[Coral-List] Palythoa
LUIS ALBERTO ACOSTA MORENO
laacosta at javeriana.edu.co
Tue Mar 11 14:37:30 EDT 2008
Dear listers
I studied Palythoa caribaeorum for almost four years. I followed
hundred of colonies; close their distributional species range (Sao
Paulo, Brazil), where it is the dominant species. Its clear for me
that P. caribaeorum advantage vs. other scleractinian coral is it
ability to survive under drastic environmental conditions, such as
cold water, frequent storms, but particularly high turbidity and
sedimentation rate. It colonization potential (of empty space or coral
dead) is due basically through asexual reproduction strategies
(several fission mechanisms, that I already published). Ones this
species colonize the space it stays for long period of time, this is
may be because there are not good biological (predators such as
Hermodice; or disease outbreaks, one I described for P. caribaeorum)
or natural controllers (bleaching, cold water, turbidity, light). I
have shown that this species can survive for even three months without
opening their polyps or their ability to reabsorb tissue under low
light levers (unpublished, in situ, experimental data). I however
consider that Palythoa mainly colonize ones corals dye, although it
can actively exclude corals as well. The former explanation is what
probably happened in Punta de Betín, Santa Marta, Colombia, were this
have become the dominant species in shallow water. In other areas (San
Andrés and Providencia Island), however, the species is dominant along
reef crest or pinnacles (discontinuous barrier) because it can
tolerate a strong current habitat. I consider that this species (for
it amazing life history strategies) will become an important component
of shallow reefs in the next future. I hope this information can help
in the discussion.
I include some literature you can be interested.
Acosta A and González A. 2008. FISSION IN THE ZOANTHARIA PALYTHOA
CARIBAEORUM (Duchassaing and Michelotii, 1860) POPULATIONS: A
LATITUDINAL COMPARISON. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras.
Acosta A. Sammarco P. 2005. New fission processes in the zoanthid
palythoa caribaeorum: description and Quantitative aspects. Bulletin
of Marine Science. 76 (1):1-26
Acosta A. and Casas M. 2005. Lista de Zoantharia (Cnidaria Anthozoa)
del Caribe y de Colombia. Biota Colombiana 6 (2) 147-162
Acosta A. Sammarco P. 2001. Asexual reproduction in a zoanthid by
fragmentation: the role of exogenous factors Bull Mar Sci 68
(3)363-381
Acosta 2001. Disease in zoanthids: dynamics in space and time.
Hydrobiologia. The ecology and etiology of newly emerging marine
diseases, editado por J.W. Porter. e ed 1. Vol. 460, 113-130. Holanda:
Kruwer Academic Publishers.
Acosta A. Sammarco P. 2000. Colony size, fission, and the effect of
ramets to population growth in the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum. 9th
International Coral Reef Symposium, Bali, Indonesia. 2000. 308
Acosta A. Sammarco P. 2000. The role of fission and fragmentation in
population dynamics of Palythoa caribaeorum. 9th International Coral
Reef Symposium, Bali, Indonesia. 2000. 144
Acosta et al. 2000. Reproductive effort in Palythoa caribaeorum. 9th
International Coral Reef Symposium, Bali, Indonesia. 2000. 295
----- Mensaje original -----
De: coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Fecha: Martes, 11 de Marzo de 2008, 11:02 am
Asunto: Coral-List Digest, Vol 57, Issue 8
A: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
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> than "Re: Contents of Coral-List digest..."
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>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Palythoa overgrowing corals in Trinidad
> and elsewhere (Dawn Phillip)
> 2. Re: Palythoa bleaching in Trinidad (Thomas Goreau)
> 3. Re: Palythoa bleaching in Trinidad (Dawn Phillip)
> 4. Re: Zoanthid (Paltythoa caribaeorum) overgrowth
> of corals (Szmant, Alina)
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:22:40 -0400
> From: "Dawn Phillip" <Dawn.Phillip at sta.uwi.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Palythoa overgrowing corals in
> Trinidad and
> elsewhere
> To: "Thomas Goreau" <goreau at bestweb.net>
> Cc: Joanna Ibrahim <Joanna.Ibrahim at sta.uwi.edu>, coral-list
> coral-list
> <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>, Jennie Mallela
> <Jennie.Mallela at sta.uwi.edu>, Jo?o Gama Monteiro
> <jmonteiro at uac.pt>, James Reimer
> <jreimer at jamstec.go.jp>, Stanton Belford
> <sbelford at martinmethodist.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <AC595DEA0338F5408CAF4311BEF0F70155554D at sauwiexch01.sauwi.uwi.tt>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Dear Tom
>
>
>
> Oh, there are Palythoa colonies closer to shore, especially in
> Toco Bay. I have just begun measuring total suspended
> volatile solids to try to quantify available organic
> particulates in the overlying water column because I suspect
> that the corals here have to rely on feeding for a substantial
> portion of their carbon requirements.
