Jennifer DeBose - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Jennifer DeBose
Flower Garden Banks final management plan
Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marin... more Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marine fishes. These fishes may use predictable changes in chemical cues associated with reefs as signals to coordinate their aggregations. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), are ubiquitous compounds associated with productive areas, preferred sites for foraging and spawning of pelagic species. It is possible that species may recruit to DMS or DMSP (DMS/P) signatures associated with these areas. Here we investigate how temporal variation in the abundance of reef fishes and squid related to changes in DMS/P during a coral spawning event. During 2003, we recorded significant increases in water column DMS/P during a coral spawning event and found that an elevation in DMS/P was paralleled by a surge in numbers of pelagic fishes, Caranx spp., and squid, Loligo roperi, over the reef. The changes in pelagic fish and squid abundance were positively correlated...
The Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program (herein referred to as the MMP) undertaken in the Great... more The Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program (herein referred to as the MMP) undertaken in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon assesses the long-term effectiveness of the Australian and Queensland Government's Reef Water Quality Protection Plan and the Australian Government Reef Rescue initiative. The MMP was established in 2005 to help assess the long-term status and health of GBR ecosystems and is a critical component in the assessment of regional water quality as land management practices are improved across GBR catchments. The program forms an integral part of the Reef Plan Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program supported through Reef Plan and Reef Rescue initiatives. This report details the sampling that has taken place under the Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program: Terrestrial discharge into the Great Barrier Reef (project 3.7.2b) for the 2011/12 sampling year, led by James Cook University (JCU).
Toxins
Ciguatera poisoning (CP) poses a significant threat to ecosystem services and fishery resources i... more Ciguatera poisoning (CP) poses a significant threat to ecosystem services and fishery resources in coastal communities. The CP-causative ciguatoxins (CTXs) are produced by benthic dinoflagellates including Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa spp., and enter reef food webs via grazing on macroalgal substrates. In this study, we report on a 3-year monthly time series in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands where Gambierdiscus spp. abundance and Caribbean-CTX toxicity in benthic samples were compared to key environmental factors, including temperature, salinity, nutrients, benthic cover, and physical data. We found that peak Gambierdiscus abundance occurred in summer while CTX-specific toxicity peaked in cooler months (February–May) when the mean water temperatures were approximately 26–28 °C. These trends were most evident at deeper offshore sites where macroalgal cover was highest year-round. Other environmental parameters were not correlated with the CTX variability observed over time. The asynchron...
Fish navigate a sea of chemical signatures, which can guide their movements through their environ... more Fish navigate a sea of chemical signatures, which can guide their movements through their environment. Chemoreception is integral to how larval fish find reef habitat and adult fish find home. Yet, the chemicals responsible for driving fish behavior are largely unknown, and the chemical seascapes through which fish navigate are changing with shifting environmental conditions. To investigate the possible suite of chemical cues employed by fishes in their search for foraging hot-spots, we collected 10 l samples of water from the center of natural foraging aggregations. These aggregations were composed of multiple fish species from several trophic levels over the reefs of Belize. We then conducted bioassays on wild-caught Abudefduf saxatilis (N = 84) in laboratory flow tanks using previously frozen seawater samples and extracted compounds from foraging aggregations and paired control sites. Capturing seawater from the midst of natural foraging aggregations, filtering this over C18 resin, and presenting the eluted compounds to a reef fish elicited a significant behavioral response of spending more time in water that contained C18 extracts from fish aggregations compared to controls (p = 0.03). These results indicate that chemical cues collected within the middle of multi-species fish foraging aggregations are attractive to adult reef fish and suggest that chemical signatures associated with foraging aggregations might be important olfactory guides for fish.
