US CRI, NSF, Part 2
Coral Health and Monitoring Program
coral at aoml.noaa.gov
Wed Apr 17 06:51:14 EDT 1996
Forwarded message, Part 2:
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ICRI, Part 2
The Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Symbiotic Cnidarians: Action
Spectra, Sites of Damage, and Bleaching Michael Lesser, University of New
Hampshire
The decrease of the stratospheric ozone layer has resulted in an increase
in the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation reaching both terrestrial
and aquatic ecosystems. Recent data indicates that this phenomenon will
also affect tropical ecosystems. Tropical ecosystems have a long
evolutionary history of exposure to fluxes of UV radiation, and can
provide considerable insight into evolved mechanisms of protection against
the deleterious effects of UV radiation. We presently do not know with
confidence the wave length-dependent efficiency (action spectrum) of UV
radiation for any physiological function in symbiotic cnidarians.
Widespread coral bleaching events have recently been observed following
anomolously high sea surface temperatures around the world. If UV
radiation synergistically interacts with increased sea water temperatures,
action spectra will be required to predict what dose of UV radiation can
induce bleaching, with or without an increase in sea water temperature. An
important step in understa nding the bleaching phenomenon is to determine
the independent and synergistic effects of temperature, visible radiation,
and UV radiation on the functional biology of symbiotic associations.
A Facility for Research and Education at the Caribbean Marine Research
Center, Lee Stocking Island Marine Field Station. Romuald Lipcius,
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
The Caribbean Marine Research Center (CMRC) is one of six National
Undersea Research Centers. CMRC's marine field station on Lee Stocking
Island (LSI) in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas comprises 28 buildings, a
915-meter airstrip, nine research vessels, wet and dry submersibles, and
recompression chamber and an underwater habitat. The station affords
access to a pristine marine environment with a diverse array of tropical
habitats including shallow and deep coral reefs, grassbeds, sand flats,
mangroves, submerged carbonate terraces, subsea caves, blue holes, tidal
channels and stromatolites, a unique bio-geological feature. During 1993,
131 visiting scientists and students conducted research in the fields of
benthic ecology, invertebrate biology, fisheries ecology, oceanography,
coral reef ecology, paleo-oceanography, macroalgal ecology, aquaculture,
global climate change, coral bleaching and marine geology. In addition, a
limited number of field courses and workshops were held at LSI. However,
the station is hinde red by a paucity of accommodations for visiting
scientists, and the lack of a suitable lecture and workshop facility,
which prevents CMRC from meeting numerous requests to conduct field
courses, workshops and research. The proposed partnership between CMRC,
The College of William & Mary (W&M), and NSF would significantly enhanced
the utility of one of the most productivity marine field stations in the
Caribbean. Specifically this project will provide for the construction of
a dormitory and lecture/workshop building at LSI. Key contributions by
CMRC include property for the facility, support services, and
administrative framework for coordination of activities, and maintenance
of the building over the facility's lifetime.
Calcification by Hermatypic Corals: Regulation of the Calcium Pathway
Erich Mueller, University of South Alabama
Reef-building corals display two modes of calcification, that which occurs
in the light and that taking place in the dark. Calcium carbonate
deposition is greater in the light, a phenomenon attributed to the
photosynthetic activity of algal endosymbionts (zooxanthellae). There is
evidence that the two modes may differ in mechanism as well as
quantitatively. In spite of numerous studies, the link between coral
calcification and zooxanthellae photosynthesis remains unresolved. The
significance of this link can be succinctly stated: the partnership of
corals and their zooxanthellae is essentially responsible for the
existence of the world's living (and most fossil) coral reefs. A major
question is whether either of the calcium carbonate substrates, calcium
and dissolved inorganic carbon dioxide, are limiting to calcification and,
if so, under what conditions. The importance of calcium to living systems
has led to a variety of well-conserved calcium regulatory mechanisms,
however, very little coral research has examined such regulation. This
strategy has a large base of information from research on other
biomineralizing organisms and in many areas of cellular physiology. Such
an approach, coupled with recent advances in coral culture, promises
substantial progress in a research area that has made little during the
past decade. This research project will focus on whether coral
calcification is limited by calcium availability at the site of
skeletogenesis (not in seawater) and how availability may be affected by
symbiont photosynthetic activity. Using a combination of pharmacologic and
kinetic approaches, the calcium pathway from seawater to skeleton will be
compartmentally characterized. Calcium movement and regulation between
compartments by membrane transport systems and messenger systems (i.e.
cAMP, calmodulin ) will be of central interest. While this basic research
question may be sufficient justification for this projec t, there are
benefits of more practical value as well. Optimization of coral culture
could h ave far reaching implications for coral reef conservation.
