[Coral-List] Strange algae reported by divers

[Bill Allison]

I did not see the sponge overgrowing live coral at the limited number of
sites where I observed it in Maldives and some years later it had all but
vanished and corals were flourishing at these sites. I think the sponge I
saw was Terpios hoshinota.

On Fri, Mar 1, 2013 at 7:28 PM, Elizabeth Wood <ewood at f2s.com> wrote:

> Hello listers,
>
> This looks suspiciously like a species of invasive sponge that we have
> recorded from Sabah (East Malaysia) where it was particularly prevalent on
> a
> shallow reef that had suffered coral mortality as a result of fish bombing
> and / or coral bleaching / COTs predation.
>
> At its peak in 2000, cover by this sponge was around 37% but monitoring
> since then has shown a significant year-by-year reduction in cover and a
> recent survey revealed that it has all but disappeared. Bare limestone has
> been left in its place - showing erosion rather than coral recruitment
> possibly because of high populations of Diadema.
>
> Interestingly, this sponge had the capacity to spread rapidly over dead
> coral or other uncolonised hard surfaces, but not to out-compete live
> coral.
>
> We have worked with sponge specialists on identification and it appears
> that
> it is a new species of Chondrosia - paper in preparation.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Liz Wood
>
> Dr Elizabeth Wood,
> Marine Conservation Society, UK
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bastiaan Vermonden" <bastiaan.vermonden at gmail.com>
> To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2013 6:57 PM
> Subject: [Coral-List] Strange algae reported by divers
>
>
> > Dear Coral-listers
> >
> > I just came across this question in a linkedin discussion group and
> > thought
> > I could pose the question here:
> >
> > "
> > *Need help identifying this strange black algae looking species growing
> on
> > corals in the Philippines. *
> >
> > This picture was sent to myself as the regional Coordinator of Green
> fins.
> > We often get our members sending in strange e-mails but this one has
> > really
> > got us stuck. It is very fast growing and resembles a smothering blanket
> > that is covering coral reefs in the Philippines. It is starting to
> concern
> > many divers who are seeing more and more of it specifically in the
> > Moalboal
> > region of Cebu.
> >
> http://greenfins.net/Content/Uploads/Unknown%20black%20species.jpg?goback=%2Egmr_49850%2Egde_49850_member_218294623
> > "
> > Maybe someone from the coral list is familiar with this phenomena?
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Bastiaan Vermonden
> > http://diveselector.com
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> >
>
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>



-- 
________________________________
"... the earth is, always has been, and always will be more beautiful than
it is useful."
William Ophuls, 1977. The Politics of Scarcity