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate is linked to coral spawning, fish abundance and squid aggregations over a coral reef
ABSTRACT Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning... more ABSTRACT Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marine fishes. These fishes may use predictable changes in chemical cues associated with reefs as signals to coordinate their aggregations. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), are ubiquitous compounds associated with productive areas, preferred sites for foraging and spawning of pelagic species. It is possible that species may recruit to DMS or DMSP (DMS/P) signatures associated with these areas. Here we investigate how temporal variation in the abundance of reef fishes and squid related to changes in DMS/P during a coral spawning event. During 2003, we recorded significant increases in water column DMS/P during a coral spawning event and found that an elevation in DMS/P was paralleled by a surge in numbers of pelagic fishes, Caranx spp., and squid, Loligo roperi, over the reef. The changes in pelagic fish and squid abundance were positively correlated with DMS/P, suggesting that these animals may cue to the release of specific compounds during spawning. These results, coupled with other recent studies, provide further evidence that DMS/P may be used by fishes and squid to coordinate their aggregations over reefs. Introduction Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) has been studied intensively by atmospheric and process-oriented oceanographers for its role in global climate, marine sulfur cycles and phytoplankton physiology (e.g., Curran and Jones 2000; Kiene et al. 2000). Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a water-soluble osmolyte produced by species of marine phototrophic algae and is the major precursor of the volatile compound, dimethyl sulfide (DMS). DMSP is converted to DMS and acrylic acid by bacterial and algal enzymatic degradation (Kiene et al. 2000) and this metabolic conversion is accelerated during grazing by zooplankton (Dacey and Wakeham 1986; Daly and DiTullio 1996). Since the release of DMS and DMSP can be a by-product of zooplankton feeding (Cantin et al. 1996), its patchy distribution in the marine environment may reflect grazing rate (Kwint and Kramer 1996; Wolfe and Steinke 1996). Further, Hill and Dacey (2006) found that dissolved DMSP is released into the water immediately after foraging by planktivorous fishes. Coral reefs are significant production sites for DMS and DMSP (Broadbent and Jones 2004). Reefs appear to produce DMSP in part through interactions between coral and their symbiotic zooxanthellae (Hill et al. 1995; Van Alstyne et al. 2006). Zooxanthellae taken from Acropora coral tissues from the Great Barrier Reef produce up to 285 fmol DMSP per cultured cell and up to 3831 fmol per cell in corals (Broadbent et al. 2002). Further, Broadbent (1997) reported an increase in water column DMS and DMSP the day after a mass coral spawning and attributed it to the corals' release of mucus and eggs containing zooxanthellae. We are only beginning to understand the roles of DMSP and DMS as signal molecules in marine and terrestrial ecosystems (see Nevitt et al. 1995; Zimmer-Faust et al. 1996; Steinke et al. 2006; DeBose et al. 2006, 2007, 2008). High DMS and DMSP concentrations over productive marine areas can be long-lasting (hours to days; Ledyard and Dacey 1996) and thus, provide predictable cues that may be used by organisms to locate habitat. For instance, frontal zones are productive areas where seabirds (Nevitt 2000), Humboldt penguins (see Culik 2001), and basking sharks (Sims and Quayle 1998) forage on dense plankton patches. Nevitt (2000) has implicated air-borne DMS as part of an 'olfactory landscape', which can be detected by pelagic Procellariiform seabirds in search of productive areas for foraging. Humboldt penguins increase their anticipatory activity in the presence of DMS, suggesting that penguins could use DMS as a foraging cue as well (Culik 2001). Similarly, Sims and Quayle (1998) suggest that basking sharks might use DMS to locate dense patches of plankton along frontal zones.
Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marin... more Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marine fishes. These fishes may use predictable changes in chemical cues associated with reefs as signals to coordinate their aggregations. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), are ubiquitous compounds associated with productive areas, preferred sites for foraging and spawning of pelagic species. It is possible that species may recruit to DMS or DMSP (DMS/P) signatures associated with these areas. Here we investigate how temporal variation in the abundance of reef fishes and squid related to changes in DMS/P during a coral spawning event. During 2003, we recorded significant increases in water column DMS/P during a coral spawning event and found that an elevation in DMS/P was paralleled by a surge in numbers of pelagic fishes, Caranx spp., and squid, Loligo roperi, over the reef. The changes in pelagic fish and squid abundance were positively correlated with DMS/P, suggesting that these animals may cue to the release of specific compounds during spawning. These results, coupled with other recent studies, provide further evidence that DMS/P may be used by fishes and squid to coordinate their aggregations over reefs.
