11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University
11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University
11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Poster Mini-Symposium 26: Biodiversity and Diversification of Reef Organisms<br />
26.1222<br />
Spatial And Temporal Variation Of Macrofauna in Reef-Associated Halimeda And<br />
Seagrass Of A Bleach-Resisting Bay in Sri Lanka<br />
Suki EKARATNE* 1 , Danister JOHN 2<br />
1 Zoology, Colombo <strong>University</strong>, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2 Colombo <strong>University</strong>, Colombo, Sri<br />
Lanka<br />
The composition and diversity of macrofauna inhabiting reef-associated Halimeda and<br />
seagrass, were studied over the two annual seasons using monthly triplicated 25cmx25cm<br />
quadrat samples. Crustaceans, gastropods, polychaetes and ophiuroids comprised the<br />
main inhabitants of Halimeda (at 1 495±225.8m-2, 980±207.8m-2, 543±127.4m-2 and<br />
310±74.3m-2, respectively). Seagrass communities were dominated by crustaceans,<br />
sipunculids and polychaetes (at 819±137.7m-2 , 137±104.Im-2 and I00±46.6m-2 ,<br />
respectively). Nemetinea, Echiura, Platyhelminthes and Chordata were less abundant in<br />
Halimeda. In seagrass gastropods, ophiuroids, holothuroids and poriferans occurred in<br />
lesser numbers.<br />
Highest densities in Halimeda occurred in monsoonal season (6240±92.17m- 2 ) and<br />
lowest at nonmonsoonal season onset (2480±124.46m- 2 ) whereas a reverse trend<br />
occurred in seagrass, with highest densities at nonmonsoonal onset (1530±I2.02m- 2 ) and<br />
lowest in monsoonal season (l008±l0.60m 2 ).<br />
Highest number of families occurred among crustaceans (26 and 20 in Halimeda and<br />
seagrass, respectively) and polychaetes (20 and 11 in Halimeda and seagrass,<br />
respectively), with amphipods as most dominant crustaceans. Dominant polychaetes in<br />
Halimeda were terrebellids and nereids, but in seagrass it was sebellarids and glycerids.<br />
In Halimeda, the highest faunal density and diversity were observed during monsoons<br />
periods. There was no significant seasonal variation of faunal composition and diversity<br />
in seagrass, but fauna inhabiting Halimeda underwent significant seasonal variation.<br />
There was no faunal density variation between leaves and sediments of seagrass, but in<br />
Halimeda. leaves had significantly higher faunal densities.<br />
Day-light densities of seagrass fauna were higher and were dominated by crustaceans,<br />
with the`lesser densities of dark hours being dominated by gastropods. Seagrass faunal<br />
dry biomass, faunal diversity and floral biomass increased from shoreward locations to<br />
deeper locations. In the most shoreward locations faunal composition was dominated by<br />
sipunculids and gastropods, and in all other locations, it was dominated by crustaceans.<br />
26.1223<br />
Reef biodiversity research at the Florida Museum of Natural History<br />
Gustav PAULAY* 1 , John SLAPCINSKY 1 , Amanda BEMIS 1 , Sarah MACPHERSON 1<br />
1 Florida Museum of Natural History, <strong>University</strong> of Florida, Gainesville, FL<br />
The Florida Museum of Natural History is the largest natural history museum in the<br />
southeast US, and holds one of the most significant collections of reef invertebrates in the<br />
country. The invertebrate collection developed from one dedicated to mollusks, and is<br />
still dominated by specimens from that phylum. Approximately 450,000 lots (>3 million<br />
specimens) or mollusks and >30,000 lots (>100,000 specimens) of marine invertebrates<br />
from ~20 phyla are represented. The largest non-molluscan collections are of Crustacea,<br />
Echinodermata, and Cnidaria, especially reef corals. Over 440,000 lots are now<br />
databased and searchable online through the Division’s website<br />
(http://flmnh.ufl.edu/malacology/), GBIF (http://www.gbif.org/) and Discover Life<br />
(http://www.discoverlife.org/). This electronic collection is the second largest available<br />
for invertebrates. The bulk of the records are georeferenced and mapable. The collection<br />
also holds >80,000 images, mostly of reef-inhabiting marine invertebrates, which are<br />
steadily being made available online. The Division is involved in documenting reef<br />
biodiversity in the NW Hawaiian Islands (CREEFS), Society Islands (BIOCODE), the<br />
SW Indian Ocean (BIOTAS), through much of Oceania, Oman, and Florida. The large<br />
tissue- and alcohol-preserved collections are now being sequenced to provide genetic<br />
barcodes for >5000 species of marine invertebrates, as part of the MarBOL project. Our<br />
long-term goals are to provide specimen, genetic, image, identification, and other<br />