>
>
>
> We also noticed that there was a lot of bleaching of the
> Palythoa on the reef crest - large patches of about 30 cm in
> diameter on some; collections of smaller (< 1 cm in diameter)
> of smaller white/bleached spots on others. The Palythoa
> closer inshore appeared to be in better condition.
>
>
>
> Dr Dawn A.T. Phillip
>
> Lecturer
>
> Department of Life Sciences
>
> The University of the West Indies
>
> St Augustine
>
> Trinidad and Tobago
>
> Ph: (868)662-2002 ex. 2208
>
> Mobile: (868)394-3005; (868)464-6932
>
> Fax: (868)663-5241
>
> Email: dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu
> <mailto:dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu>
>
> Web: http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm
> <http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Thomas Goreau [mailto:goreau at bestweb.net]
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 5:03 PM
> To: Dawn Phillip
> Cc: coral-list coral-list; Jennie Mallela; Lee Ann Beddoe;
> Stanton Belford; Jo?o Gama Monteiro; Dan and Stephanie Clark;
> James Reimer; Joanna Ibrahim
> Subject: Re: Palythoa overgrowing corals in Trinidad and elsewhere
>
>
>
> Dear Dawn,
>
>
>
> Glad to hear you and Stanton were in the field, and looking
> forward to your observations. I think you will remember
> that we looked at the earliest studies of these sites, and
> Palythoa seems to have expanded landward quite a bit. The
> salinities are near normal, but the turbidity is extremely high
> for coral reefs, and I think that the Zoanthus may be able to
> feed of particulate organic carbon to some degree, which might
> give them an edge. The factors at the cold limits are presumably
> different, those areas are all pretty turbid too, but nothing
> like Trinidad!
>
>
>
> Best wishes to all,
>
> Tom
>
>
>
> On Mar 10, 2008, at 4:53 PM, Dawn Phillip wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> Stanton and I have just come back from a trip to survey the two
> coral systems at Toco. We noticed that Palythoa seemed to
> be dominant in specific bands on the reef, particularly on the
> reef crest. It is easy to discern a Palythoa zone at low
> tide by looking down at the 'reef' from the top of the
> cliff. Apart from overgrowing hard coral and rocks, we
> have seen Palythoa overgrowing Zoanthus, fire coral and anemones.
>
>
>
> On a side, water salinities in this area are usually between 34 -
> 35 p.s.u., which does not support the hypothesis of any
> significant influence by the large South American rivers.
>
>
>
> Dr Dawn A.T. Phillip
>
> Lecturer
>
> Department of Life Sciences
>
> The University of the West Indies
>
> St Augustine
>
> Trinidad and Tobago
>
> Ph: (868)662-2002 ex. 2208
>
> Mobile: (868)394-3005; (868)464-6932
>
> Fax: (868)663-5241
>
> Email: dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu
> <mailto:dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu>
>
> Web: http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm
> <http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Thomas Goreau [mailto:goreau at bestweb.net]
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 1:46 PM
> To: coral-list coral-list
> Cc: Dawn Phillip; Jennie Mallela; Lee Ann Beddoe; Stanton
> Belford; Jo?o Gama Monteiro; Dan and Stephanie Clark; James Reimer
> Subject: Palythoa overgrowing corals in Trinidad and elsewhere
>
>
>
> Palythoa overgrowth of corals is being studied in Toco and
> Salybia, Trinidad, by a research group at the University of the
> West Indies at St. Augustine including Dawn Philip, Jennnie
> Mallela, Lee Ann Beddoe, and Stanton Belford. Our observations,
> compared to earlier work by other Trinidadian researchers, shows
> that Palythoa is clearly overgrowing corals and expanding over
> the reef flat.
>
>
>
> We see the same thing happening on a large scale in Broward
> County Florida, where Dan Clark and I just photographed this
> last week, and where large old corals are being overgrown. The
> same Palythoa dominance is common in southern Brazil, for
> example from Cabo Frio and Arraial do Cabo southwestwards.