Chemical signatures of multi-species foraging aggregations are attractive to fish
Eggs and larvae of Acropora palmata and larvae of Porites astreoides contain high amounts of dimethylsulfoniopropionate
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2015
Coral Bleaching Mortality and Resilience at Stetson Bank, a High Latitude Coral Community in the Gulf of Mexico
ABSTRACT Stetson Bank, located near 28.2° N, 94.3° W in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, approxim... more ABSTRACT Stetson Bank, located near 28.2° N, 94.3° W in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, approximately 110 kilometers offshore of Galveston, Texas, is an uplifted claystone feature associated with an underlying salt dome. Due to the influence of the warm, clear waters of the Gulf Stream Loop Current, Stetson Bank supports a well-developed benthic community comprised of tropical marine sponges, coral and other invertebrates. Living coral cover, predominately Millepora alcicornis, can comprise up to 30% of the reef surface. A long-term monitoring program was initiated in 1993 consisting of 66 permanently marked stations on the reef surface that are photographed annually and analyzed for changes in community structure and benthic cover. In the summer of 2005, significant mortality of coral was documented in association with a major bleaching event in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the area was subject to significant coastal runoff resulting from two major hurricanes (Katrina and Rita). The synergistic effect of both coastal runoff and elevated temperature may have contributed to mortality in 2005. Here we present an analysis of monitoring data from 2004-2008 and evidence of possible resiliency of the coral-sponge community of Stetson Bank. Introduction Stetson Bank is one of a number of topographic features associated with underlying salt domes located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico (Fig. 1; Rezak et al. 1985). Rising from surrounding water depths of over 55 meters, Stetson Bank crests to within 15 to 25 meters of the sea surface. The main feature of Stetson Bank is made up of uplifted claystone and siltstone pinnacle formations that harbor a well developed coral-sponge community. Stetson was first described in the 1950's (Carsey 1950; Stetson 1953; Neumann 1958) due to increasing interest of the oil and gas industry in offshore oil exploration along the continental shelf. The clay/siltstone pinnacle structures of Stetson Bank support a unique coral and sponge community. Surrounded by a clay-mud bottom, the pinnacles rise to within 15 meters of the water's surface, providing structure above the turbid depths into the relatively clear, warm surface waters. The predominant benthic species on Stetson Bank is the hydrozoan Millepora alcicornis (fire coral) accounting for up to 30% of the reef surface in the pinnacle area. In addition, eleven other species of hermatypic corals have been documented, including Diploria strigosa, Stephanocoenia intersepta, Madracis mirabilis, Madracis decactis, and Agaricia fragilis. Sponges, primarily Chondrilla nucula, Ircinia strobilina and Agelas clathrodes, comprise up to another 30% of the benthic cover. A running total of 180 species of fish, including several species of sharks and rays (Pattengill 1998), 644 species of invertebrates, including mollusks and echinoderms, and 2 species of turtle (Caretta caretta and Eretmochelys imbricata) also inhabit this coral-sponge community (see
Evidence for DMSP as a chemosensory stimulant for pelagic jacks
Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marin... more Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marine fishes. These fishes may use predictable changes in chemical cues associated with reefs as signals to coordinate their aggregations. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), are ubiquitous compounds associated with productive areas, preferred sites for foraging and spawning of pelagic species. It is possible that species may recruit to DMS or DMSP (DMS/P) signatures associated with these areas. Here we investigate how temporal variation in the abundance of reef fishes and squid related to changes in DMS/P during a coral spawning event. During 2003, we recorded significant increases in water column DMS/P during a coral spawning event and found that an elevation in DMS/P was paralleled by a surge in numbers of pelagic fishes, Caranx spp., and squid, Loligo roperi, over the reef. The changes in pelagic fish and squid abundance were positively correlated with DMS/P, suggesting that these animals may cue to the release of specific compounds during spawning. These results, coupled with other recent studies, provide further evidence that DMS/P may be used by fishes and squid to coordinate their aggregations over reefs.
Effectiveness of vegetated systems in managing contaminated runoff from sugarcane and banana farms to protect off-farm aquatic ecosystems, particularly the Great Barrier Reef
Evidence that planktivorous fishes aggregate to dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP)
Review of phytoplankton in the Great Barrier Reef and potential links to Crown of Thorns
Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program. Final report of JCU activities 2011/12: flood plumes and extreme weather monitoring for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Chemical signatures of multi-species foraging aggregations are attractive to fish
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2014
The Biology of Coral Reefs (The Biology of Habitats Series)
Journal of Crustacean Biology, 2011
Investigating the role of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) as an aggregation cue for coral reef and reef-associated fishes
... Havey, Darran May, Mike Rust, and Tom Scott. From the NWFSC - Mukilteo Research Laboratory: P... more ... Havey, Darran May, Mike Rust, and Tom Scott. From the NWFSC - Mukilteo Research Laboratory: Paul Plesha, Frank Sommers, and UW's Abalone Group for allowing me to redirect heated water for the tropical jacks. Thanks to the Oceanic Institute, specifically Charles Laidley ...
