Characterization and role of carbonic anhydrase in the calcification process of the azooxanthellate coral <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tubastrea aurea</Emphasis>

In zooxanthellate corals, the photosynthetic fixation of carbon dioxide and the precipitation of CaCO₃ are intimately linked both spatially and temporally making it difficult to study carbon transport mechanisms involved in each pathway. When studying Tubastrea aurea, a coral devoid of zooxanthellae, we can focus on carbon transport mechanisms involved only in the calcification process. We performed this study to characterize T. aurea carbonic anhydrase and to determine its role in the calcification process. We have shown that inhibition of tissular carbonic anhydrase activity affects the calcification rate. We have measured the activity of this enzyme both in the tissues and in the organix matrix extracted from the skeleton. Our results indicate that organic matrix proteins, which are synthesized by the calcifying tissues, are not only structural proteins, but they also play a crucial catalytic role by eliminating the kinetic barrier to interconversion of inorganic carbon at the calcification site. By immunochemistry we have demonstrated the presence of a protein both in the tissues and in the organic matrix, which shares common features with prokaryotic carbonic anhydrases.     

Development of rapid,cost effective coral survey techniques: tools for management and conservation planning

Coral reefs are highly dynamic and productive marine ecosystems, providing habitat and refuge for an enormous number of species including fish, invertebrates and algae. With increased anthropogenic pressures and global climate change, many coral reefs are rapidly declining. Currently, there is limited knowledge on condition and community assemblage composition of shallow fringing coral reefs along the south-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With increased demand to determine existence of coastal fringing reefs by National Regional Management groups, a rapid cost effective method to determine reef composition and condition was required. The aim of this study was to determine the benthic structure and extent of two small coastal fringing reefs (Hummock Hill Reef and Stringers Reef) along the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Reef substrate assessments were carried out using a rapid assessment technique and a Point Intercept Method (PIM). The data were analysed and classified using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Percent substrate cover was calculated using a visual basic image analysis program. The Point intercept method showed higher accuracy over the rapid assessment technique (up to 15–40% difference) and was thus deemed a more suitable classification tool for reefs with high structural complexity and heterogeneity. This study focused on piloting a rapid, cost effective Point Intercept Technique using random point count methodology to document coral benthic habitat and extent over a commonly used rapid assessment method as a tool for reef coastal management and conservation. The two techniques were compared and substrate classification success, limitations and errors were discussed.     

Experimental Assessment of Coral Reef Rehabilitation Following Blast Fishing

Abstract:  Illegal fishing with explosives has damaged coral reefs throughout Southeast Asia. In addition to killing fish and other organisms, the blasts shatter coral skeletons, leaving fields of broken rubble that shift in the current, abrading or burying new coral recruits, and thereby slowing or preventing reef recovery. Successful restoration and rehabilitation efforts can contribute to coral reef conservation. We used field experiments to assess the effectiveness of different low-cost methods for coral reef rehabilitation in Komodo National Park (KNP), Indonesia. Our experiments were conducted at three different spatial scales. At a scale of 1 × 1 m plots, we tested three different rehabilitation methods: rock piles, cement slabs, and netting pinned to the rubble. Significantly more corals per square meter grew on rocks, followed by cement, netting, and untreated rubble, although many plots were scattered by strong water current or buried by rubble after 2.5 years. To test the benefits of the most successful treatment, rocks, at more realistic scales, we established 10 × 10 m plots of rock piles at each of our nine sites in 2000. Three years after installation, coverage by hard corals on the rocks continued to increase, although rehabilitation in high current areas remained the most difficult. In 2002 rehabilitation efforts in KNP were increased over 6000 m² to test four rock pile designs at each of four rubble field sites. Assuming that there is an adequate larval supply, using rocks for simple, low-budget, large-scale rehabilitation appears to be a viable option for restoring the structural foundation of damaged reefs.     

