11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

18.702
Evidence Of An Outbreak Of Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish (Cots) in French
Polynesia: Observations Between 2005 And 2007
Bernard SALVAT* 1 , Yannick CHANCERELLE 2 , Thierry LISON DE LOMA 2 , Lucie
PENIN 1 , Céline STIEVENART 1 , Franck LEROUVREUR 2 , Annie AUBANEL 3 ,
Christian MONIER 4 , Elodie LAGOUY 5 , Mehdi ADJEROUD 1
1 Biologie et Ecologie Tropicale et Méditerranéenne, Université de Perpignan, Ecole
Pratique des Hautes Etudes, UMR 5244 CNRS-EPHE-UPVD, Perpignan, France, 2 Centre
de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement, Moorea, French Polynesia,
3 Serive de l'Urbanisme IFRECOR, Tahiti, French Polynesia, 4 Service de la Pêche, Tahiti,
French Polynesia, 5 Reef Check Polynésie, Moorea, French Polynesia
Outbreaks of Acanthaster planci (COTS) in French Polynesia were observed in 1969 and
between 1980-1984 where concentrations as high as 110 ind/hectare were observed at
Tahiti and Moorea in 1984. Subsequently, outer reef slopes have recovered their preoutbreak
percentage coral cover. According to a general survey carried out at the end of
2006, COTS have increased in abundance on islands of both the Society (Tahiti, Moorea,
Bora Bora, Raiatea, Huahine) and the Austral archipelagos (Rurutu), but not for the
Tuamotu atolls (Manihi, Rangiroa, Tikehau, Fakarava). In order to evaluate the
distribution and abundance of COTS at an island scale, a « manta tow » was developed to
survey the outer reef slope along the 95 km perimeter of Moorea. This method consists of
evaluating feeding marks and after establishing the correlation between feeding marks
and COTS abundance, the density of COTS is calculated. Results from 2006-2007 show
a mosaic distribution of COTS around Moorea. The outer slope of Moorea, between 10
and 30 m in depth was divided into sectors 250 m long, parallel with the reef crest. Only
a few sectors (10 out of 395), mainly on the North and East coasts, show COTS
concentrations above 17 ind, which is lower than in 1984. Other sectors show lower
concentrations, of which 117 sectors had less than 2 COTS. A comparison of COTS
densities between November 2006 and April 2007 does not indicate that the COTS
outbreak is progressing. Nevertheless on some sectors with COTS, coral cover, mainly
Acropora and Pocillopora, has been reduced by up to 50 %. Future surveys are planned
to monitor this event and its consequences.
18.703
Status Of Shallow Water Coral Communities in Little Cayman in 2006-2007
Lindsay HUEBNER* 1 , Carey BATHA 1 , Max MULLEN 1 , Roy DUCOTE 1 , Vania
COELHO 1,2
1 Central Caribbean Marine Institute, North Coast Road, Cayman Islands, 2 Natural
Sciences and Math, Dominican University of California, San Rafael
This study focuses on a comparative analysis of the coral populations in shallow water
reefs (1-2 m deep) of Little Cayman, Cayman Islands, in 2006 and 2007. The purpose of
this comparison is to understand the temporal dynamics of shallow reef coral
communities and analyze the possible influence of the proximity to no-take reserves
located in deeper reefs. We conducted surveys of 4 fringing reefs on the north and south
sides of Little Cayman, near and far from marine no-take zones located in deeper water
(9-15m). Live coral cover, coral diversity, disease, bleaching, mortality, diameter and
height were measured of colonies found under 10 m line transects randomly placed on the
reefs. We also recorded fish bites and sponge and tunicate overgrowth on corals. A total
of 36 and 75 transects, and 458 and 553 corals were analyzed in 2006 and 2007
respectively. We found a statistically significant decline in live coral cover, from 14.8 to
9.5%, a small but significant decrease in mortality from 33.1 to 28.3%, and an increase in
sponge overgrowth from 0 to 1.5%. Mean diameter and height were similar over time (~
36 cm and 18 cm, respectively). No significant differences were observed for bleaching
(~3%), disease (~0.5%), fish bites (~0.3%) or tunicate overgrowth (none), however
partial bleaching was more common in 2007. No main change in relative abundance of
coral genera composition was observed, with Porites being the most abundant genus (~
40% of the corals). Distance from marine no-take reserves had no distinguishable effect
on the parameters analyzed in this study.
