[Coral-List] Inquiry on Caribbean Acropora recovery accomplishments

Vassil Zlatarski vzlatarski at gmail.com
Thu Nov 9 18:08:06 EST 2017


Dear all,

My first encounters with Caribbean scleractinians in 1970s bewildered me
with their exceptional variability on different levels of biological
organization.  Unfortunately, its causation is still not clarified.  Our
knowledge of their reproduction strategy, life history, hybridization,
intraspecific polymorphism, phenotypic plasticity and other basic traits
are poor for effective work on coral survival.  The concept of phenoide as
graphic presentation of structure and the dynamic of the species was
ignored.  The taxonomy is not satisfactory. We do not know enough about the
nature of our object.  Our focus has to be on better knowledge of traits of
corals principal reef builders and usage of the all lessons of.
paleoecology.

I know, this sounds like heresy.  Please have mercy to a long time retired
independent researcher with no stake in this game.

Cheers,

Vassil

Vassil Zlatarski
D.Sc. (Biology), Ph.D. (Geology)

On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 5:14 PM, Dennis Hubbard <dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu>
wrote:

> Hi all:
>
> Just a piece of information that may have relevance to issues of "reef
> restoration" often discussed in this forum. The last two hurricanes that
> went through St. Croix destroyed all the "coral farms" as well as
> scattering the previously successful outplants to places beyond where
> anyone could find them. *Acropora* (a favorite Caribean subject for
> restoration)is an opportunist species that often comes and goes very
> rapidly and I believe is genetically less robust than other species that
> are more dominantly brooders or broadcasters. I guess my question relates
> to the viability of protocols that focus on more fragile and easily
> decimated species to "restore" reefs that were built almost exclusively by
> massive specie (based on many cores), and whether this is "restoration". In
> the same vein, I have heard a lot about using species that have
> demonstrated genetically related resistance to disease, bleaching, etc. Is
> it wise to consider protocols that, by focusing on common genetic traits,
> might leave those colonies used in restoration more likely to all behave
> similarly (and badly) if one of them ends up being susceptible to a stress
> other than bleaching or disease. Will "good" genes for one stress translate
> to possible "bad adaptation" for another?
>
> I am not in this game, so I have no stake. Also, I'm a geologist who thinks
> on much longer scales and doesn't have a real appreciation of things
> measured in fractions of human lifetimes. So I may be way off base and
> welcome that being pointed out if it is the case.
>
> Best,
>
> Dennis
>
> On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 11:14 AM, Benjamin Neal <benjaminpneal at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Paul and Margaret,
> >
> > I would also suggest a longer time frame when considering nearshore coral
> > degradation and recovery. We had a recent paper
> > <http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/9/e1603155.full> in Science
> > Advances showing greater loss than previously accounted for in inshore
> > coral coverage in the Florida Keys, derived from what might be some of
> the
> > earliest paper records of the ecology of the area - 350 year old British
> > Admiralty coastal charts. This work suggests we could aim somewhat higher
> > when considering restoration goals, especially in the nearshore areas, if
> > we want to truly restore what once there . . . and suggests the causes
> > include a larger suite of stressors than just recent disease.
> >
> > In terms of restoration goals, I am not suggesting we need to aim to
> return
> > some antediluvian ideal of coastal ecology, but it does provide an
> > interesting data point much farther back on the timeline than we ussually
> > use, and shows reef habitat existed in some places we no longer really
> even
> > survey . . .
> >
> > We are of course not the first to suggest taking a longer time frame
> > <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/293/5530/629>, but adding to the
> > temporal timeframe in this complcated situation! Cheers, Ben Neal
> >
> > On Tue, Nov 7, 2017 at 8:43 PM, Paul Muir <paul.muir at qm.qld.gov.au>
> wrote:
> >
> > > Just reading the recovery plan for Acropora as I think we’ll need one
> for
> > > parts of the GBR/Coral Sea. But I got stuck on this first paragraph:
> > >
> > > “Although quantitative data on former distribution and abundance of
> these
> > > species are scarce, in the few locations where quantitative data are
> > > available (e.g., Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, Jamaica, and the U.S.
> Virgin
> > > Islands), declines in abundance are estimated at greater than 97
> percent.
> > > The significant loss of population density in both coral species has
> > > resulted in a reduction of their ability to successfully reproduce,
