Massive bleaching of coral reefs induced by the 2010 ENSO, Puerto Cabello, Venezuela (original) (raw)

2012, Revista de Biología Tropical

Abstract

El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has generated global coral massive bleaching. The aim of this work was to evaluate the massive bleaching of coral reefs in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela derived from ENSO 2010. We evaluated the bleaching of reefs at five localities both at three and five meter depth. The coral cover and densities of colonies were estimated. We recorded living coral cover, number and diameter of bleached and nonbleached colonies of each coral species. The colonies were classified according to the proportion of bleached area. Satellite images (Modis Scar) were analyzed for chlorophyll-a concentration and temperature in August, September, October and November from 2008-2010. Precipitation, wind speed and air temperature information was evaluated in meteorological data for 2009 and 2010. A total of 58.3% of colonies, belonging to 11 hexacoral species, were affected and the greatest responses were observed in Colpophyllia natans, Montastraea annularis and Montastraea faveolata. The most affected localities were closer to the mainland and had a bleached proportion up to 62.73±36.55%, with the highest proportion of affected colonies, whereas the farthest locality showed 20.25±14.00% bleached and the smallest proportion. The salinity in situ varied between 30 and 33ppm and high levels of turbidity were observed. According to the satellite images, in 2010 the surface water temperature reached 31ºC in August, September and October, and resulted higher than those registered in 2008 and 2009. Regionally, chlorophyll values were higher in 2010 than in 2008 and 2009. The meteorological data indicated that precipitation in November 2010 was three times higher than in November 2009. Massive coral bleaching occurred due to a three month period of high temperatures followed by one month of intense ENSO-associated precipitation. However, this latter factor was likely the trigger because of the bleaching gradient observed. Rev.

Loading...

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

References (47)