Directly, it offers a means for propagation of corals to repair damaged
reefs. Use of coral culture in the aquarium trade could indirectly help
natural reefs by reducing the rapidly increasing wild harvest.
Understanding the light-enhancement of coral calcification would allow
manipulation of culture conditions to produce skeletons with consistent
physical properties. Such skeletons would be of value for use in bone
reconstruction where natural coral has been successfully employed.
Path of Carbon in Photosynthesis and Release of Glycerol by Zooxanthellae
Leonard Muscatine, University of California
One of the most intriguing, and enigmatic phenomena in the field of coral
reef ecology is the symbiotic relationship between the coral polyp and the
nutrient producing dinoflagellate that it hosts. This relationship is the
key feature in the stability of coral reefs and many of the organisms
which reside there. The objective of this project is to study the
translocation of carbon from symbiotic dinoflagellates to the coral host
cells. This will be achieved by a revolutionary approach to studying this
relationship, by artificially altering the biochemical carbon pathways,
and evaluating the subsequent metabolism of the coral polyp and the
photosynthetic capacities of the dinoflagellates. This shall give us new
insights on the nutritional relationship between the two. Dr. Muscatine
has a string of success with prior NSF awards and is at the forefront in
this field of study. His project will help to achieve two objectives: 1)
further contribute to our understanding of the role of coral symbioses,
which could po tentially have biotechnological value, and 2) provide
another opportunity for collaborative work with Russian scientist in U.S.
laboratories.
Housing Facility for Visiting Scientists Award
Valerie Paul, University of Guam
The University of Guam Marine Laboratory will build a housing facility for
accommodating visiting researchers including visiting graduate students.
The 2000 sq ft building will contain three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a
kitchen, and a living area for dormitory style accommodations and a
separate suite with two bedrooms, one bath, and a kitchen for an apartment
style unit. Earlier support allowed the university to complete the
architectural and engineering plans for this building. Such a facility is
considered extremely important because 1) the institution is in an
isolated academic environment and visiting investigators are a valuable
resource for interactions and new ideas, and 2) skyrocketing rents and a
serious housing shortage combine to make it difficult to impossible to
find adequate lodging for visitors staying less than 6 months. The
University of Guam Laboratory supports the research of 8 full-time
faculty, numerous graduate and undergraduate students, as well as visiting
investigators. The research dem ands on facility have increased due to the
addition of new faculty at the laboratory, the recent establishment of
collaborative programs between the Marine Laboratory and the University of
Hawaii and the University of the Ryukyus (Okinawa, Japan), and the
awareness of the Marine Laboratory as a resource for coral reef research
by over 550 scientists who attended the 7th International Coral Reef
Symposium on Guam in June 1992. The new building will allow the support of
increasing numbers of visiting scientists that wish to conduct research at
the laboratory , which will in turn enhance the research environment.
Assessing the Chemical Defenses of Caribbean Sponges
Joseph Pawlik, University of North Carolina
Sponges are important components of benthic marine communities,
particularly on coral reefs. Organic extracts of their tissues have
yielded a wealth of unusual chemical compounds that are not known to be
involved in primary metabolism. These secondary metabolites have a
diversity of pharmacological effects in laboratory assays, but it is
unclear why sponges produce them. The most commonly held theory is that
these compounds are distasteful to potential predators. The proposed
research will provide an assessment of the chemical defenses of Caribbean
demo sponges, a group whose taxonomy and chemistry is fairly well
described. The investigation will proceed within a theoretical framework
established by previous research on the chemical ecology of terrestrial
plants and marine algae. Overall, this research project represents the
first systematic investigation of the chemical defenses of tropical marine
sponges. The results will be useful in judging the general applicability
of optimal defense theories based on s tudies of terrestrial ecosystems.