> Palythoa mats dominate large areas of the reefs of Cabo Verde,
> and photos sent to me last week by Joao Gama Monteiro show it is
> even overgrowing Millepora there.
>
>
>
> Palythoa is a pest in that it is toxic so it provides neither
> food nor shelter, and it's spread at the expense of corals in
> many places is a serious concern, but the ecological factors
> allowing it to spread are not known. One possibility is that
> food supplies that Palythoa is a more effective consumer of than
> corals are increasing, but little is known of the feeding habits
> of Palythoa, according James Reimer, a zoanthid expert I
> specifically asked about this a few years ago.
>
>
>
> Trinidad is an interesting exception to the general rule in that
> the other places where Palythoa is dominant are near the extreme
> cold limit of corals, which Trinidad is not, however it is near
> the extreme sedimentation limit of corals due to the influence
> of the Orinoco River.
>
>
>
> Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
>
> President
>
> Global Coral Reef Alliance
>
> 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
>
> 617-864-4226
>
> goreau at bestweb.net
>
> http://www.globalcoral.org
>
>
>
> Message: 5
>
> Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2008 16:44:43 -0400
>
> From: "Jan-Willem van Bochove" <jvb at coralcayconservation.com>
>
> Subject: [Coral-List] Zoanthid (Paltythoa caribaeorum)
> overgrowth of
>
> corals
>
> To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>
> Message-ID: <20080307205035.40516179F5 at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>
> Content-Type:
> text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
>
>
> I've noticed that P. caribaeorum, a colonial zoanthid which
> forms extensive
>
> mats, is overtopping and smothering a large variety of
> scleractinian corals
>
> in shallow reef environments in Tobago.
>
>
>
> P. caribaeorum is an aggressive, fast growing and toxic zoanthid
> which seems
>
> to stop at nothing and I have yet to see any significant
> predation on the
>
> species. In a small, sheltered bay where most of our
> observations were made,
>
> it forms the dominant substrate with over 75% cover in the
> shallows (2-5m).
>
> We have also seen it overtopping massive corals in deeper waters.
>
>
>
> I was wondering if anyone has or knows of any recent research
> done on the
>
> zoanthid or has noticed its abundance elsewhere on such a scale.
> Other than
>
> a paper presented at the ICRS of 1981 in Manila by Suchanek and
> Green, I
>
> have not come across any literature dealing with inter-specific
> competition
> with corals.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Images of the zoanthid overgrowing corals can be found on -
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/23314528@N03/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Any feedback is appreciated.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jan
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Reference -
>
>
>
> Suchanek T.H., and Green, D.J., 1981. Interspecific Competition
> Between
> Palythoa Caribaeorum and Other Sessile Invertebrates on St.Croix
> Reefs, U.S.
>
> Virgin Islands. Proceedings of the Fourth International Coral Reef
>
> Symposium, Manila, Vol. 2.
>
>
>
> --
>
> Jan-Willem van Bochove MSc
>
> Chief Technical Advisor
>
>
>
> Coral Cay Conservation Ltd
>
> Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NJ, United Kingdom
>
> Tel: +44 (0)20 7620 1411 (switch board)
>
> Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 0469
>
> email: jvb at coralcayconservation.com
>
> www.coralcay.org
>
> skype: jhvanbochove
>
>
>
>
>
> Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
>
> President
>
> Global Coral Reef Alliance
>
> 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
>
> 617-864-4226
>
> goreau at bestweb.net
>
> http://www.globalcoral.org
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:51:02 -0400
> From: Thomas Goreau <goreau at bestweb.net>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Palythoa bleaching in Trinidad
> To: Dawn Phillip <Dawn.Phillip at sta.uwi.edu>, coral-list coral-list
> <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Cc: Joanna Ibrahim <Joanna.Ibrahim at sta.uwi.edu>, Jennie Mallela
> <Jennie.Mallela at sta.uwi.edu>, Jo?o Gama Monteiro
> <jmonteiro at uac.pt>, James Reimer
> <jreimer at jamstec.go.jp>, Stanton Belford
> <sbelford at martinmethodist.edu>
> Message-ID: <29698BF7-79AD-48DA-BB18-73214AAF918E at bestweb.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes;
> format=flowed
>
> Dear Dawn,
>
> Playthoa is one of the bleaching indicator species because
> it
> bleaches early and stays bleached longer than anything else.
> I've
> seen Palythoa completely bleached more than a year after a
> bleaching
> event started, and since while bleached they normally don't
> extend
> their polyps to feed, it is hard to know how they survive except
> off
> metabolic stores, but they somehow do. Given their extremely
> slow
> recovery, is it possible that they are recovering from
> bleaching
> during last year's warm season?
