[Coral-List] siltation and coral reefs

Wed Feb 4 12:15:15 EST 2004

Dear List,

I provided a siltation reference list (48 references) to a Phil Pepe 
who then contacted somebody to have it posted on the noaa web 
site. (This can found by typing "siltation and coral" in to google). 
This was back in 2000, and since i have enlarge my literature 
concerning the effects of "sedimentation" on coral reefs. Below you 
can find a list of references that are not in the list mentioned earlier 
for the Caribbean and this seems to be were Beatriz Martínez-
Daranas is probably interested in. 

I would advise all who are interested in the topic of turbid / high 
sediment reefs to be advised that this is not a simple issue. There 
is not a simple "sedimentation" rate whereby "this" coral species 
dies and "that" species survives. Although Rogers (1990) excellent 
review paper has been cited as referring to a 10 mg/cm2/d as a 
threshold for coral survival there is a lot of evidence from the Indo-
Pacific region of corals tolerating "sedimentation" levels more than 
10x this figure. 

The usage of the term "sedimentation" has been too vague in the 
past. We need to appreciate that sediment-related stress originate 
from a variety of interactions that may include actual sediment 
being deposited, to sediment being eroded, to a turbid environment 
that experiences next to no “sedimentation”. Studies from these 
various stress are needed to differentiate the potential impacts 
instead of assuming that sediment is deleterious to coral reefs and 
to gain a more in depth understanding of what processes are 
inhibited / promoted. I would also recommend that any people 
interested in the literature cited here to investigate the “geological” 
literature. This has a significant role for our understanding of the 
consequences of turbid / high sediment environments yet remains 
largely uncited by biologists/ecologists

There are also some papers in press / under review. For example, 
the effects of the Rio Beuno River, north Jamaica on local coral 
communities by my colleagues Jennie Mallela and Chris Perry. 
Anybody who has a paper under review / in press I would 
appreciate more details of these, please send them to me directly 
(I.Macdonald at mmu.ac.uk) or the list.

This Reference list is not complete and those on the web site 
below are not included

http://www.coral.noaa.gov/bib/coral_siltation_references.html

All editing errors, page number irregularities etc. are mine!

Abdel-Salam, H. A., Porter, J.W. (1988). "Physiological effects of 
sediment rejection on photosynthesis and respiration in three 
Caribbean reef corals." Proceedings of the Sixth International Coral 
Reef Symposium, Townsville, Australia, 8-12th August 1988 2: 285-
292.

Acevedo, R., Morelock, J., Olivieri, R.A. (1989). "Modification of 
coral reef zonations by terrigenous sediment stress." Palaios 4: 92-
100.

Bak, R. P. M., Meesters, E.H. (2002). Acclimatization/adaptation 
of coral reefs in a marginal environment. Proceedings of the 9th 
International Coral Reef Symposium, Bali, Indonesia.265-271

Bastidas, C., Garcia, E. (1999). "Metal content on the reef coral 
Porites astreoides: an evaluation of river influence and 35 years of 
Chronology." Marine Pollution Bulletin 38(10): 899-907.

Birkeland, C. (1977). The importance of rate biomass accumulation 
in early successional stages of benthic communities to the survival 
of coral recruits. Proceedings of the Third International Coral Reef 
Symposium, Miami.15-21

Gerrodette, T. and Flechsig, A. O. (1979). "Sediment-induced 
reduction in the pumping rate of the tropical sponge Verongia 
lacunosa." Marine Biology 55: 103-110.

Hands, M. R., French, J.R., O'Neil, A.O. (1993). "Reef Stress at 
Cahuita Point, Costa Rica: Anthropogenically enhanced sediment 
influx of natural geomorphic change?" Journal of Coastal Research 
9(1): 11-25.

Hubbard, J. A. E. B. (1973). Sediment-shifting experiments: a 
guide to functional behavior in colonial corals. Animal colonies; 
their development and function through time. Boardman, R. S., 
Cheetham, A. H. and Oliver, W. A. J. (eds.) Dowden, Hutchinson 
and Ross, Stroudsburg : 31-42.

Hubbard, D. K. (1986). "Sedimentation as a control of reef 
development: St.Croix, U.S.V.I." Coral Reefs 5: 117-125.

Hunte, W., Wittenberg, M. (1992). "Effects of eutrophication and 
sedimentation on juvenile corals. II. Settlement." Marine Biology 
114: 625-631.