On the Abundance, Dynamics and Regulation of Damselfish Populations
Russell Schmitt and Sally Holbrook, University of California
The aim of the work is to understand the dynamics and regulation of
structured, open populations, which typify most marine reef fishes and
invertebrates. While there is broad agreement among ecologists that
attributes of populations are shared by more than an single process (e.g.,
availability of propagules, competition within and between life stages,
competition with other species, predation), there remains considerable
disagreement regarding their relative importance. There also is some
confusion about what roles various processes have in producing dynamics;
few empirical workers have distinguished between processes that regulate
populations (i.e., bound fluctuations) as opposed to those that cause
variation around the mean abundance. An enormous amount is known about the
caused of fluctuations in abundance of reef organisms, but very little is
known about what regulates their populations. This work will contribute in
several key ways to understanding the general issue of dynamics and
regulation. It is one
of the first comprehensive, pluralistic evaluations of reef fishes that will distinguish effects of processes on
regulation and on variation. Second, it will use for the first time operational definitions and analytical protocols for
quantitative assessm
ents of the relative importance of various processes. As such, the research could yield standard approaches and
procedures to address relative importance. Third, the application of infrared video technology enables the exploration
of little studied but cr
ucial processes of settlement and early mortality.
Zooplankton Capture by Corals: Effects of Water Movement and Prey Escape
Kenneth Sebens and Jennifer Purcell, University of Maryland
Information on water flow in coral reef environments has generally been
done to quantify mass transport across reefs or to identify important
processes generating nutrient flux from reefs. This project will
investigate the effects of water flow on several aspects of the feeding
biology of corals. Field measurements of feeding rates on four species of
corals will be made with prey sampling by an automated pump/sampler and
field flume that allows concurrent measurements of water flow and prey
availability. Feeding experiments will be manipulated by varying flow
rate, prey type, and food availability and will be conducted over several
days with different flow conditions. Capture events and prey type, and
food availability and will be conducted over several days with different
flow conditions. Capture events and prey escape behavior will be filmed
using underwater video. Another important aspect of feeding biology in
coral reefs is the small scale water flow around corals in the field. This
will be accomplished with three self- contained underwater thermistors
flowmeters with 2 mm spatial resolution, based on the design of LaBarber
and Vogel (1976). The data collected will be used to characterize the
general flow regime at the site, providing new information about the flow
environment of coral reefs in Jamaica and other sites in the Caribbean.
Pacific Paleoclimate from Reef Corals in the Eastern and Western Margins:
Records from Galapagos, Cocos Island and the Gulf of Papua Glen Shen,
University of Washington
This award will support a study designed to characterize the paleoclimate
of the eastern Pacific over the last 400 years using the best available
coral samples and seeks to establish a new geochemical tracer in the far
western Pacific - a region for which few marine climatic indicators
presently exist. The foci of the eastern Pacific reconstructions will be
the Galapagos Islands (0.5oS, 91oW) and Cocos Island ( 5.3oN, 86.9oW). The
ratio of barium:calcium in coral argonite, a sensitive indicator of
upwelling and fluvial discharge, will be the key measurement using an
Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). Records spanning
270- (Cocos) and 400-years (Galapagos) length will be produced at
quarter-annual resolution. Additionally, annual determinations of Cd/Ca
and Mn/Ca will be made . Developmental effort for a regional precipitation
index over Australasia will involve determination of Ba/Ca ratios in a
100- year coral core from the Gulf of Papua, an area markedly influenced
by Ba-enriched contin ental runoff. The goal of this work is the
development of climatically-relevant datasets which surpass the
instrumental record in length yet retain the quality of latter 20th
century measurements. Such records will allow a closer examination of
recurrent periods (e.g annual, biennial, and three-to-seven year ENSO
timescales) which appear to characterize the lower atmosphere and upper
ocean, and may reveal the existence of longer time scale variations.