>
> Best wishes,
> Tom
>
>
>
> On Mar 10, 2008, at 5:22 PM, Dawn Phillip wrote:
>
> > Dear Tom
> >
> > Oh, there are Palythoa colonies closer to shore, especially in
> Toco
> > Bay. I have just begun measuring total suspended
> volatile solids
> > to try to quantify available organic particulates in the
> overlying
> > water column because I suspect that the corals here have to
> rely on
> > feeding for a substantial portion of their carbon requirements.
> >
> > We also noticed that there was a lot of bleaching of the
> Palythoa
> > on the reef crest ? large patches of about 30 cm in diameter
> on
> > some; collections of smaller (< 1 cm in diameter) of
> smaller white/
> > bleached spots on others. The Palythoa closer inshore
> appeared to
> > be in better condition.
> >
> > Dr Dawn A.T. Phillip
> > Lecturer
> > Department of Life Sciences
> > The University of the West Indies
> > St Augustine
> > Trinidad and Tobago
> > Ph: (868)662-2002 ex. 2208
> > Mobile: (868)394-3005; (868)464-6932
> > Fax: (868)663-5241
> > Email: dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu
> > Web: http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm
> > From: Thomas Goreau [mailto:goreau at bestweb.net]
> > Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 5:03 PM
> > To: Dawn Phillip
> > Cc: coral-list coral-list; Jennie Mallela; Lee Ann Beddoe;
> Stanton
> > Belford; Jo?o Gama Monteiro; Dan and Stephanie Clark; James
> Reimer;
> > Joanna Ibrahim
> > Subject: Re: Palythoa overgrowing corals in Trinidad and elsewhere
> >
> > Dear Dawn,
> >
> > Glad to hear you and Stanton were in the field, and looking
> forward
> > to your observations. I think you will remember that we
> looked at
> > the earliest studies of these sites, and Palythoa seems to
> have
> > expanded landward quite a bit. The salinities are near normal,
> but
> > the turbidity is extremely high for coral reefs, and I think
> that
> > the Zoanthus may be able to feed of particulate organic carbon
> to
> > some degree, which might give them an edge. The factors at the
> cold
> > limits are presumably different, those areas are all pretty
> turbid
> > too, but nothing like Trinidad!
> >
> > Best wishes to all,
> > Tom
> >
> > On Mar 10, 2008, at 4:53 PM, Dawn Phillip wrote:
> >
> >
> > Stanton and I have just come back from a trip to survey the
> two
> > coral systems at Toco. We noticed that Palythoa seemed
> to be
> > dominant in specific bands on the reef, particularly on the
> reef
> > crest. It is easy to discern a Palythoa zone at low tide
> by
> > looking down at the ?reef? from the top of the cliff.
> Apart from
> > overgrowing hard coral and rocks, we have seen Palythoa
> overgrowing
> > Zoanthus, fire coral and anemones.
> >
> > On a side, water salinities in this area are usually between
> 34 ?
> > 35 p.s.u., which does not support the hypothesis of any
> significant
> > influence by the large South American rivers.
> >
> > Dr Dawn A.T. Phillip
> > Lecturer
> > Department of Life Sciences
> > The University of the West Indies
> > St Augustine
> > Trinidad and Tobago
> > Ph: (868)662-2002 ex. 2208
> > Mobile: (868)394-3005; (868)464-6932
> > Fax: (868)663-5241
> > Email: dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu
> > Web: http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm
> > From: Thomas Goreau [mailto:goreau at bestweb.net]
> > Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 1:46 PM
> > To: coral-list coral-list
> > Cc: Dawn Phillip; Jennie Mallela; Lee Ann Beddoe; Stanton
> Belford;
> > Jo?o Gama Monteiro; Dan and Stephanie Clark; James Reimer
> > Subject: Palythoa overgrowing corals in Trinidad and elsewhere
> >
> > Palythoa overgrowth of corals is being studied in Toco and
> Salybia,
> > Trinidad, by a research group at the University of the West
> Indies
> > at St. Augustine including Dawn Philip, Jennnie Mallela, Lee
> Ann
> > Beddoe, and Stanton Belford. Our observations, compared to
> earlier
> > work by other Trinidadian researchers, shows that Palythoa
> is
> > clearly overgrowing corals and expanding over the reef flat.
