bleachings and spawnings (fwd)
Coral Health and Monitoring Program
coral at aoml.noaa.gov
Wed Oct 30 07:35:42 EST 1996
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996 15:03:03 -0600 (CST)
From: Rosa Elisa Rodriguez <rosaer at mar.icmyl.unam.mx>
To: Coral Health and Monitoring Program <coral at aoml.noaa.gov>
Subject: Re: bleachings and spawnings
Coral Bleaching in the Mexican Caribbean was observed in October 1995.
Personal observations were done in the rear-reef of Puerto Morelos Reef.
Quatitative data are as follows
1: 1-20% of the colonies were bleached
2: 21-40%
3: 41-60%
4: 61-80%
5: 81-100%
Site 1 Site 2
Montastrea annularis 5 4
Diploria strigosa 1 -
Meandrina meandrites 5 -
Porites porites 3 3
P. astreoides 1 -
Isophyllastrea rigida 3 -
Isophyllia sinuosa 3 -
Acropora palmata 0 1
A. cervicornis - 1
A. prolifera - 5 (only 2 colonies present)
Agaricia agaricites 5 -
A. tennuifolia 5 -
M. complanata 5 5
M. alcicornis 3 -
Palythoa sp. and many species of gorgonacea were also bleached
Other sites reported by locals were Punta Nizuc (Cancun), Manchones Reef
(Isla Mujeres), Mahaual (South of Quintana Roo).
Observations conducted in March, 1996 revealed no bleaching in Site 2 and
two other sites. In site 1 only M. annularis colonies remained pale on
the top part of the colony, the sides had recovered their original color.
Although we have no quantitative data no severe mortality appeared to
have happened due to the bleaching event.
Biol. Rosa Rodriguez
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Estacion Puerto Morelos, Lab. Arrecifes Coralinos
Tel (987) 102-19
Fax (987) 101-38
e-mail: rosaer at mar.icmyl.unam.mx
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