[Coral-List] Dendrogyra

Andrew Ross ross.andrew at mac.com
Thu May 27 16:41:42 UTC 2021


Greetings List,
Two quick observations re. reef significance:
i) We’ve a site just west of Montego Bay (Jamaica) of ~1.5ha of reef that in 2017 had nineteen colonies of Dendrogyra, four of which were >3m tall and similar+ around. These are (were) notable navigation hazards even if their hydrodynamic impact wasn’t much. All dead save a few isolates in two colonies/genets(?).
ii) The cliffs of the West End of Negril have plenty of ancient Dendrogyra logs, along with acroporids & Porites & other shallower species that still do make reefs & protect coasts.

Andrew M. Ross, Ph.D. 
Seascape Caribbean
+1-876-363-8850


> On May 27, 2021, at 8:18 AM, Vassil Zlatarski via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> The revision of the existing knowledge about Dendrogyra cylindrus shows
> clearly that it is not a significant reef builder.
> 
> On a separate note, until very recently this species was considered a
> gonochoric (separate male and female colonies).  Neely KL, Levis C, Chan
> AN, Baums IB. (2018. Coral Reefs, 37:1987-1092) described case in Florida
> Keys of hermaphroditic spawning of Pillar coral. Over years they observed
> switching from female to hermaphrodite, and from male to hermaphrodite, and
> one from hermaphrodite to male. Hope to see the continuation of their
> observations, which demonstrate the evolutionary potential of corals.
> 
> The biodiversity is priceless, every species is unique, the coral systems
> are crucial for our existence.  The problem is how to act most efficiently
> before we lose them.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Vassil
> 
> Vassil Zlatarski
> D.Sc. (Biology), Ph.D. (Geology)
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, May 27, 2021 at 7:31 AM Glynn, Peter W. <pglynn at rsmas.miami.edu <mailto:pglynn at rsmas.miami.edu>>
> wrote:
> 
>> Dear coral-list colleagues,
>> 
>> Dendrogyra.  In my early coral reef surveys in SW Puerto Rico in the
>> 1960s, I came across a shallow (3-5 m depth) dense population of D.
>> cylindrus not far from the shoreline.  There were 20 to 30 live colonies in
>> a 10 X 20 m patch.  Several of the colonies were about 1 m high and a few
>> 1.5 m.
>> I revisited this population in the early 1990s, thanks to Bob Ginsburg,
>> and it was still there although several colonies displayed dead patches
>> (approx. 10 X 10 and 10 X 15 cm).  Damselfish had established territories
>> and were cultivating algae on some of the dead patches.  They appear to
>> have been initiated by diseased tissues.
>> Apologies for not having GPS coordinates, but the population was located
>> about half way between Magueyes Island and Bahia Fosforecente, not far from
>> the shore.
>> It would be worthwhile to re-visit this site to assess the condition of
>> the corals if they are still there.
>> Cheers, PWGlynn
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>> On Behalf Of
>> Longin Kaczmarsky via Coral-List
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 11:00 AM
>> To: Coral-List Subscribers <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>; Vassil
>> Zlatarski <vzlatarski at gmail.com <mailto:vzlatarski at gmail.com>>
>> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Dendrogyra
>> 
>> An important ecological role of Pillar coral in ecosystems associated with
>> coral reefs may not be so much as a reef-builder but as isolated refugia
>> interspersed in patch reefs. When I was diving and snorkeling in the 1980s,
>> long before getting a PhD researching coral diseases, I would cover very
>> large tracts of near-shore patch reefs 6 hours+/day, almost every day, for
>> about six years collecting fish and inverts for the aquarium trade (during
>> a time when these organisms were far more abundant). This gave me great
>> insights into distribution patterns for many reef species. During this
>> time, I recorded and mapped favorable locations/conditions for hundreds of
>> species (fish, inverts, and algae). I would particularly make note of the
>> "rare" giant Dendrogyra colonies because they were magnets for certain
>> species that would concentrate on them, colorful juvenile jewelfish for
>> example. They were more often found in open bottom areas, near to patches
>> of more diverse reefs, rather than integra  ted in a mixed species reef
>> structure.
>> 
>> Lonnie Kaczmarsky, PhD
>> 
>> 
>> ________________________________
>> From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> on behalf of
>> Vassil Zlatarski via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 6:46 AM
>> To: Coral-List Subscribers <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Dendrogyra
>> 
>> With all my deep pain for the degradation of coral reefs, the
>> investigations since the 1970s in Cuban Archipelago and in the 1980s around
>> Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico never established that Pillar coral (Dendrogyra
>> cylindrus) was a significant reef builder.
>> 
>> Vassil
>> 
>> On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 5:17 AM Eugene Shinn via Coral-List <
>> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>> 
>>> In all my 60+ yearsdiving in the Florida Keys (starting in my senior
>>> year in high school(1953) I never saw a mailbox placed on pillar coral.
>>> Remember there were few residents in the Keys and major canal dredging
>>> started in the late 1950s extending into the early 1960s. I watched it
>>> all. Major changes began in the 1970s much of it spurred on later by
>>> creation of the Key Largo Coral Reef Sanctuary, the first Burger King,
>>> and creation of dive shops.
>>> 
>>> While doing geological research and drilling around 100  reef cores we
>>> never encountered Pillar coral. Living ones were rare in the 50s and
>>> 60s and were never considered significant reef builders. They never
>>> could have created significant habitat for reef fishes or other reef
>>> fauna. I have photographed large ones on Jamaican reefs but I can not
>>> speak for the rest of the Caribbean.Nevertheless, I seriously doubt
>>> they have ever been significant reef builders anywhere in the
>>> Caribbean. They also do not appear in exposures of Pleistocene coral
>>> reefs. You will not see them in the beautiful exposures of reef
>>> limestone in the Florida Keys Fossil reef quarry on Windley key.Gene
>>> 
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