> >
> > We see the same thing happening on a large scale in Broward
> County
> > Florida, where Dan Clark and I just photographed this last
> week,
> > and where large old corals are being overgrown. The same
> Palythoa
> > dominance is common in southern Brazil, for example from Cabo
> Frio
> > and Arraial do Cabo southwestwards. Palythoa mats dominate
> large
> > areas of the reefs of Cabo Verde, and photos sent to me last
> week
> > by Joao Gama Monteiro show it is even overgrowing Millepora there.
> >
> > Palythoa is a pest in that it is toxic so it provides neither
> food
> > nor shelter, and it's spread at the expense of corals in
> many
> > places is a serious concern, but the ecological factors
> allowing it
> > to spread are not known. One possibility is that food supplies
> that
> > Palythoa is a more effective consumer of than corals are
> > increasing, but little is known of the feeding habits of
> Palythoa,
> > according James Reimer, a zoanthid expert I specifically
> asked
> > about this a few years ago.
> >
> > Trinidad is an interesting exception to the general rule in
> that
> > the other places where Palythoa is dominant are near the
> extreme
> > cold limit of corals, which Trinidad is not, however it is
> near the
> > extreme sedimentation limit of corals due to the influence of
> the
> > Orinoco River.
> >
> > Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
> > President
> > Global Coral Reef Alliance
> > 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
> > 617-864-4226
> > goreau at bestweb.net
> > http://www.globalcoral.org
> >
> > Message: 5
> > Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2008 16:44:43 -0400
> > From: "Jan-Willem van Bochove" <jvb at coralcayconservation.com>
> > Subject: [Coral-List] Zoanthid (Paltythoa caribaeorum)
> overgrowth of
> > corals
> > To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > Message-ID: <20080307205035.40516179F5 at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> > Content-Type:
> text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > I've noticed that P. caribaeorum, a colonial zoanthid which
> forms
> > extensive
> > mats, is overtopping and smothering a large variety of
> > scleractinian corals
> > in shallow reef environments in Tobago.
> >
> > P. caribaeorum is an aggressive, fast growing and toxic
> zoanthid
> > which seems
> > to stop at nothing and I have yet to see any significant
> predation
> > on the
> > species. In a small, sheltered bay where most of our
> observations
> > were made,
> > it forms the dominant substrate with over 75% cover in the
> shallows
> > (2-5m).
> > We have also seen it overtopping massive corals in deeper waters.
> >
> > I was wondering if anyone has or knows of any recent research
> done
> > on the
> > zoanthid or has noticed its abundance elsewhere on such a
> scale.
> > Other than
> > a paper presented at the ICRS of 1981 in Manila by Suchanek
> and
> > Green, I
> > have not come across any literature dealing with inter-
> specific
> > competition
> > with corals.
> >
> >
> >
> > Images of the zoanthid overgrowing corals can be found on -
> >
> >
> >
> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/23314528@N03/
> >
> >
> >
> > Any feedback is appreciated.
> >
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> >
> >
> > Jan
> >
> >
> >
> > Reference -
> >
> > Suchanek T.H., and Green, D.J., 1981. Interspecific
> Competition
> > Between
> > Palythoa Caribaeorum and Other Sessile Invertebrates on
> St.Croix
> > Reefs, U.S.
> > Virgin Islands. Proceedings of the Fourth International Coral Reef
> > Symposium, Manila, Vol. 2.
> >
> > --
> > Jan-Willem van Bochove MSc
> > Chief Technical Advisor
> >
> > Coral Cay Conservation Ltd
> > Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NJ, United Kingdom
> > Tel: +44 (0)20 7620 1411 (switch board)
> > Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 0469
> > email: jvb at coralcayconservation.com
> > www.coralcay.org
> > skype: jhvanbochove
> >
> >
> > Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
> > President
> > Global Coral Reef Alliance
> > 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
> > 617-864-4226
> > goreau at bestweb.net
> > http://www.globalcoral.org
> >
>
> Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
> President
> Global Coral Reef Alliance
> 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
> 617-864-4226
> goreau at bestweb.net
> http://www.globalcoral.org
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:42:20 -0400
> From: "Dawn Phillip" <Dawn.Phillip at sta.uwi.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Palythoa bleaching in Trinidad
> To: "Thomas Goreau" <goreau at bestweb.net>, "coral-list coral-list"
> <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Cc: Joanna Ibrahim <Joanna.Ibrahim at sta.uwi.edu>, Jennie Mallela
> <Jennie.Mallela at sta.uwi.edu>, Jo?o Gama Monteiro
> <jmonteiro at uac.pt>, besastian at googlemail.com, James Reimer
> <jreimer at jamstec.go.jp>, Stanton Belford
> <sbelford at martinmethodist.edu>Message-ID:
> <AC595DEA0338F5408CAF4311BEF0F70155555A at sauwiexch01.sauwi.uwi.tt>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Dear Tom
>
>
>
> I did not go out on the reef with Stanton last year but I think
> he mentioned seeing bleaching in August. If he confirms
> this (he is travelling at this time), and their recovery is that
> slow then I guess it is possible. Some of the Palythoa
> could have been in the process of bleaching or recovery - they
> were pale but not colourless.
