[Coral-List] Colors returning

Jim Hendee Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov
Thu Nov 3 14:50:32 EST 2005


CORALations wrote:

> Dear Mr. Hendee:
>  
> I am hoping you will post this to list serve. 
> I need to stress that the analysis is pending from Coral Reef Research 
> Group at UPR from Dr. Edwin Hernandez Delgado.  
>  
> This is anecdotal from Culebra, Puerto Rico.  We began to some species 
> almost two weeks ago.  Some species recover patchy and others sort of 
> follow a bottom up pattern, although this deserves more time for 
> analysis.  Milleporas, the first to be hit by this event and hit hard 
> seemed to be recovering first with a lot of morts. 
> Without the analysis, it is dangerous to say, but there appears to be 
> some link to species specific mortality.  With the observations 
> of recovery, however, comes observations of those organisms that did 
> not make it.
>  
> Entire species took hard hit this year including /Agaricia sp/. and /A 
> cervicornis.  /I would be interested to hear from other Caribbean 
> regions if they are seeing similar astounding mortality with these two 
> species as well.  Two divers who work with Dr. Weil on the west coast 
> of Puerto Rico stated yesterday that they have been seeing same off 
> west coast of Puerto Rico.  Large colonies of /Colpophylia natans/ 
> have also been impacted and are now suffering infections.    Sort of a 
> swollen polyp formation observed on Montastreas, possibly a sort of 
> "damsel chimney" response to rapidly proliferating algaes?  Dr. 
> Hernandez working on analysis. 
> Dictyota is also flourishing in certain areas, and overgrowing living 
> animals.
>  
> /Plexaura sp./ seems to be recovering well with few morts...difficult 
> to state without the analysis.
> Some recovery in scolemias, mussas and siderastraes as well.
>  
> A patchy blotch recovery is seen in /Montastreas/ sp. with some 
> infections, and some mortality.  This is our predominant reef building 
> coral.
>
> */Jim Hendee <Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov>/* wrote:
>
>     I received a report from our ICON (CREWS) station Field Supervisor
>     Dave
>     Ward in St. Croix today that some of the colors have been starting to
>     return to the previously bleached corals there over the last 10
>     days to
>     two weeks. These sorts of observations are important to understanding
>     and characterizing the phenomenon. When (if?) others start to see the
>     color returning to corals that bleached previously this summer/fall, a
>     report of your observations would be helpful.
>
>     Thanks!
>
>     Cheers,
>     Jim`
>
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>
>
>
> Mary Ann Lucking
> Director
> CORALations
> P.O. Box 750
> Culebra, PR 00775
> www.coralations.org
> 1-877-77CORAL / 1-877-77(2-6725)
> (o) 787-556-6234  (f) 1-530-618-4605
> e-mail: maryann at coralations.org <mailto:maryann at coralations.org>




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