[Coral-List] An Observation

Jon Skrapits jon at treasurecoastcorals.com
Thu Jan 31 22:22:19 EST 2013


Listers,

>From the link:

"An overall negative relationship between fleshy macroalgae and
slow-growing reef-building organisms (i.e. scleractinians and crustose
calcareous algae) was recorded, suggesting competition between these
organisms. The opposite trend (i.e. positive relationships) was recorded
for turf algae and the two reef-building organisms, suggesting beneficial
interactions and/or co-occurrence mediated by unexplored factors. Turf
algae cover increased across the region between 2006 and 2008, while
scleractinian cover showed no change. The need of a continued and
standardized monitoring program, aimed at understanding drivers of change
in community patterns, as well as to subsidize sound adaptive conservation
and management measures, is highlighted."

I see this everyday in my aquaculture facility. Eutrophication plays a much
bigger role than some things discussed in the die off of reefs. The amount
of excess nutrients needed for macro algae to become dominant over micro or
calcareous algae is very small. A line crossed easily in aquaria. It is not
apparent in the wild to the human eye when looking at turbidity. If you can
see the turbidity it is already way past the point of a healthy balance. It
takes skill to see elevated nutrients it in an aquarium where there is
little debris in the water. If coralline algae is to grow, it needs little
competition from macro algae because they can out compete coralline. The
reef (ecosystem)needs micro algae to filter the water daily with the light
and nutrients available, leaving the water clear for better photo periods.
Then die at night and relase waste into the water for polyps and
zooplankton to feed. At least this is what I suspect from my farming
operations obeservations.

Banning corals from the aquarium trade will not save them. We can learn
much more from these animals and how they live from laboratories. An
afternoon dive seems to be a bit of a boondoggle in comparison but is
needed.


http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0054260

-- 
Thanks,

Jon Skrapits
Treasure Coast Corals, Inc.
Grow em instead of leaving em.


More information about the Coral-List mailing list