taxonomic resources on a wide-range of reef-inhabiting marine invertebrates.<br />
26.1224<br />
Checklist And Morphometry Of The Benthic Cnidarians Of Some Sites At The Fernando<br />
De Noronha, Archipelago, Pernambuco State, Brazil<br />
Fernanda AMARAL* 1 , Carla RAMOS 1 , Zelinda LEÃO 2 , Ruy KIKUCHI 2 , Kyllderes LIMA 1 ,<br />
Leila LONGO 3 , Selma VASCONCELOS 4 , Ralf CORDEIRO 1<br />
1 Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, 2 Geologia, Universidade<br />
Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil, 3 Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil,<br />
4 Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil<br />
The Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (Pernambuco State, Brazil), located 580 km from the<br />
city of Recife, is made up of 21 islands and islets that are volcanic in origin. This study aimed<br />
to update the checklist of benthic cnidarians of some of the archipelago’s reef environments, as<br />
well as to carry out research on the morphometry of their corals and calcified hydroids.<br />
Fieldwork was undertaken from February 2005 through April 2006 and observations were<br />
carried out at 13 stations through snorkeling or scuba diving up to 30 m deep. A minimum<br />
number of samples were collected in order to reduce the impact on the environment and the<br />
samples were deposited in the collection of the Reef Environment Laboratory (LAR/UFRPE).<br />
Thirty-two species of cnidarians were recorded, from which 14 are new occurrences for the area<br />
studied. When added to other species listed in the literature, a total of 59 benthic cnidarians<br />
have been recorded for the Archipelago. This increase may be explained by the small number of<br />
studies that has been carried out in the area and by the augment in tourism activities. The latter<br />
increases the possibility of bioinvasion by organisms that may come into the archipelago<br />
attached to the hull of cruiser ships. Stephanocoenia michelini and Mussismilia sp., new<br />
occurrences of zooxanthellate corals, are worthy of mention, as well as the calcified hydroids<br />
Millepora braziliensis and Millepora sp. Mussismilia sp. showed several variations<br />
among its skeletal characters that surpassed the limits of intraspecific morphological variation<br />
when compared to those of M. hispida from the Brazilian coast and might be a new species.<br />
The abundance and frequency of these animals are being studied through the analysis of video<br />
transect images.<br />
26.1225<br />
Update Of The Checklist And Distribution Of The Cnidarians Of Saint Peter And St. Paul<br />
Archipelago, Brazil<br />
Fernanda AMARAL* 1 , Carla RAMOS 1 , Kyllderes LIMA 1 , Susan SILVEIRA 1 , Selma<br />
VASCONCELOS 2 , Simone LIRA 1<br />
1 Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, 2 Zoologia, Universidade<br />
Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil<br />
Phylum Cnidaria is presently divided into two subphyla: Medusozoa and Anthozoa; this<br />
phylum’s organisms are extremely important for reef environments, especially the<br />
zooxanthellate corals, which perform an important role in reef-building. The data for this study<br />
was obtained from samples collected manually through free or scuba diving (0-60 m) during<br />
expeditions carried out between 1998 and 2007 at the St. Peter St. Paul Archipelago (0º 56,2’ N<br />
and 29º 20,6’ W), located 1100 km from the city of Natal (Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil) at<br />
the top of the meso-oceanic range. This archipelago is comprised of islands and islets of<br />
plutonic origin, but may be considered a reef environment because it has a considerable<br />
coralline fauna and flora. The histomorphological studies identified 23 cnidarian taxa: three<br />
species of hydroids (Halopteris alternata, Aglaophenia rhyncocharpa, and Sertularella sp.),<br />
four species of scleractinian corals (Scolymia wellsi, Madracis decactis, Astrangia braziliensis,<br />
and Polycyathus sp.), six species of sea-anemones (Actinia bermudensis, Aiptasia pallida,<br />
Anemonia sargassensis, Bunodosoma caissarum, B. cangicum, and Telmatactis roseni), seven<br />
species of zoanthids (Zoanthus sociatus, Z. nymphaeus, Zoanthus sp., Palythoa caribaeorum,<br />
Palythoa sp., Protopalythoa variabilis, and Parazoanthus sp.), one species of octocoral<br />
(Carijoa riseii), and two species of black corals (Antipathes sp. and Tanacipathes paula). This<br />
shows the reasonable diversity of this phylum when compared to other regions such as the<br />
Rocas Atoll, where 21 species have been identified. Species distribution and community<br />
descriptive indexes are being studied through the analysis of video transect images.<br />
570