Poster Mini-Symposium 18: Reef Status and Trends
18.704
Algal Cover And Coral Recruitment in Shallow Reefs in Little Cayman in 2006-2007
Lindsay HUEBNER* 1 , Carey BATHA 1 , Max MULLEN 1 , Roy DUCOTE 1 , Vania COELHO 1,2
1 Central Caribbean Marine Institute, North Coast Road, Cayman Islands, 2 Natural Sciences and
Math, Dominican University of California, San Rafael
In this study we analyzed algal cover and coral recruitment in shallow water reefs around Little
Cayman, Cayman Islands, in 2006 and 2007. We also examined if marine no-take zones had an
influence on adjacent shallow water sites (1-2 m deep) regarding upright (fleshy and calcareous)
and encrusting calcareous algal cover, as well as coral recruitment. We conducted surveys of 4
fringing reefs (1-2 m) on the north and south sides of Little Cayman, near and far from marine
no-take zones located in deeper water (9-15 m). Ten meter long line transects were randomly
placed on the reef, and algal cover and number of coral recruits were recorded in quadrats 25 x
25 cm placed every other meter along the transects. In addition, the number of damselfish and
Diadema found 0.5 meter from the transect line was also noted. A total of 36 and 75 transects,
and 180 and 375 quadrats were analyzed in 2006 and 2007 respectively. From 2006 to 2007,
there was a significant decrease in fleshy upright macroalgal cover from 17.2 to 12.1% and an
increase in upright calcareous macroalgal cover from 5.0 to 7.0%. No other statistically
significant changes were observed. From one year to the next mean encrusting calcareous algal
cover varied from 9.1 to 5.6%, total upright macroalgal cover from 22.2 to 20.4%, number of
recruits from 0.04 to 0.09 per quadrat, Diadema from 2.3 to 1.8 per transect, and damselfish
from 2.6 to 3.2 per transect. Proximity to no-take zones had no clear effect on the parameters
analyzed during the study period.
18.705
Spatial And Temporal Recovery Patterns Of Coral Reefs Within The Gulf Of Oman (Uae)
Following The 2007 Cyclone Disturbance
Kristi FOSTER* 1
1 National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, FL
In June 2007 Cyclone Gonu, the most powerful storm in the region in 60 years, impacted reefs
in the United Arab Emirates along the Gulf of Oman coastline. The extent of destruction of the
reef corals varied considerably depending on site, taxa and colony morphology. The most
severely damaged sites were completely razed. These included areas that had been dominated
by tabular Acropora clathrata, some larger than 2m in diameter. Moderately damaged sites
included areas of dense monospecific stands of Pocillopora damicornis from which individual
colonies were dislodged or broken. The least damaged sites included areas with massive
colonies of Platygyra and Favia spp. that survived relatively unscathed, showing little or no
signs of scouring or partial mortality. This study describes quantitatively the first stage of
recovery of these reefs, two months and twelve months following the cyclone disturbance.
Monitoring stations have been installed near Dibba and Fujairah along the northern and
southern sections of the UAE coastline, respectively. Each station consists of two primary
components; (i) transect markers that create a “Mercedes star” pattern for repetitive
photographic surveys along three 10m2 rays, and (ii) a settlement plate rack with horizontal and
vertical limestone tiles. Analyses of the transect photographs provide spatial and temporal
comparisons such as coral area cover, colony size frequency distributions and colony growth
rates. Examination of the settlement plates indicates coral larvae recruitment into the area,
which may also indicate future shifts in community structure. Site data such as hourly seawater
temperatures measured approximately 0.5m above the reef, sea urchin densities, and rugosity
(topographic complexity) are evaluated in relation to the spatial and temporal patterns. While
this study focuses on the short-term recovery of these reefs, future studies may continue to track
their long-term progression at the permanent monitoring stations.
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