Flower Garden Banks final management plan
Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marin... more Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marine fishes. These fishes may use predictable changes in chemical cues associated with reefs as signals to coordinate their aggregations. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), are ubiquitous compounds associated with productive areas, preferred sites for foraging and spawning of pelagic species. It is possible that species may recruit to DMS or DMSP (DMS/P) signatures associated with these areas. Here we investigate how temporal variation in the abundance of reef fishes and squid related to changes in DMS/P during a coral spawning event. During 2003, we recorded significant increases in water column DMS/P during a coral spawning event and found that an elevation in DMS/P was paralleled by a surge in numbers of pelagic fishes, Caranx spp., and squid, Loligo roperi, over the reef. The changes in pelagic fish and squid abundance were positively correlated...
The Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program (herein referred to as the MMP) undertaken in the Great... more The Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program (herein referred to as the MMP) undertaken in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon assesses the long-term effectiveness of the Australian and Queensland Government's Reef Water Quality Protection Plan and the Australian Government Reef Rescue initiative. The MMP was established in 2005 to help assess the long-term status and health of GBR ecosystems and is a critical component in the assessment of regional water quality as land management practices are improved across GBR catchments. The program forms an integral part of the Reef Plan Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program supported through Reef Plan and Reef Rescue initiatives. This report details the sampling that has taken place under the Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program: Terrestrial discharge into the Great Barrier Reef (project 3.7.2b) for the 2011/12 sampling year, led by James Cook University (JCU).
Toxins
Ciguatera poisoning (CP) poses a significant threat to ecosystem services and fishery resources i... more Ciguatera poisoning (CP) poses a significant threat to ecosystem services and fishery resources in coastal communities. The CP-causative ciguatoxins (CTXs) are produced by benthic dinoflagellates including Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa spp., and enter reef food webs via grazing on macroalgal substrates. In this study, we report on a 3-year monthly time series in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands where Gambierdiscus spp. abundance and Caribbean-CTX toxicity in benthic samples were compared to key environmental factors, including temperature, salinity, nutrients, benthic cover, and physical data. We found that peak Gambierdiscus abundance occurred in summer while CTX-specific toxicity peaked in cooler months (February–May) when the mean water temperatures were approximately 26–28 °C. These trends were most evident at deeper offshore sites where macroalgal cover was highest year-round. Other environmental parameters were not correlated with the CTX variability observed over time. The asynchron...
Fish navigate a sea of chemical signatures, which can guide their movements through their environ... more Fish navigate a sea of chemical signatures, which can guide their movements through their environment. Chemoreception is integral to how larval fish find reef habitat and adult fish find home. Yet, the chemicals responsible for driving fish behavior are largely unknown, and the chemical seascapes through which fish navigate are changing with shifting environmental conditions. To investigate the possible suite of chemical cues employed by fishes in their search for foraging hot-spots, we collected 10 l samples of water from the center of natural foraging aggregations. These aggregations were composed of multiple fish species from several trophic levels over the reefs of Belize. We then conducted bioassays on wild-caught Abudefduf saxatilis (N = 84) in laboratory flow tanks using previously frozen seawater samples and extracted compounds from foraging aggregations and paired control sites. Capturing seawater from the midst of natural foraging aggregations, filtering this over C18 resin, and presenting the eluted compounds to a reef fish elicited a significant behavioral response of spending more time in water that contained C18 extracts from fish aggregations compared to controls (p = 0.03). These results indicate that chemical cues collected within the middle of multi-species fish foraging aggregations are attractive to adult reef fish and suggest that chemical signatures associated with foraging aggregations might be important olfactory guides for fish.