Marine Biotechnology Fellowship: Natural Products from Common
Shallow-water Soft Corals of Guam: Reproductive Considerations Marc
Slattery, University of Mississippi
This research project will utilize analytical chemical techniques to
evaluate the importance of secondary metabolites and steroids in the
reproduction of 3 species of soft corals from Guam. This project builds on
ongoing research which has identified and examined the importance of
secondary metabolites, organic extracts, and morphological defenses in
soft coral predator deterrence. This project will extract, isolate, and
determine the structures of new secondary metabolites in adult colonies
and their eggs. Temporal changes in concentrations of these compounds will
be correlated with reproductive indices to assess the role of the
compounds in maturation and spawning. Standard bioassays will be conducted
to guide isolation of bioactive compounds and to determine the importance
of isolated natural products in egg release, sperm chemotaxis, and feeding
deterrence. Novel compounds identified in this project will expand upon a
growing database of metabolites that can be used as chemotaxonomic markers
and will be incorporated into existing pharmacological programs.
Additionally, this project will contribute significant in sights into the
reproductive biology and chemical ecology of the common soft corrals on
the shallow reefs surrounding Guam.
The Physiology of Sclerochronology: Mechanism and Variation in Formation
of High Density Bands in the Massive Coral Montastrea Annularis Alina
Szmant and Peter Swart, University of Miami; Richard Dodge, Nova
University; and James Porter, University of Georgia
High density (HD) bands mark annual cycles of growth in X- radiographs of
reef coral skeletons and presumably form due to physiological response to
seasonal cycles of temperature and light. However, the mechanism of
formation has not been established for any coral. The HD band is usually
used to define the annual band, and thus understanding its formation, and
the controls on variability in its timing is important. In the research, a
conceptual model of how density bands form, based on physiological and
morphological data obtained with earlier NSF funding, is will be
developed. Four specific aspects of the work will include: (1) development
of a mechanistic mathematical model for the formation of the HD band of
Montastrea annularis, a major coral used in paleoclimate work; (2)
conducting an in situ experiment to test the validity of the model; (3)
evaluation of the genetic vs. environmental components of variation in
time of formation of the HD band; and (4) assessment of the variation
among corals in the re lationship between HD bands and stable isotope
profiles. This study will provide the type of environmental physiological
data needed for the precise use of coral density bands for
paleoclimatology.
The Temperature History of the Western Pacific Warm Pool Over the Last 30
Ka Frederick Taylor, University of Texas; R. Lawrence, University of
Minnesota; and George Burr, University of Arizona
This project will collaborate with French scientists to drill coral
terraces in the western tropical Pacific. Three sites will span the center
and southern margins of the Western Pacific Warm Pool, and will be drilled
to about 30,000 yr BP. Samples will be analyzed for stable isotopes, U, Sr
and radiocarbon. The project will address two objectives; (1) a record of
warm pool thermal stability at several scales of climate change ( with
implications for circum-Pacific climate) and (2) calibration of the
radiocarbon age scale (relevant to all science which depends on
radiocarbon dating).
Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on the Biology of Caribbean Reef Corals
Gerard Wellington, University of Houston
Recent studies indicate that ultraviolet radiation can penetrate to
considerable depths on tropical reefs. Persistent high levels of UV
penetration, resulting from extended periods of calm sea conditions, have
been shown to induce stress leading to the loss of symbiotic zooxanthellae
(i.e., bleaching) in reef-building corals. These conditions may have
contributed significantly to the regional mass coral bleaching events
observed in the Caribbean during 1987 and 1990. This project will continue
monitoring penetration of UV radiation, sea temperatures, and recovery of
coral exposed to UV radiation. In addition, the project will be expanded
to evaluate the effects of UV radiation on the early life-history stages,
namely planula larvae and newly-recruited juveniles, of predominant coral
species. While increases in UV radiation are predicted to be minimal at
low latitudes, increased frequency of calm sea conditions predicted by
global warming will lead to enhanced water column clarity and high UV
penetration with subsequent negative effects on reef corals. This project,
by experimentally defining the maximum UV intensities that can be
tolerated by larval and juveniles corals, will provide insight into the
role that current intensities of UV radiation play in limiting recruitment
and shaping subsequent coral community structure.
