[Coral-List] Post Hurricane Algal Outbreak

[Austin Bowden-Kerby]

Eric your guess is as good as mine, so I would assume both of the above are
possible.... it could start with the exposure of the dormant cryptic phases
to more light and/or nutrients, and they then respond by producing millions
of tetraspores, which settle and grow into the sexual macroscopic phases of
the algae.... BOOM....

It might be something that could be tested by bringing in some rubble into
aquaria....

Austin

A

Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
Corals for Conservation
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On Fri, Oct 27, 2017 at 8:02 AM, Grossman, Eric <egrossman at usgs.gov> wrote:

> Hi Austin and Shannon,
> do you have a sense what mechanism caused the blooms - are you suspecting
> (1) input of nutrient associated with the storms, floods, and mixing or (2)
> resuspension of dormant cysts or cryptic life-history stages of the algae
> by waves, or some other process?
> Eric
>
> On Thu, Oct 26, 2017 at 12:55 AM, Austin Bowden-Kerby <
> abowdenkerby at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Dear Shannon,
>>
>> Although the photos only show the macroscopic form, you are most likely
>> seeing an outbreak of several species of red algae, including *Liagora*,
>> as
>> well as the normally very rare *Liagorothamnion*, the type specimens which
>>
>> I discovered in Puerto Rico growing abundantly in shallow water on the
>> back
>> reef and reef flats after Hurricanes Hortense and Georges. This
>> unusual species must exist as an alternate cryptic/ microscopic phase
>> until
>> a hurricane hits, and which point it blooms abundantly and reproduces
>> sexually.
>>
>> The paper describing the algae by Huisman et al, 2001 is at this link-
>> http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mwynne/pdffiles/2001Liagorothamnion.pdf
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
>> Corals for Conservation
>> Sustainable Environmental Livelihoods for the Future
>> P.O. Box 4649 Samabula, Fiji Islands
>> https://www.facebook.com/C4Conservation
>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009j6wb
>> http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Coral-Gardening-Frontline-in-th
>> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to-
>> massive-coral-bleaching/
>> <https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/emergency-response-to
>> -massive-coral-bleaching/>
>>
>>
>> Sustainable Environmental Livelihoods Farm
>> Km 20 Sigatoka Valley Road, Fiji Islands
>> (679) 938-6437
>> http://permacultureglobal.com/projects/1759-sustainable-envi
>> ronmental-livelihoods-farm-Fiji
>>
>> https://www.facebook.com/teiteifarmstay
>>
>> https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/happy-chickens-for-foo
>> d-security-and-environment-1/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > Message: 5
>> > Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2017 12:27:32 +0000 (UTC)
>> > From: Shannon Gore <sd_gore at yahoo.com>
>> > Subject: [Coral-List] Algae identification
>> > To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>> > Message-ID: <678441043.4060572.1508934452991 at mail.yahoo.com>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>> >
>> >
>> > I am trying to identify two species of algae.
>> > If link doesn't work, email me directly. ? http://pix.sfly.com/A9UmTWCs
>> > Three weeks post-Irma, few areas that showed any observable increase of
>> > algal cover but over the last 2 weeks, there is a dramatic "outbreak"
>> at a
>> > number of locations around the British Virgin Islands. Can someone
>> possibly
>> > help me to identify and/or if anyone else has seen such a dramatic
>> change
>> > in algal cover in any of the areas hit by Irma and Maria? Thanks!
>> >
>> > kind regards,
>> > Shannon Gore, PhD?
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------
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>> > End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 110, Issue 17
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>
>
> --
> Eric E. Grossman, PhD
> Research Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey
> Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
> Tribal Liaison, USGS Natural Hazards Mission Area
> Dept. of Geology, Western Washington University
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> (cell)
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> http://puget.usgs.gov/
>
> ooooo EXCUSE ME I DON'T MEAN TO IMPOSE, BUT I AM THE OCEAN ooooo
>