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate is linked to coral spawning, fish abundance and squid aggregations over a coral reef
ABSTRACT Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning... more ABSTRACT Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marine fishes. These fishes may use predictable changes in chemical cues associated with reefs as signals to coordinate their aggregations. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), are ubiquitous compounds associated with productive areas, preferred sites for foraging and spawning of pelagic species. It is possible that species may recruit to DMS or DMSP (DMS/P) signatures associated with these areas. Here we investigate how temporal variation in the abundance of reef fishes and squid related to changes in DMS/P during a coral spawning event. During 2003, we recorded significant increases in water column DMS/P during a coral spawning event and found that an elevation in DMS/P was paralleled by a surge in numbers of pelagic fishes, Caranx spp., and squid, Loligo roperi, over the reef. The changes in pelagic fish and squid abundance were positively correlated with DMS/P, suggesting that these animals may cue to the release of specific compounds during spawning. These results, coupled with other recent studies, provide further evidence that DMS/P may be used by fishes and squid to coordinate their aggregations over reefs. Introduction Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) has been studied intensively by atmospheric and process-oriented oceanographers for its role in global climate, marine sulfur cycles and phytoplankton physiology (e.g., Curran and Jones 2000; Kiene et al. 2000). Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a water-soluble osmolyte produced by species of marine phototrophic algae and is the major precursor of the volatile compound, dimethyl sulfide (DMS). DMSP is converted to DMS and acrylic acid by bacterial and algal enzymatic degradation (Kiene et al. 2000) and this metabolic conversion is accelerated during grazing by zooplankton (Dacey and Wakeham 1986; Daly and DiTullio 1996). Since the release of DMS and DMSP can be a by-product of zooplankton feeding (Cantin et al. 1996), its patchy distribution in the marine environment may reflect grazing rate (Kwint and Kramer 1996; Wolfe and Steinke 1996). Further, Hill and Dacey (2006) found that dissolved DMSP is released into the water immediately after foraging by planktivorous fishes. Coral reefs are significant production sites for DMS and DMSP (Broadbent and Jones 2004). Reefs appear to produce DMSP in part through interactions between coral and their symbiotic zooxanthellae (Hill et al. 1995; Van Alstyne et al. 2006). Zooxanthellae taken from Acropora coral tissues from the Great Barrier Reef produce up to 285 fmol DMSP per cultured cell and up to 3831 fmol per cell in corals (Broadbent et al. 2002). Further, Broadbent (1997) reported an increase in water column DMS and DMSP the day after a mass coral spawning and attributed it to the corals' release of mucus and eggs containing zooxanthellae. We are only beginning to understand the roles of DMSP and DMS as signal molecules in marine and terrestrial ecosystems (see Nevitt et al. 1995; Zimmer-Faust et al. 1996; Steinke et al. 2006; DeBose et al. 2006, 2007, 2008). High DMS and DMSP concentrations over productive marine areas can be long-lasting (hours to days; Ledyard and Dacey 1996) and thus, provide predictable cues that may be used by organisms to locate habitat. For instance, frontal zones are productive areas where seabirds (Nevitt 2000), Humboldt penguins (see Culik 2001), and basking sharks (Sims and Quayle 1998) forage on dense plankton patches. Nevitt (2000) has implicated air-borne DMS as part of an 'olfactory landscape', which can be detected by pelagic Procellariiform seabirds in search of productive areas for foraging. Humboldt penguins increase their anticipatory activity in the presence of DMS, suggesting that penguins could use DMS as a foraging cue as well (Culik 2001). Similarly, Sims and Quayle (1998) suggest that basking sharks might use DMS to locate dense patches of plankton along frontal zones.
Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marin... more Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marine fishes. These fishes may use predictable changes in chemical cues associated with reefs as signals to coordinate their aggregations. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), are ubiquitous compounds associated with productive areas, preferred sites for foraging and spawning of pelagic species. It is possible that species may recruit to DMS or DMSP (DMS/P) signatures associated with these areas. Here we investigate how temporal variation in the abundance of reef fishes and squid related to changes in DMS/P during a coral spawning event. During 2003, we recorded significant increases in water column DMS/P during a coral spawning event and found that an elevation in DMS/P was paralleled by a surge in numbers of pelagic fishes, Caranx spp., and squid, Loligo roperi, over the reef. The changes in pelagic fish and squid abundance were positively correlated with DMS/P, suggesting that these animals may cue to the release of specific compounds during spawning. These results, coupled with other recent studies, provide further evidence that DMS/P may be used by fishes and squid to coordinate their aggregations over reefs.
