11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

Poster Mini-Symposium 26: Biodiversity and Diversification of Reef Organisms
26.1218
Species, Distribution And Community Structure Of The Scleractinian Corals Genus
Acropora in The Gulf Of Thailand
Anchalee CHANKONG* 1 , Vipoosit MANTHACHITRA 2
1Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Eastern Marine and Coastal Resources
Research Center, Rayong, Thailand, 2Aquatic Science, Burapha University, Chonburi,
Thailand
Scleractinian corals genus Acropora are the dominant group within coral assemblages in
the Gulf of Thailand. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diversity,
abundance, species composition and community structure of Acropora in the Gulf of
Thailand. The 30 x 1 m. belt transect with 3 replicates were employed at 80 stations from
30 islands along the Gulf of Thailand. A total of 37 species were found covering the
average of area of 14.9%. The dominant species were A. millepora, A. samoensis and A.
digitifera. Common species were A. valida, A. hyacinthus and A. divaricata. The rare
species were A. cytherea, A. humilis and A. valenciennesi. Ma Island and Phangan Island
had the highest species richness (15 species). Kra Island had the second species richness
(14 species). The diversity indices at all stations were 0.5-2.0 while the evenness indices
were 0.5-1.0. Species composition of Acropora based on area coverage varied
significantly on habitats depending on locations. Community structure could be divided
into 4 groups; the first group was at the station at Klang Island, a winward-reef slope
(KL12) and at station Klang Island, a leeward-reef slope (KL22), having A. aculeus as
the dominant species at station Kra Island, a leeward-reef slope (KR22) having A. nana
as the dominant species. The second group, at station Klang Island, a leeward-reef slope
(KL22) had A. formosa as the dominant species. The third group, a station Kra Island, a
leeward-reef flat (KR21) had A. cf. copiosa, A. longicyathus, A. tenuis and A.
microphthalma as the dominant species and the last group of the stations had common
species and rare species. This study shows the recent condition of Acropora in the Gulf of
Thailand that they had recovery after bleaching phenomenon in 1998.
26.1219
Preliminary Results Of Marine Algae Of Madagascar Reef, Yucatan, Mexico: A
Functional Group Approach.
Ileana ORTEGÓN-AZNAR 1 , Noemi RAMIREZ-MISS 1 , Hilda LEÓN-TEJERA* 2 ,
Michele GOLD-MORGAN 2 , Stjepko GOLUBIC 3
1 Marine Biology, UADY, Merida, Mexico, 2 Biología Comparada, UNAM, Facultad de
Ciencias, UNAM, Mexico, Mexico, 3 Biological Science Center, Boston University,
Boston, MA
The abundance and distribution of marine algae was recorded with in Madagascar Reef;
located at the Northwest corner of the Yucatan Peninsula. It forms part of the Inner
Campeche Bank Reefs. The main objective is implanting a monitoring program to detect
changes in the spatiotemporal patterns within a algae community with respect to
environmental changes. Using groups of species as the unit of measurement assumes that
the grouped species will respond similarly to environmental changes.
To evaluate the validity of using the functional-form group approach, we use a
modification of Steneck and Dethier (1994) classification and we will compare the
variation on space of functional groups with the species composition.
Between august to September 2007 four sites were collected along the reef. Two 10m
transect marked at 2m intervals were used at each site with a 25 x 25 cm quadrant,
placed every two meters. Analyses of environmental factors, species and functional
groups abundances and distribution, is carried on.
About 30 taxa of marine algae were recorded. The class Rhodophyceae has the largest
number of species and abundance over sandy bottom, but the Phaeophyceae abundance
dominates over the other class over the ridge especially Dictyota spp. Nine different
functional-form groups were determinate. The foliose corticated group were the most
abundant along with the filament and the Chyanophyceae.
No spatial patterns were found but more work is needed to make conclusions.
To detect any change within a community we first need to understand the spatiotemporal
patterns. We still do not know whether the functional form group model provides the
correct resolution to detect temporal and spatial changes in community structure. One
way to evaluate the efficacy of using the functional-form group model, or any grouping
system, is to determine whether all members of a group act similarly in space over time.
26.1220
Seasonal Variation in Zooplankton Composition And Grazing Impact On Phytoplankton
Standing Stock in The Coral Reef Bay--Sanya, China
Liangmin HUANG* 1 , Yehui TAN 2 , Xingyu SONG 3
1 LMB, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou,
China, People's Republic of, 2 South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Guangzhou, China, People's Republic of, 3 South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,
Guangzhou, China, People's Republic of
The copepods biomass, composition, gut evacuation rates and grazing impact on phytoplankton
were investigated in the Sanya Bay two season cruises during the autumn (November 2000) and
spring (March 2001). The results showed that Paracalanus aculeatus and Paracalanus larvae
were the copepods dominated species in autumn, and they became Pavocalanus crassirostris
and Cyclopina sp. in spring. The average abundance of copepods were 8.917×103ind·m-3 and
1.073×103ind·m-3 in autumn and spring respectively. The average gut evacuation rates of the
copepods were 0.029±0.006 min-1 for the two seasons, and the grazing impact calculating from
this was up to 41.875%. We found by analysed the biomass of phytoplankon and copepods
during two seasons that the primary production in Sanya Bay was much lower and the copepods
and other meso-zooplankton were main consumer of phytoplankton; the grazing impact of
copepods presented obviously spaces and times characteristic, which was higher in autumn than
spring, and lower in off-shore than near-shores; the growth of phytoplankton was bottom-up
controlled by nutrients in spring, and with the increasing of zooplankton abundance, the topdown
effects by zooplankton became more powerful subsequently in autumn.
26.1221
Diversity in A Marine Species Complex: A Study Of The Hypoplectrus Coral Reef Fish
Genus.
Ben HOLT* 1 , Isabelle COTE 2 , Brent EMERSON 3
1 Biological Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom, 2 Department of
Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 3 School of Biological
Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
Diversity in a marine species complex: a study of the Hypoplectrus coral reef fish genus.
Species complexes provide excellent systems for the study of evolutionary diversification in
space and time. Despite the high diversity found in coral reefs, few species complexes have
been well studied within these habitats. One exception is the Caribbean fish genus
Hypoplectrus, which represents many striking colour forms and various studies have considered
the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for this polymorphism. We have taken a wide scale
approach to studying this system, sampling over 600 individuals representing seven different
colour forms from eight different locations. Using AFLP molecular markers we have
established that Hypoplectrus morphotypes are consistently very closely related, both within
locations and across the region, with one notable exception in the Gulf of Mexico. These data
are complimented by geometric morphometrics, which show that, whilst small, highly
significant differences exist between the mean body shape of colour forms, Hypoplectrus
morphological variation is more strongly associated with geography. Generally our results
suggest that Hypoplectrus populations are highly connected across their distribution with little
evidence that colour morphotypes within the species complex represent established or incipient
species. We will discuss these results with reference to existing theories regarding the origin
and maintenance of this polymorphism.
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