>
>
>
> Dr Dawn A.T. Phillip
>
> Lecturer
>
> Department of Life Sciences
>
> The University of the West Indies
>
> St Augustine
>
> Trinidad and Tobago
>
> Ph: (868)662-2002 ex. 2208
>
> Mobile: (868)394-3005; (868)464-6932
>
> Fax: (868)663-5241
>
> Email: dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu
> <mailto:dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu>
>
> Web: http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm
> <http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Thomas Goreau [mailto:goreau at bestweb.net]
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 5:51 PM
> To: Dawn Phillip; coral-list coral-list
> Cc: Jennie Mallela; Lee Ann Beddoe; Stanton Belford; Jo?o Gama
> Monteiro; Dan and Stephanie Clark; James Reimer; Joanna Ibrahim
> Subject: Re: Palythoa bleaching in Trinidad
>
>
>
> Dear Dawn,
>
>
>
> Playthoa is one of the bleaching indicator species because it
> bleaches early and stays bleached longer than anything else.
> I've seen Palythoa completely bleached more than a year after a
> bleaching event started, and since while bleached they normally
> don't extend their polyps to feed, it is hard to know how they
> survive except off metabolic stores, but they somehow do. Given
> their extremely slow recovery, is it possible that they are
> recovering from bleaching during last year's warm season?
>
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Tom
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mar 10, 2008, at 5:22 PM, Dawn Phillip wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Tom
>
>
>
> Oh, there are Palythoa colonies closer to shore, especially in
> Toco Bay. I have just begun measuring total suspended
> volatile solids to try to quantify available organic
> particulates in the overlying water column because I suspect
> that the corals here have to rely on feeding for a substantial
> portion of their carbon requirements.
>
>
>
> We also noticed that there was a lot of bleaching of the
> Palythoa on the reef crest - large patches of about 30 cm in
> diameter on some; collections of smaller (< 1 cm in diameter)
> of smaller white/bleached spots on others. The Palythoa
> closer inshore appeared to be in better condition.
>
>
>
> Dr Dawn A.T. Phillip
>
> Lecturer
>
> Department of Life Sciences
>
> The University of the West Indies
>
> St Augustine
>
> Trinidad and Tobago
>
> Ph: (868)662-2002 ex. 2208
>
> Mobile: (868)394-3005; (868)464-6932
>
> Fax: (868)663-5241
>
> Email: dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu
> <mailto:dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu>
>
> Web: http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm
> <http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Thomas Goreau [mailto:goreau at bestweb.net]
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 5:03 PM
> To: Dawn Phillip
> Cc: coral-list coral-list; Jennie Mallela; Lee Ann Beddoe;
> Stanton Belford; Jo?o Gama Monteiro; Dan and Stephanie Clark;
> James Reimer; Joanna Ibrahim
> Subject: Re: Palythoa overgrowing corals in Trinidad and elsewhere
>
>
>
> Dear Dawn,
>
>
>
> Glad to hear you and Stanton were in the field, and looking
> forward to your observations. I think you will remember
> that we looked at the earliest studies of these sites, and
> Palythoa seems to have expanded landward quite a bit. The
> salinities are near normal, but the turbidity is extremely high
> for coral reefs, and I think that the Zoanthus may be able to
> feed of particulate organic carbon to some degree, which might
> give them an edge. The factors at the cold limits are presumably
> different, those areas are all pretty turbid too, but nothing
> like Trinidad!
>
>
>
> Best wishes to all,
>
> Tom
>
>
>
> On Mar 10, 2008, at 4:53 PM, Dawn Phillip wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Stanton and I have just come back from a trip to survey the two
> coral systems at Toco. We noticed that Palythoa seemed to
> be dominant in specific bands on the reef, particularly on the
> reef crest. It is easy to discern a Palythoa zone at low
> tide by looking down at the 'reef' from the top of the
> cliff. Apart from overgrowing hard coral and rocks, we
> have seen Palythoa overgrowing Zoanthus, fire coral and anemones.
