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<div class="cit"><a title="Ecotoxicology (London, England)."
_sg="true">Dear CDHC Members,<br>
I wanted to make you aware of a new publication that may be
of interest. It is available online in the journal
Ecotoxicology.<br>
<br>
Best Regards<br>
Cheryl<br>
<br>
<br>
Ecotoxicology.</a> 2011 Jul 7. [Epub ahead of print]</div>
<h1><small><small><small>A survey of environmental pollutants
and cellular-stress markers of Porites astreoides at six
sites in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.</small></small></small></h1>
<div class="auths"><a _sg="true">Downs CA</a>, <a _sg="true">Woodley
CM</a>, <a _sg="true">Fauth JE</a>, <a _sg="true">Knutson
S</a>, <a _sg="true">Burtscher MM</a>, <a _sg="true">May
LA</a>, <a _sg="true">Avadanei AR</a>, <a _sg="true">Higgins
JL</a>, <a _sg="true">Ostrander GK</a>.</div>
<div class="abstr">
<h3><small><small>Abstract</small></small></h3>
<p>Coral communities along the coast of St. John, U.S. Virgin
Islands have exhibited site-specific behavior in declines.
In order to determine if these specific coral communities
are stressed and whether a pollutant or environmental factor
present at this site is a probable stressor, we surveyed six
near-shore coral communities in St. John, USVI for
environmental pollutants and to determine the cellular
physiological condition of the coral, Porites astreoides.
The six sites within St. John are Cruz Bay, Caneel Bay,
Hawksnest Bay, Trunk Bay, Tektite Reef in Beehive Bay, and
Red Point. Red Point was considered the reference site
because of its abundance and diversity of species, and it
was the furthest removed from down-stream and down-current
anthropogenic activities. All sites showed distinct
cellular-stress marker patterns, indicating that the
physiological condition of each population was different.
Populations at Cruz, Hawksnest, Trunk, and Tektite were
stressed, as indicated by high levels of DNA lesions and
expression of stress proteins. Hawksnest and Tektite were
contaminated with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), while
Cruz was contaminated with semi-volatile organochlorines and
nitrogen-based biocides. At least for Hawksnest and Tektite,
stress-marker patterns were consistent with an exposure to
PAHs. Fecal coliform levels were high in Cruz and Trunk,
indicating fecal contamination, as well as consideration for
management action. Results from this study serve as a
justification for a more thorough and methodical
investigation into the stressors responsible for declines of
coral populations within St. John. Furthermore, this study
supports the argument for the importance of local factors
contributing to regional coral reef declines; that not all
forces impacting coral are global.</p>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Cheryl Woodley, Ph.D.
Coral Health and Disease Program
DOC/NOAA/NOS/NCCOS
Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research
Hollings Marine Laboratory
331 Fort Johnson Rd
Charleston, SC 29412
843.762.8862 Phone
843.762.8737 Fax
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:cheryl.woodley@noaa.gov">cheryl.woodley@noaa.gov</a></pre>
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