三亚珊瑚变化趋势及原因分析

2006至2009年采用断面监测法对三亚蜈支洲、亚龙湾、大东海、鹿回头和西岛这5个区域的珊瑚进行了调查。结果显示:大东海、西岛、亚龙湾活珊瑚覆盖率呈现逐渐下降趋势,死珊瑚覆盖率则逐渐升高。鹿回头活珊瑚覆盖率处于较低水平,团块状珊瑚优势度高于枝状珊瑚,群落结构已经发生较大变化。分析表明长期的人类活动包括海洋工程、生活污水排放、旅游活动造成了这些区域的珊瑚退化,但这些区域新生珊瑚的补充量相对较高,说明珊瑚生长的自然环境基本没有改变。只要控制人类活动的影响,这些区域的珊瑚还具有恢复的可能性。蜈支洲活珊瑚覆盖率保持在较高水平,死珊瑚覆盖率较低,珊瑚补充量较高,分枝状珊瑚的优势度高,珊瑚群落结构相对稳定,这说明在保护的前提下开展可持续利用的生态旅游活动可以促进珊瑚礁的保护。     

Documenting Loss of Large Trophy Fish from the Florida Keys with Historical Photographs

Abstract:  A loss of large vertebrates has occurred in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, but data to measure long-term population changes are sparse. Historical photographs provide visual and quantitative evidence of changes in mean individual size and species composition for groups of marine fish that have been targeted by sport fishing. I measured such trends for 13 groups of recreationally caught "trophy" reef fish with photographs taken in Key West, Florida, from 1956 to 2007. The mean fish size declined from an estimated 19.9 kg (SE 1.5) to 2.3 kg (SE 0.3), and there was a major shift in species composition. Landings from 1956 to 1960 were dominated by large groupers ( Epinephelus spp.), and other large predatory fish were commonly caught, including sharks with an average length of just <2 m. In contrast, landings in 2007 were composed of small snappers ( Lutjanus spp. and Ocyurus chrysurus ) with an average length of 34.4 cm (SE 0.62), and the average length of sharks declined by more than 50% over 50 years. Major declines in the size of fish caught were not reflected in the price of fishing trips, so customers paid the same amount for a less-valuable product. Historical photographs provide a window into a more pristine coral reef ecosystem that existed a half a century ago and lend support to current observations that unfished reef communities are able to support large numbers of large-bodied fish.     

Coastal issues for oceanic islands: implications for human futures

Compared to continental areas, most islands have exceptionally long coastlines relative to their total land area. For this reason, islands are uncommonly vulnerable to problems associated with coasts. The future of the human inhabitants of many island states depends intrinsically on the sustainable management of their coasts, a challenge which grows more pressing as island populations increase and the associated demands on island coastlines change and grow. These issues are presented and discussed in this article. The mechanics of the sustainable management of island coasts is itself an important issue. At the national or local level, management is plagued by problems of insufficient and/or imprecise data and understanding that may lead to inappropriate solutions that even exacerbate the problems they are intended to solve. At an inter-governmental or international level, problems associated with the understanding of island environments need to be resolved before optimal management strategies can be developed. This article presents a brief explanation of the nature of coastal vulnerability on oceanic islands, followed by a discussion of several key problems associated with their sustainable development and the role of human and non-human factors in recent environmental change. It discusses the future of oceanic island coasts in the face of both internal and external threats to their sustainable management. It concludes with a blueprint for their survival.     

珊瑚礁生态保护与管理的社会经济调查

通过综合古典社会学、人类学和经济学等学科的方法,采用调查问卷的方式对灯楼角珊瑚礁保护区的居民进行了社会经济调查,发现当地居民生活水平很低,对珊瑚礁的依赖性很强,生产方式简单,管理落后,政府、科学家和当地居民之间沟通较少,但最近居民对珊瑚礁资源重要性的认识已不断加深,并希望通过合理的开发和利用来改变生存状态。因而在今后的管理方案中应强调居民的参与,重视教育和培训,加强沟通和信息共享,合理规划,以达到珊瑚礁资源的可持续利用。     

