Laboratory experiments on the branching, symbiont-bearing coral genus Porites and Acropora have been carried out to determine the dependence of the skeletal boron isotopic composition ( B) on the pH of seawater. The results show a clear relationship similar to previously established empirical calibrations for planktonic foraminifera and inorganic calcite. A 0.6‰ offset exists between P. cylindr...

A long-term (10 month exposure) experiment on effects of suspended sediment on the mortality, growth, and recruitment of the reef corals Montipora capitata and Porites compressa was conducted on the shallow reef flat off south Moloka'i, Hawai'i. Corals were grown on wire platforms with attached coral recruitment tiles along a suspended solid concentration (SSC) gradient that ranged from 37 mg l...

Identification of a pathogen is a critical first step in the epidemiology and subsequent management of a disease. A limited number of pathogens have been identified for diseases contributing to the global decline of coral populations. Here we describe Vibrio coralliilyticus strain OCN008, which induces acute Montipora white syndrome (aMWS), a tissue loss disease responsible for substantial mort...

A network of nine Fish Replenishment Areas (FRA) reserves was demarcated in West Hawai’i in 2000 in response to declines of reef fishes taken by aquarium collectors. In 1999, we established 23 study sites in FRAs, areas open to collectors and reference areas (existing protected areas) to collect data both prior to and after the closure of the reserve network in 2000. To date we have conducted 3...

Larvae of the nudibranch Phestilla sibogae are induced to metamorphose by a water-borne chemical cue released by the adult nudibranch's prey, the coral Porites compressa. In competent larvae, the apical sensory organ (ASO) includes five serotonergic parampullary neurons; five ampullary neurons, the ampullae of which are filled with sensory cilia; and a basal neuropil. After sensing the coral cu...

Acropora and Porites corals are important reef builders in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean. Bacteria associated with mucus produced by Porites spp. and Acropora spp. from Caribbean (Punta Maroma, Mexico) and Indo-Pacific (Hoga and Sampela, Indonesia) reefs were determined. Analysis of pyrosequencing libraries showed that bacterial communities from Caribbean corals were significantly more diverse...

—To stabilize the taxonomy of the genus Porites in the western Atlantic and provide a foundation from which to launch future taxonomic research, neotypes for the coral species Porites porites and P. divaricata are chosen and Porites verrillii is proposed as a junior synonym of P. astreoides. Colony photographs and stereo scanning electron micrographs are provided of corallites of: 1) neotypes o...

During the last several decades corals have been in decline and at least one-third of all coral species are now threatened by extinction. Coral disease has been a major contributor to this threat, but little is known about the responsible pathogens. To date most research has focused on bacterial and fungal diseases; however, viruses may also be important for coral health. Using a combination of...

The increased abundance of ephemeral algae and corresponding decline in perennial fucoids observed in eutrophic (nutrient-rich) waters could be caused by eutrophication-driven shifts in the competitive relationship between the 2 groups as early as the germling stage. During the initial post-settlement period germlings are exposed to large temporal variations in temperature, which may influence ...