Chemical signatures of multi-species foraging aggregations are attractive to fish
Eggs and larvae of Acropora palmata and larvae of Porites astreoides contain high amounts of dimethylsulfoniopropionate
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2015
Coral Bleaching Mortality and Resilience at Stetson Bank, a High Latitude Coral Community in the Gulf of Mexico
ABSTRACT Stetson Bank, located near 28.2° N, 94.3° W in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, approxim... more ABSTRACT Stetson Bank, located near 28.2° N, 94.3° W in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, approximately 110 kilometers offshore of Galveston, Texas, is an uplifted claystone feature associated with an underlying salt dome. Due to the influence of the warm, clear waters of the Gulf Stream Loop Current, Stetson Bank supports a well-developed benthic community comprised of tropical marine sponges, coral and other invertebrates. Living coral cover, predominately Millepora alcicornis, can comprise up to 30% of the reef surface. A long-term monitoring program was initiated in 1993 consisting of 66 permanently marked stations on the reef surface that are photographed annually and analyzed for changes in community structure and benthic cover. In the summer of 2005, significant mortality of coral was documented in association with a major bleaching event in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the area was subject to significant coastal runoff resulting from two major hurricanes (Katrina and Rita). The synergistic effect of both coastal runoff and elevated temperature may have contributed to mortality in 2005. Here we present an analysis of monitoring data from 2004-2008 and evidence of possible resiliency of the coral-sponge community of Stetson Bank. Introduction Stetson Bank is one of a number of topographic features associated with underlying salt domes located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico (Fig. 1; Rezak et al. 1985). Rising from surrounding water depths of over 55 meters, Stetson Bank crests to within 15 to 25 meters of the sea surface. The main feature of Stetson Bank is made up of uplifted claystone and siltstone pinnacle formations that harbor a well developed coral-sponge community. Stetson was first described in the 1950's (Carsey 1950; Stetson 1953; Neumann 1958) due to increasing interest of the oil and gas industry in offshore oil exploration along the continental shelf. The clay/siltstone pinnacle structures of Stetson Bank support a unique coral and sponge community. Surrounded by a clay-mud bottom, the pinnacles rise to within 15 meters of the water's surface, providing structure above the turbid depths into the relatively clear, warm surface waters. The predominant benthic species on Stetson Bank is the hydrozoan Millepora alcicornis (fire coral) accounting for up to 30% of the reef surface in the pinnacle area. In addition, eleven other species of hermatypic corals have been documented, including Diploria strigosa, Stephanocoenia intersepta, Madracis mirabilis, Madracis decactis, and Agaricia fragilis. Sponges, primarily Chondrilla nucula, Ircinia strobilina and Agelas clathrodes, comprise up to another 30% of the benthic cover. A running total of 180 species of fish, including several species of sharks and rays (Pattengill 1998), 644 species of invertebrates, including mollusks and echinoderms, and 2 species of turtle (Caretta caretta and Eretmochelys imbricata) also inhabit this coral-sponge community (see
Evidence for DMSP as a chemosensory stimulant for pelagic jacks
Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marin... more Coral reefs are frequently used as transient aggregation sites for foraging and spawning by marine fishes. These fishes may use predictable changes in chemical cues associated with reefs as signals to coordinate their aggregations. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), are ubiquitous compounds associated with productive areas, preferred sites for foraging and spawning of pelagic species. It is possible that species may recruit to DMS or DMSP (DMS/P) signatures associated with these areas. Here we investigate how temporal variation in the abundance of reef fishes and squid related to changes in DMS/P during a coral spawning event. During 2003, we recorded significant increases in water column DMS/P during a coral spawning event and found that an elevation in DMS/P was paralleled by a surge in numbers of pelagic fishes, Caranx spp., and squid, Loligo roperi, over the reef. The changes in pelagic fish and squid abundance were positively correlated with DMS/P, suggesting that these animals may cue to the release of specific compounds during spawning. These results, coupled with other recent studies, provide further evidence that DMS/P may be used by fishes and squid to coordinate their aggregations over reefs.
Effectiveness of vegetated systems in managing contaminated runoff from sugarcane and banana farms to protect off-farm aquatic ecosystems, particularly the Great Barrier Reef
Evidence that planktivorous fishes aggregate to dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP)
Review of phytoplankton in the Great Barrier Reef and potential links to Crown of Thorns
Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program. Final report of JCU activities 2011/12: flood plumes and extreme weather monitoring for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Chemical signatures of multi-species foraging aggregations are attractive to fish
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2014
The Biology of Coral Reefs (The Biology of Habitats Series)
Journal of Crustacean Biology, 2011
Investigating the role of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) as an aggregation cue for coral reef and reef-associated fishes
... Havey, Darran May, Mike Rust, and Tom Scott. From the NWFSC - Mukilteo Research Laboratory: P... more ... Havey, Darran May, Mike Rust, and Tom Scott. From the NWFSC - Mukilteo Research Laboratory: Paul Plesha, Frank Sommers, and UW's Abalone Group for allowing me to redirect heated water for the tropical jacks. Thanks to the Oceanic Institute, specifically Charles Laidley ...