Fig 19 - uploaded by Isabel Marques da Silva
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Acropora latistella. Specimen number: (A-C, E) VAM55; (D) VAM10. (A) live colony; (B, E) radial corallites; (C) branch fragment; (D) axial corallite.
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The hermatypic coral fauna of the Western Indian Ocean is one of the least known globally. This is true of the East African Coast and especially Mozambique, where taxonomic studies are scarce and date mostly from decades ago. The morphology of coral species is subjected to a high level of geographical and environmental variability, which leads to d...
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The deep-sea bamboo coral genus Acanella has a cosmopolitan distribution, is found on hard and soft substrata between 300 and 2875 meters depth, and may be abundant where present. The genus has been the source of taxonomic debate almost since its initial description, and species in the North Atlantic have proven difficult to identify. We examined 1...
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... In between corallites, coenosteum is reticulate with elaborated spinules ( Figure 1C). They have compound coral colonies with bushy or table-like structures, with the branches appearing as finger-like projections from encrusting basal plates and share a similar growth form with Acropora humilis but a smaller branch diameter (1 cm versus 3 cm) (Sola et al., 2015). Rarely, they can be found in other growth forms. ...
... (A) Image of A. digitifera colony from Pulau Bidong with closed up image of photosynthetic Symbiodiniaceae family of algae (circle) that lives in the gastrodermal tissue of scleractinian corals. (B) The radial view and (C) side view of A. digitifera skeleton adopted fromSola et al. (2015). ...
Coral responses to thermal stress remain inadequately understood in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia. This study addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the influence of high temperatures on the scleractinian coral Acropora digitifera from Pulau Bidong through two parts: field surveys and manipulative experiments (i.e., control vs. exposure). In both parts, similar methodologies were applied, encompassing biochemical parameters (i.e., glutathione S-transferase activity, catalase activity, superoxide dismutase activity, malondialdehyde level, and thiol content) and bleaching evaluation through Symbiodiniaceae (SD) density. Furthermore, several samples from both parts were selected, and thiol-containing proteins were extracted and identified through proteomic analysis using mass spectrometry. In the field, despite a temperature increase in March 2020, SD density in A. digitifera was not affected, and this is due to gradual temperature changes, inadequate exposure duration, and potential environmental buffering. Besides, coral manages oxidative stress through physiological acclimatization, such as increasing or decreasing antioxidant enzyme activities. However, a higher SD density can likely increase oxidative pressure, as reflected by the negative correlation between SD density and thiol content, but no significant induction in antioxidant enzyme activity was evident. This was further demonstrated in an ex-situ experiment where A. digitifera experienced reduced thiol content when it was exposed to 31 °C at a higher rate of temperature increase. This highlights the importance of SD removal to release a certain amount of oxidative pressure and aligns with the thermotolerant nature of A. digitifera. This study hypothesizes coral may apply other oxidative regulation strategies, such as reversible oxidative modification through oxidoreductase activities. Proteomic analysis further corroborates its adaptive mechanisms under bleaching and thermal stress, including the absence of hyperoxidation indications and the presence of metabolic proteins. Furthermore, an increase in the number of proteins present in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) influences folding activities and lumen components, highlighting the role of orchestrated oxidative protein regulation and potential ER stress. Overall, this study enhances our understanding of the thermotolerant characteristics of A. digitifera and reveals the potential adaptive approaches that may be applied by the coral to survive in high-temperature environments, providing valuable insights for coral conservation and climate change resilience.
... Radial corallites are dimorphic, while tubular corallites have rounded to nariform opening with reduced septal development. The shorter radial corallites are sub-immersed with a single septal cycle (Sola et al., 2015). Distribution: Global: Widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region, from various islands in the South Pacific; from Samoa to the African Coast of the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea (Veron et al., 2020). ...