Kelmo, F., Attril, M. J. and Jones, M. B. (2003). "Effects of the 
1997-1998 El Nino on the cnidarian community of a high turbidity 
coral reef system (northen Bahia, Brazil)." Coral Reefs 22(4): 541-
550.

Lasker, H. R. (1980). "Sediment rejection by reef corals: the roles 
of behavior and morphology in Montastrea cavernosa (Linnaeus)." 
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 47: 77-87.

Leão de Moura, R., Martins Rodrigues, M.C., Francini-Filho, R.B., 
Sazima, I. (1999). "Unexpected richness of reef corals near the 
southern Amazon River mouth." Coral Reefs 18: 170.

Macdonald, I. A. (2003). "Reef growth and framework preservation 
in a turbid lagoon environment, Discovery Bay, north Jamaica." 
Manchester Metropolitan University PhD Thesis: 254p.

Macdonald, I. A. and Perry, C. T. (2003). "Biological degradation of 
coral framework in a turbid lagoon environment, Discovery Bay, 
north Jamaica." Coral Reefs 22: 523-535.

Meesters, E. H., Bak, R.P.M., Wsetmacott, S., Ridgley, M., 
Dollar, S. (1997). "A fuzzy logic model to predict coral reef 
development under nutrient and sediment stress." Conservation 
Biology 12(5): 957-965.

Meesters, E. H., Bos, A., Gast, G.J. (1992). Effects of 
sedimentation and lesion position on coral tissue regeneration. 
Proceedings of the Seventh International Coral Reef Symposium, 
Guam.671-678

Miller, R. L., Cruise, J.F. (1995). "Effects of suspended sediment 
on coral growth - evidence from remote sensing and hydrologic 
modelling." Remote Sensing of the Environment 53(3): 117-187.

Nugues, M. M. and Roberts, C. M. (2003). "Partial mortality in 
massive reef corals as an indicator of sediment stress on coral 
reefs." Marine Pollution Bulletin 46(3): 314-323.

Nugues, M. M. and Roberts, C. M. (2003). "Coral mortality and 
interaction with algae in relation to sedimentation." Coral Reefs 
22(4): 507-516.

Perry, C. T., Macdonald I.A. (2002). "Impacts of light penetration 
on the bathymetry of reef microboring communities: implications for 
the development of microendolithic trace assemblages." 
Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 186(1-2): 101-
113.

Roberts, H. H., Murray, S.P. (1983). "Controls on reef development 
and the terrigenous-carbonate interface on a shallow shelf, 
Nicaragua (Central America)." Coral Reefs 2: 71-80.

Roberts, H. H. (1987). "Modern Carbonate Siliciclastic Transitions - 
Humid and Arid Tropical Examples." Sedimentary Geology 50(1-3): 
25-65.

Rosenfeld, M., Bresler, V., Abelson, A (1999). "Sediment as a 
possible food source for corals." Ecology Letters 2(6): 345-348.

Ross, P., DeLorenzo, M.E. (1997). "Sediment contamination 
problems in the Caribbean Islands: research and regulation." 
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 16(1): 52-58.

Torres, J. L. (1998) Effects of sediment influx on the growth rates of 
Montastrea annularis (Ellis and Solander) in southwest, Puerto 
Rico MSc Marine Sciences Universtiy of Puerto Rico 

Torres, J. L. (2001). "Impacts of sedimentation on the growth rates 
of Montastraea annularis in southwest Puerto Rico." Bulletin of 
Marine Science 69(2): 631-637.

Torres, J. L. and Morelock, J. (2002). "Effect of terrigenous 
sediment influx on coral cover and linear extension rates of three 
Caribbean massive coral species." Caribbean Journal of Science 
38(3-4): 222-229.

Torres, R., Chiappone, M., Geraldes, F., Rodriguez, Y. and Vega, 
M. (2001). "Sedimentation as an important environmental influence 
on Dominican Republic reefs." Bulletin of Marine Science 69(2): 
805-818.

Turk, T. R. and Risk, M. J. (1981). "Effects of sedimentation on 
infaunal invertebrate populations of Cobequid Bay, Bay of Fundy." 
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 38(6): 624-648.

Wittenberg, M., Hunte, W. (1992). "Effects of eutrophication and 
sedimentation on juvenile corals. I. Abundance, mortality and 
community structure." Marine Biology 112: 131-138.

Woolfe, K. J., Larcombe, P. (1999). "Terrigenous sedimentation 
and coral reef growth: a conceptual framework." Marine Geology 
155: 331-345.

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