>
>
>
> On a side, water salinities in this area are usually between 34 -
> 35 p.s.u., which does not support the hypothesis of any
> significant influence by the large South American rivers.
>
>
>
> Dr Dawn A.T. Phillip
>
> Lecturer
>
> Department of Life Sciences
>
> The University of the West Indies
>
> St Augustine
>
> Trinidad and Tobago
>
> Ph: (868)662-2002 ex. 2208
>
> Mobile: (868)394-3005; (868)464-6932
>
> Fax: (868)663-5241
>
> Email: dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu
> <mailto:dawn.phillip at sta.uwi.edu>
>
> Web: http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm
> <http://www.sta.uwi.edu/fsa/lifesciences/dphillip.htm>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Thomas Goreau [mailto:goreau at bestweb.net]
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 1:46 PM
> To: coral-list coral-list
> Cc: Dawn Phillip; Jennie Mallela; Lee Ann Beddoe; Stanton
> Belford; Jo?o Gama Monteiro; Dan and Stephanie Clark; James Reimer
> Subject: Palythoa overgrowing corals in Trinidad and elsewhere
>
>
>
> Palythoa overgrowth of corals is being studied in Toco and
> Salybia, Trinidad, by a research group at the University of the
> West Indies at St. Augustine including Dawn Philip, Jennnie
> Mallela, Lee Ann Beddoe, and Stanton Belford. Our observations,
> compared to earlier work by other Trinidadian researchers, shows
> that Palythoa is clearly overgrowing corals and expanding over
> the reef flat.
>
>
>
> We see the same thing happening on a large scale in Broward
> County Florida, where Dan Clark and I just photographed this
> last week, and where large old corals are being overgrown. The
> same Palythoa dominance is common in southern Brazil, for
> example from Cabo Frio and Arraial do Cabo southwestwards.
> Palythoa mats dominate large areas of the reefs of Cabo Verde,
> and photos sent to me last week by Joao Gama Monteiro show it is
> even overgrowing Millepora there.
>
>
>
> Palythoa is a pest in that it is toxic so it provides neither
> food nor shelter, and it's spread at the expense of corals in
> many places is a serious concern, but the ecological factors
> allowing it to spread are not known. One possibility is that
> food supplies that Palythoa is a more effective consumer of than
> corals are increasing, but little is known of the feeding habits
> of Palythoa, according James Reimer, a zoanthid expert I
> specifically asked about this a few years ago.
>
>
>
> Trinidad is an interesting exception to the general rule in that
> the other places where Palythoa is dominant are near the extreme
> cold limit of corals, which Trinidad is not, however it is near
> the extreme sedimentation limit of corals due to the influence
> of the Orinoco River.
>
>
>
> Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
>
> President
>
> Global Coral Reef Alliance
>
> 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
>
> 617-864-4226
>
> goreau at bestweb.net
>
> http://www.globalcoral.org
>
>
>
> Message: 5
>
> Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2008 16:44:43 -0400
>
> From: "Jan-Willem van Bochove" <jvb at coralcayconservation.com>
>
> Subject: [Coral-List] Zoanthid (Paltythoa caribaeorum)
> overgrowth of
>
> corals
>
> To: <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>
> Message-ID: <20080307205035.40516179F5 at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>
> Content-Type:
> text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
>
>
> I've noticed that P. caribaeorum, a colonial zoanthid which
> forms extensive
>
> mats, is overtopping and smothering a large variety of
> scleractinian corals
>
> in shallow reef environments in Tobago.
>
>
>
> P. caribaeorum is an aggressive, fast growing and toxic zoanthid
> which seems
>
> to stop at nothing and I have yet to see any significant
> predation on the
>
> species. In a small, sheltered bay where most of our
> observations were made,
>
> it forms the dominant substrate with over 75% cover in the
> shallows (2-5m).
>
> We have also seen it overtopping massive corals in deeper waters.
>
>
>
> I was wondering if anyone has or knows of any recent research
> done on the
>
> zoanthid or has noticed its abundance elsewhere on such a scale.
> Other than
>
> a paper presented at the ICRS of 1981 in Manila by Suchanek and
> Green, I
>
> have not come across any literature dealing with inter-specific
> competition
> with corals.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Images of the zoanthid overgrowing corals can be found on -
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/23314528@N03/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Any feedback is appreciated.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jan
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Reference -
>
>
>
> Suchanek T.H., and Green, D.J., 1981. Interspecific Competition
> Between
> Palythoa Caribaeorum and Other Sessile Invertebrates on St.Croix
> Reefs, U.S.