电镀锌镍合金与热渗锌涂层热带海洋大气环境腐蚀规律对比分析

目的 解决钢铁表面金属涂层在热带海洋大气环境中易腐蚀损伤或失效的问题,选择对热带海洋大气环境耐腐蚀性能优良的金属涂层,提高钢铁工件的使用寿命。方法 在某热带海域进行户外暴露试验,对钢铁试片电镀锌镍合金和热渗锌2种金属涂层的腐蚀规律进行研究。通过扫描电镜、X射线能谱仪、光学显微镜、划格试验等,对锌镍合金镀层和热渗锌涂层的表面形貌、化学成分、截面形貌、涂层厚度及附着力等分别进行观察与测试。结果 电镀锌镍合金镀层主要发生选择性腐蚀和点蚀,在720d内具有较好的腐蚀防护性能。热渗锌层以均匀腐蚀为主,涂层微裂纹促进了腐蚀,在90 d内基体无腐蚀,360～720 d涂层的腐蚀速率较快。结论 在采用的2种金属涂层工艺中,电镀锌镍合金镀层的耐腐蚀性能远优于热渗锌涂层。相对于该热渗锌涂层,电镀锌镍合金镀层更加适合作为钢铁工件金属涂层在该海域大气环境中长期使用。     

Assesment of Trace Elements and Organic Pollutants from a Marine Oil Complex into the Coral Reef System of Cayo Arcas, Mexico

Possible contaminants produced by the Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) marine oil complex in the vicinity of the Cayo Arcas (Mexico) coral reef ecosystem were evaluated by analyzing sediments and sea water for hydrocarbons and metal elements. We found that the concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the sea water were generally low, with the highest values detected near the oil station; the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was generally below the detection limit. The hydrocarbons found in the sediments seem to have a pyrogenic origin, and were probably produced by marine traffic in the study area. The total PAH concentration did not exceed the NOAA criteria, although levels of some individual PAHs did. The only metal detected in the sea water at high concentrations was nickel. The Ni/V ratio in the sediments indicates the contribution of crude oil to the system. The high content of Ni and Zn was attributed to the ballast waters from the oil tankers that load at the station's monobuoys. The presence of fine sediments that commonly originate from terrestrial ecosystems supported this assumption.     

Biofluorescence as a survey tool for cryptic marine species

As ecosystems come under increasing anthropogenic pressure, rare species face the highest risk of extinction. Paradoxically, data necessary to evaluate the conservation status of rare species are often lacking because of the challenges of detecting species with low abundance. One group of fishes subject to this undersampling bias are those with cryptic body patterns. Twenty‐one percent of cryptic fish species assessed for their extinction risk (International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN]) are data deficient. We developed a nondestructive method for surveying cryptically patterned marine fishes based on the presence of biofluorescence (underwater biofluorescence census, UBC). Blue LED torches were used to investigate how widespread biofluorescence was in cryptic reef fishes in the Coral Triangle region. The effectiveness of UBC to generate abundance data was tested on a data‐deficient pygmy seahorse species (Hippocampus bargibanti) and compared with data obtained from standard underwater visual census (UVC) surveys. We recorded 95 reef fish species displaying biofluorescence, 73 of which had not been previously described as biofluorescent. Of those fish with cryptic patterns, 87% were biofluorescent compared with 9% for noncryptic fishes. The probability of species displaying biofluorescence was 70.9 times greater for cryptic species than for noncryptic species. Almost twice the number of H. bargibanti was counted using the UBC compared with UVC. For 2 triplefin species (Ucla xenogrammus, Enneapterygius tutuilae), the abundance detected with UBC was triple that detected with UVC. The UBC method was effective at finding cryptic species that would otherwise be difficult to detect and thus will reduce interobserver variability inherent to UVC surveys. Biofluorescence is ubiquitous in cryptic fishes, making this method applicable across a wide range of species. Data collected using UBC could be used with multiple IUCN criteria to assess the extinction risk of cryptic species. Adopting this technique will enhance researchers’ ability to survey cryptic species and facilitate management and conservation of cryptic marine species.