> > either
> > > sexually or asexually. Data suggest the decline in Atlantic/Caribbean
> > > elkhorn and staghorn coral abundances is primarily the result of
> disease.
> > > Although disease was the primary cause of initial decline, other
> threats
> > > such as elevated seawater temperatures and ocean acidification are
> > credible
> > > and potentially significant impediments to recovery of these species.”
> > >
> > > Is disease really the official position as to degradation of the
> > > Caribbean?  And if disease is widely accepted are these primary
> pathogens
> > > introduced from elsewhere or are they secondary infections of corals
> > > weakened by anthropogenic nutrients and sediments/overfishing/
> > development/bleaching
> > > etc? As many of our GBR/Coral Sea reefs are currently being
> > "Caribbeanized"
> > > in terms of degradation and loss of Acropora I'm really curious to see
> > what
> > > the accepted causes are for the Caribbean given that many years have
> now
> > > passed.
> > >
> > >
> > > Dr. Paul Muir
> > > Research Officer/ Collection Manager Corals, Biodiversity & Geosciences
> > > Program
> > >
> > >
> > > Museum of Tropical Queensland | Queensland Museum
> > > 70 – 102 Flinders Street | Townsville | Queensland 4810 | Australia t
> +61
> > > 7 47 260 642 | f +61 7 47 212 093 | m +61 407 117 998 Affiliate, Global
> > > Change Institute, University of Queensland Homepage ResearchGate |
> Google
> > > Scholar | Staghorn Corals Website
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [mailto:
> coral-list-bounces@
> > > coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Margaret Miller
> > > Sent: Tuesday, 7 November 2017 10:38 AM
> > > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > > Subject: [Coral-List] Inquiry on Caribbean Acropora recovery
> > > accomplishments
> > >
> > > Dear Atlantic/Caribbean Colleagues,
> > >
> > > We are writing to inform you of the availability of an inventory of
> > > accomplishments and ongoing projects related to implementing the
> Recovery
> > > Plan for Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis. The inventory covers
> > > activities conducted through 2017. The intent is to include all
> > activities
> > > throughout the US and Caribbean, but we acknowledge that the inventory
> is
> > > biased to activities in the US.
> > >
> > > If you know of an activity not listed in the inventory that directly
> > > addresses the actions in the Recovery Plan, or have any information
> that
> > > would supplement a listed activity, please contact Alison Moulding (
> > > alison.moulding at noaa.gov). We will revise and repost the inventory
> with
> > > any additions received by 27 November 2017.
> > >
> > > Background: The US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed
> > > Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis as threatened under the US
> Endangered
> > > Species Act in 2006 and published the Recovery Plan in 2015.  The
> > Recovery
> > > Plan is a guidance document that identifies actions needed to recover
> the
> > > species.The Acropora Recovery Implementation Team (an appointed
> advisory
> > > body to NMFS) created an inventory of the many accomplishments that
> have
> > > been made within these recovery actions. The intent is to make this
> > > inventory publicly available and to update it on a regular basis to
> > assist
> > > in prioritizing future recovery efforts and investments.
> > >
> > > Sincerely,
> > >
> > > The Acropora Recovery Implementation Team
> > >
> > > Links:
> > >
> > > Project Inventory (includes summary of Recovery Plan Actions) listed
> > under
> > > “Hot Topics”:
> > >
> > > http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/protected_resources/coral/index.html
> > >
> > > Description of Project Inventory
> > >
> > > http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/protected_resources/coral/
> > > documents/implementation_table.pdf
> > >
> > > Full Recovery Plan:
> > > http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/protected_resources/coral/
> > > documents/acropora_recovery_plan.pdf
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Margaret W. Miller
> > > Research Director
> > > SECORE International
> > > 614.973.3559
> > > m.miller at secore.org
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Coral-List mailing list
> > > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Coral-List mailing list
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> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > *Benjamin P NealPostdoctoral Research ScientistBigelow Laboratory for
> Ocean
> > Sciences60 Bigelow Drive, P.O. Box 380East Boothbay, Maine 04544  *
> > *Office: 1-207-315-2567 x413*
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
>
>
>
> --
> Dennis Hubbard
> Chair, Dept of Geology-Oberlin College Oberlin OH 44074
> (440) 775-8346
>
> * "When you get on the wrong train.... every stop is the wrong stop"*
>  Benjamin Stein: "*Ludes, A Ballad of the Drug and the Dream*"
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