Bleachimg???
Edwin Hernandez-Delgado
coral_giac at hotmail.com
Fri May 21 02:23:51 EDT 1999
Dear listers:
This is to inform that there is also some bleaching occurring in the eastern
coast of Puerto Rico, including both, pristine and anthropogenically
degraded habitats, in depths fluctuating from 1.0 to 15 m.
Bleaching reached 77% of the corals at Culebra Island (27 km off eastern
P.R. during October, 1998). There are still several non-recovered heads of
the Montastrea annularis species complex and several isolated colonies of
Diploria labyrinthiformis, Diploria clivosa, Agaricia agaricites, Porites
astreoides and P. porites.
However, colonies of Siderastrea siderea, which is one of the earliest
species which has been affected in our study sites, is already starting to
show the early signs of bleaching (pale round spots). There are no water
temperature abnormailities.
All bleached corals are mostly affected in their upper surfaces (more
exposed to sunlight), just like in the 1998 event.
Edwin A. Hernandez-Delgado
Universidad de Puerto Rico
Departamento de Biologia
Grupo de Investigacion en Arrecifes de Coral
P.O. Box 23360
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931-3360
Tel. (787) 764-0000, x-4855
Fax (787) 764-2610
e-mail: coral_giac at hotmail.com
diploria at coqui.net
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