The scleractinian family Acroporidae is highly diverse in the Indo-Pacific region, and dominates the coral species composition on many reefs. However, live Acroporids are seldom observed in the patch reefs along the eastern Arabian Sea, due to the marginal environmental condition that prevents the establishment of the sensitive ramose corals. A recent survey reveals the presence of two species of Acropora, Acropora cf. polystoma and Acropora efflorescens, in the reef areas of Netrani Island. This is the first report on the occurrence of live and healthy Acropora, in the patch reefs along the central west coast of India, and the first record on the occurrence of A. polystoma in the patch coral reefs along the Indian peninsula and the eastern Arabian Sea.
The waters of Air Louw and Seri Village are located in the southern part of Ambon Island and are classified as high in human activity due to their high biodiversity. In Airlouw waters, beach and marine tourism activities are part of the life of the local community, while Seri waters tend to be high in fishing activity. This condition can lead to the degradation of coral reef ecosystems, and we need a good database on the types of corals, their distribution, and the conditions of coral reef ecosystems. Data was collected by combining the Line Intercept Transect (LIT) and Photo Transect methods and carried out at 3 and 10 meters deep. The distribution of hard coral species at the two study sites resulted in 87 species of hard coral (Scleractinia) from 27 genera, 12 families. Fifty-seven scleractinian species were found at the intersection of the transect lines and 30 other species around the transect lines. In general, the condition of coral reefs at Airlouw station is classified as Medium (28. 25%), with the dominant growth forms at a depth of 3 m and 10 m being Acropora Branching and Coral Encrusting. At the Seri station, the condition of coral reefs is also categorized as moderate, namely 38. 25%, with the dominant growth forms, namely Coral Massive and Coral Branching. The condition of the coral reefs in both locations needs attention to manage the ecosystem further.
Santuário comunitário de Vamizi: 10 anos de colaboração entre Vamizi Lodge, comunidades e UniLúrio Vamizi é uma ilha de 48 km 2 localizada no arquipélago das Quirimbas, no norte de Moçambique, 40 km ao sul da fronteira com a Tanzânia. A ilha tem uma população permanente de cerca de 1500 pessoas que duplicam na estação seca devido à migração anual de pescadores de Nacala, localizado na província adjacente do sul. A ilha está longe de centros urbanos e a região é em grande parte subdesenvolvida. No lado leste da ilha, uma loja de ecoturismo tem vem promovendo a conservação desde 2000. Para o norte, a lagoa de Vamizi termina em uma crista de recife, levando a uma parede que desce 200-500 m em locais orientais, e uma inclinação para as mesmas profundidades no Oeste. O lado sul da ilha tem um declive suave em águas rasas apartamentos de recife de ervas marinhas, macroalgas e peixes-boi-coral. No lado norte, o coral forma uma contínua barreira de cobertura viva entre 30-60% e dominada por espécies de Acropora. Em 2006, uma reserva marinha de 38 Km 2 foi criada pela comunidade em torno do ponto leste da ilha, dentro do qual a pesca não é permitida. Os pontos Oeste da ilha ao redor das aldeias foram excluídos da reserva marinha. A comunidade impõe o status de não aceitar com o apoio de o alojamento. Em 2011, o WWF (Fundo Mundial para a Natureza) começou a executar um projeto de conservação para o alojamento, promovendo o envolvimento tanto da loja quanto das comunidades com a reserva. Neste artigo é evidenciada a relevância ecológica dos recifes de coral de Vamizi, descrita a história do projecto de conservação de Vamizi, da criação do santuário comunitário de Vamizi, e de 10 anos de colaboração entre Vamizi Lodge, comunidades e UniLúrio para a conservação dos recifes de coral de Vamizi e do santuário e as ameaças à sua sobrevivência. Palavras-chave Santuário comunitário de Vamizi recifes de coral projecto de conservação arquipélago das Quirimbas norte de Moçambique
The SeaKeys project is a large multi-institutional, collaborative foundational biodiversity initiative. The SeaKeys project team had their third successful fieldtrip to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (24th of April to 4th of May 2015) together with the coral bleaching monitoring project which has been collecting bleaching response data since 2005.