Directorate for Biological Sciences (lead)
Center for Ultraviolet Radiation Research at the Hawaii Institute of
Marine Biology Paul Jokiel; Robert Kinzie; George Losey, University of
Hawaii
This project will provide equipment to enable the Hawaii Institute of
Marine Biology to serve as a center for diverse research on UV radiation
in the tropical marine environment. An international workshop on UV
radiation in the sea (Aug., 1994) concluded that HIMB's history of such
research and its sub- tropical location make it the most logical site in
the U.S.A., or the world, for such a center. A scanning spectroradiometer
will allow precision measurement of radiation in the laboratory and the
field. A UV- sensitive/visible wavelength remote controlled television
will allow visual perception and measurement of portions of the sensory
world of marine animals of which humans are dismally unaware. Visitors
will be encouraged to use these facilities and several leading
investigators in the field have firm plans for participation.
Optimization Strategies for Reef Restoration Using Cultured Hermatypic
Corals Erich Mueller, University of South Alabama
Coral reefs are important reservoirs of biodiversity and serve as centers
of biological production in low productivity seas. They provide
subsistence and commercial fishing and contribute to third world economies
by attracting tourism. It has become increasing apparent that reefs are
being adversely affected by human activities. The impact of anthropogenic
activities, both historical and modern, is damaging reefs to the point
whether ecosystem functioning has been compromised. Restoration of reef
fisheries and habitats is in its embryonic stages. Lessons learned from
terrestrial and near-shore restoration programs are being examined to
avoid costly or damaging errors. However, the logistics of working on
reefs and their complex nature require new approaches. There is a good
foundation of coral physiology and reef ecology research on which to base
restoration efforts. This project includes two closely coupled components:
1) examination of coral growth and physiology under laboratory culture
conditions and 2) assessment of coral contribution to habitat structural a
biological complexity and survival rates of laboratory -raised corals in
field test plots. This project will examine the effect of photoperiod and
substrates on coral growth rates and metabolic performance
(photosynthesis, respiration and calcification). These data will be used
to modify culture techniques which have significant advantages over simple
transplantation strategies. Corals are generally slow-growing species and
optimizing growth rates to attain coral of critical size will be
fundamental to the success of a culture approach. The critical size will
be assessed in field pilot studies. Test plots will be established in a
vessel grounding site. Plots will include corals grown under various
culture conditions (explants) and to varying sizes. Their effect on
habitat structural complexity and the resulting biodiversity will be
compared to corals transplanted from healthy reef areas and to natural
control sites. Survivorship and growth rates of cul tured explants and
transplanted corals will also be compared. Results obtained from this
project should provide both physiological and ecological information for
the formulation of viable restoration programs. In addition, the further
development of coral culture will assist reef conservation efforts by
reducing the increasing wild harvest of corals for commercial trade.
Keys Marine Laboratory Research Housing Facility
John Ogden; Kenneth Haddad, University of South Florida
The Keys Marine Laboratory (KML) commenced academic research and education
programs in the 1980's through a public/private partnership between the
Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) and Sea World of Florida, Inc.
Based on the success of that partnership and recognizing the need for
these programs and facilities the State of Florida purchased the KML in
1990. With the closure of other residential laboratory facilities in the
region and the unprecedented scientific and political attention on the
mosaic of South Florida environments, the KML has now assumed an even more
critical support role. In the last five years usage by research and
education groups has increased steadily and is beginning to exceed some of
the capabilities of the current facilities. Particularly urgent is the
need for improved and expanded housing accommodations for non-resident
researchers. Lodging has been identified as one of the major impediments
to conducting research in the region. Laboratory and boat facilities are
equally impor tant but at this point in time the KML can reasonably
accommodate these needs. This project will provide funding to construct
the first unit of a planned three-unit handicapped accessible housing
facility which will provide additional lodging space for two to four (2-4)
researchers/unit. This facility will help meet the need of regional,
national, and international scientists studying the continentally unique
systems of South Florida, including coral reefs.
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