>
> Virgin Islands. Proceedings of the Fourth International Coral Reef
>
> Symposium, Manila, Vol. 2.
>
>
>
> --
>
> Jan-Willem van Bochove MSc
>
> Chief Technical Advisor
>
>
>
> Coral Cay Conservation Ltd
>
> Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NJ, United Kingdom
>
> Tel: +44 (0)20 7620 1411 (switch board)
>
> Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 0469
>
> email: jvb at coralcayconservation.com
>
> www.coralcay.org
>
> skype: jhvanbochove
>
>
>
>
>
> Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
>
> President
>
> Global Coral Reef Alliance
>
> 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
>
> 617-864-4226
>
> goreau at bestweb.net
>
> http://www.globalcoral.org
>
>
>
>
>
> Thomas J. Goreau, PhD
>
> President
>
> Global Coral Reef Alliance
>
> 37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA 02139
>
> 617-864-4226
>
> goreau at bestweb.net
>
> http://www.globalcoral.org
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:51:42 -0400
> From: "Szmant, Alina" <szmanta at uncw.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Zoanthid (Paltythoa caribaeorum)
overgrowth
> of corals
> To: "Jan-Willem van Bochove" <jvb at coralcayconservation.com>,
> <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Message-ID:
> <4E15FCC7981F7A4CA5AA0DEF4B2141C91187D1F9 at UNCWMAILVS2.dcs.uncw.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hello Jan-Willem:
>
> This is a common occurrence on Caribbean reefs and not
> new. Some fishes
> eat Palythoa (e.g. angel fishes,) and so does Diadema.
> However, this
> species is chemically defended so if it gets too big, fewer
> species are
> likely to be able to prey on it.
>
> Alina Szmant
>
> *******************************************************************
> Dr. Alina M. Szmant
> Coral Reef Research Group
> UNCW-Center for Marine Science
> 5600 Marvin K. Moss Ln
> Wilmington NC 28409
> Tel: (910)962-2362 & Fax: (910)962-2410
> Cell: (910)200-3913
> email: szmanta at uncw.edu
> Web Page: http://people.uncw.edu/szmanta
> ******************************************************************
> -----Original Message-----
> From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> [mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Jan-
> Willemvan Bochove
> Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 3:45 PM
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Subject: [Coral-List] Zoanthid (Paltythoa caribaeorum)
> overgrowth of
> corals
>
> Hello,
>
>
>
> I've noticed that P. caribaeorum, a colonial zoanthid which forms
> extensive
> mats, is overtopping and smothering a large variety of scleractinian
> corals
> in shallow reef environments in Tobago.
>
> P. caribaeorum is an aggressive, fast growing and toxic zoanthid
which
> seems
> to stop at nothing and I have yet to see any significant
> predation on
> the
> species. In a small, sheltered bay where most of our
> observations were
> made,
> it forms the dominant substrate with over 75% cover in the shallows
> (2-5m).
> We have also seen it overtopping massive corals in deeper waters.
>
> I was wondering if anyone has or knows of any recent research
> done on
> the
> zoanthid or has noticed its abundance elsewhere on such a scale.
Other
> than
> a paper presented at the ICRS of 1981 in Manila by Suchanek and
> Green, I
> have not come across any literature dealing with inter-specific
> competition
> with corals.
>
>
>
> Images of the zoanthid overgrowing corals can be found on -
>
>
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/23314528@N03/
>
>
>
> Any feedback is appreciated.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
> Jan
>
>
>
> Reference -
>
> Suchanek T.H., and Green, D.J., 1981. Interspecific Competition
> BetweenPalythoa Caribaeorum and Other Sessile Invertebrates on
> St.Croix Reefs,
> U.S.
> Virgin Islands. Proceedings of the Fourth International Coral Reef
> Symposium, Manila, Vol. 2.
>
> --
> Jan-Willem van Bochove MSc
> Chief Technical Advisor
>
> Coral Cay Conservation Ltd
> Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NJ, United Kingdom
> Tel: +44 (0)20 7620 1411 (switch board)
> Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 0469
> email: jvb at coralcayconservation.com
> www.coralcay.org
> skype: jhvanbochove
>
> Company Registration No: 02590980 Registered VAT No:
> 574173823
>
> Venture provided by Coral Cay Conservation to British Standard
BS8848:
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>
>
>
> P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.
>
>
>
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