography of existing populations is a key to understanding their
status for management and recovery. The authors have been advancing the technology needed
for the digital collection of population data using highly accurate GPS/PDA’s in shallow
surface water locations. The data collection method captures location and population
characteristics in a rapid, accurate process that reduces error and post sampling effort and
provides downloadable excel files for GIS manipulation, graphic display and data anaylsis.
16.545
A Direct Physiological Approach To Coral Bleaching Detection: Meaning For Managers?
Derek MANZELLO* 1 , James HENDEE 2 , Erik STABENAU 3 , Michael LESSER 4 , Mark
WARNER 5
1 Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, Rosenstiel School, University of
Miami, Miami, FL, 2 NOAA AOML, Miami, FL, 3 Everglades National Park, National Park
Service, Homestead, FL, 4 Dept. of Microbiology, Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH,
5 College of Marine and Earth Studies, Univ. of Delaware, Lewes, DE
NOAA’s Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON) obtains meteorological and in situ
oceanographic data hourly in near real-time (through satellite relay) with high temporal
resolution from select coral reef areas to complement the high spatial resolution of NOAA's
Coral Reef Watch program. Satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) products are
effective at highlighting regions of the globe where SSTs are warmer than normal (e.g.,
'hotspots') and where bleaching might be expected. However, additional causative or modifying
factors of coral bleaching (e.g., light, hydrodynamics) are usually ignored and the physiological
status of coral-algal symbioses cannot be evaluated with satellite monitoring alone. Utilizing a
specially constructed Pulse Amplitude Modulating (PAM) fluorometer, in situ active
chlorophyll fluorescence of the endosymbiotic zooxanthellae was measured remotely and in
near real-time for two common Caribbean species of reef-building coral at Lee Stocking Island,
Bahamas during the Caribbean-wide 2005 bleaching event. Both species displayed evidence of
chronic photoinhibition coincident with thermal stress and seasonally high doses of solar
radiation (both ultraviolet and visible). Hurricane-associated cooling and shading appears to
have been responsible for minimizing the impact of bleaching at this site in 2005 as was shown
for Florida that same year. PAM fluorometry, coupled with simultaneous long-term
measurement of in situ light and temperature, can provide much more detail for understanding
coral photobiology and coral bleaching than sporadic point measurements from research divers
alone. Of particular benefit, is that these methods can be used to monitor the physiological
status of specific coral species at a few key sites if an earlier detection of bleaching ‘stress’ is
desired for potential management activities.
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