  1. Baker, A. 2003. Flexibility and specificity in coral-algal symbiosis: Diversity, Ecology, and Biogeography of Symbiodinium. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst. 34: 661-89.
  2. Bruno, J., C. Siddon, J. Witman, P. Colin & M. Toscano. 2001. El Niño related coral bleaching in Palau, Wes- tern Caroline Islands. Coral Reefs 20: 127-136.
  3. Buddemeier, R. & D. Fautin. 1993. Coral bleaching as an adaptive mechanism: A testable hypothesis. Bioscien- ce 43: 320-326.
  4. Cisneros, E. & Y. Barrientos. 2008. Fluctuaciones anuales de la temperatura, salinidad, pH y alcalinidad total en aguas superficiales de Isla Larga, estado Carabobo, Venezuela. Rev. Inv. 63: 153-172.
  5. Coles, S.L. & B.E. Brown. 2003 Coral bleaching-capacity for acclimatization and adaptation. Adv. Mar. Biol. 46: 183-223.
  6. Day, A. & T. Wigley. 2000. Global patterns of ENSO indu- ced precipitation, Geophys. Res. Lett. 27: 1283-1286.
  7. Delcroix, T., L. Gourdeau & C. Henin. 1998. Sea surface salinity changes along the Fiji: Japan shipping track during the 1996 La Niña and 1997 El Niño period, Geophys. Res. Lett. 25: 3169-3172.
  8. Done, T., P. Whetton, R. Jones, R. Berkelmans, J. Lough, W. Skirving & S. Wooldridge. 2003. Global Climate Change and Coral Bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Queensland Government Department of Natu- ral Resources and Mines.
  9. Edmondson, C. 1928. The ecology of a Hawaiian coral reef. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bull. 45: 1-64.
  10. Fang, L., S. Chen & J. Qian. 2010. Deducing salinity from Chlorophyll-a using EO-1 Hyperion satellite imagery: A case study in Modaomen and Shawan waterway, Pearl River Estuary, South China. 18th Inter. Conf. Geoinformatics. Beijing, China.
  11. Fitt, W.K. & M.E. Warner. 1995. Bleaching Patterns of Four Species of Caribbean Reef Corals. Biol. Bull. 189: 298-307.
  12. Gates, R. & P. Edmunds. 1999. The Physiological Mecha- nisms of Acclimatization in Tropical Reef Corals Amer. Zool. 39: 30-43.
  13. Glynn, P. 1984. Widespread coral mortality and the 1982- 1983 El Niño warming event. Environm. Conserv. 11: 133-146.
  14. Glynn, P. 1990. Global Ecological consequences of the 1982-1983 El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Elsevier Oceanography Series, New York, USA.
  15. Glynn, P. 1991. Elimination of two reef-building hydroco- rals following the 1982-83 El Niño warming event. Science 253: 69-71.
  16. Glynn, P. & W.H. de Weerdt. 1991. Elimination of two reef building hydrocorals following the1982-83 El Niño warming event. Science 253: 69-71.
  17. Glynn, P. 1996. Coral reef bleaching: facts, hypotheses and implications. Glob. Chan. Biol. 2: 495-509.
  18. Glynn, P.W. 2000. El Niño-Southern Oscillation mass mortalities of reef corals: a model of high tempera- ture marine extinctions? In E. Insalaco, P. Skelton & T Palmer (eds.) Organism-Environment Feedbacks in Carbonate Platforms Systems: components and interactions. Geological Society, London, Special Pub. 178: 117-133.
  19. Glynn, P.W., J.L. Mate, A.C. Baker & M.O. Calderón. 2001. Coral bleaching and mortality in Panama and Ecuador during the 1997-1998 El Niño-Southern Oscillation event: spatial/temporal patterns and com- parisons with the 1982-1983 event. Bull. Mar. Sci. 69: 79-109.
  20. Hoegh, O. 1994. Global warming and coral reef ecosys- tems: Ecological consequences of increased tropical sea temperatures. Clim. Imp. Ser. 1: 1-37.
  21. Hoerling, M., A. Kumar & M. Zhong. 1997: El Niño, La Niña, and the nonlinearity of their teleconnections. J. Climate 10: 1769-1786.
  22. Jokiel, P. & S. Coles. 1977. Effects of temperature on the multiple stressors on corals mortality and growth of Hawaiian reef corals. Mar. Biol. 43: 201-208.
  23. Jones, R., R. Berkelmans & J. Oliver. 1997. Recurrent blea- ching of corals at Magnetic Island (Australia) relative to air and seawater temperature. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 158: 289-292.
  24. Klein, E. & J. Castillo. 2010. Observatorio Oceanográ- fico Digital Del Mar Venezolano. Laboratorio de Sensores Remotos, Centro de Biodiversidad Marina INTECMAR-USB (Downloaded: January 27, 2011, http://ood.cbm.usb.ve).
  25. Kleypas, J. & O. Hoegh. 2005. Coral reefs and climate change: susceptibility and consequences, p. 19-29. In C. Wilkinson & D. Souter (eds.). Status of Caribbean CoralReefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes in 2005. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Networkand Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, Townsville, Australia.
  26. LaJeunesse, T. 2002 Diversity and community structure of symbiotic dinoflagellates from Caribbean coral reefs. Mar. Biol. 141: 387-400.
  27. Lang, J., H. Lasker, E. Gladfelter, P. Hallock, W. Jaap, F. Losada & R.G. Muller. 1992. Spatial and temporal variability during periods of "recovery" after mass bleaching on Western Atlantic coral reefs. Amer. Zool. 32: 696-706.
  28. Levene, H. 1960. Robust Tests for Equality of Variances, in Contributions to Probability and Statistics. Stanford University, California, USA.
  29. McClanahan, T., M. Ateweberhan, C. Muhando, J. Maina & M. Mohammed. 2007. Effects of climate and seawater temperature variation on coral bleaching and mortality. Eco. Monog. 77: 503-525.
  30. McClanahan, T. 2008. Response of the coral reef benthos and herbivory to fishery closure management and the 1998 ENSO disturbance. Oecologia 155: 169-177
  31. McPhaden, M. 2004. Evolution of the 2002/2003 El Nino. Amer. Met. Soc. 677-695.
  32. Nyawira, A. & A. Szmant. 1987 the effects of salinity stress on the rates of aerobic respiration and photosynthesis in the hermatypic coral Siderastrea siderea. Biol. Bull. 173: 539-551.
  33. Ouillon, S., P. Douillet, R. Fichez & J. Panche. 2005. Enhancement of regional variations in salinity and temperature in a lagoon, New Caledonia. Comptes Rendus Geoscience 337: 1509-1517.
  34. Rodríguez, A., C. Bastidas, S. Rodríguez, Z. Leão, R. Kikuchi, M. Oliveira, D. Gil, J. GarzónFerreira, M.C. Reyes, R. Navas, N. Santodomingo, G. Díaz, D. Venera, L. Florez, A. Rangel, C. Orozco, J.C. Már- quez, S. Zea, M. López, J.A. Sánchez & M.C. Hurta- do. 2008. The effects of coral bleaching in Southern Tropical America: Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela, p. 105-114. In C. Wilkinson & D. Souter (eds.). Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes in 2005. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, and Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, Townsville, Australia.
  35. Rodríguez, S., A. Cróquer, D. Bone & C. Bastidas. 2010. Severity of the 1998 and 2005 bleaching events in Venezuela, Southern Caribbean. Rev. Biol. Trop. 58: 189-196.
  36. Rogers, C. 1990. Responses of coral reefs and reef orga- nisms to sedimentation. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 62: 185-202.
  37. Shapiro, S.S. & M.B Wilks. 1965. An analysis of variance test for normality (complete samples). Biometrika 52: 591-611.
  38. Strong, A.E., A.E. Strong & W. Skirving. 2003. Remote Sensing of Sea Surface Temperatures during 2002 Barrier Reef Coral Bleaching. Eos 84: 137.
  39. Taylor, M., D. Enfield & A. Chen. 2002. Influence of the tropical Atlantic versus the tropical Pacific on Caribbean rainfall. J. Geo. Res. 107 C9: 1-14.
  40. Trench, R. & R. Blank. 1987. Symbiodinium microadria- ticum Fruendenthal,S. goreauii sp. nov., S. kawaguti sp. nov. and S. pilosum sp. nov.; Gymnodinoid dinoflagellate symbionts of marine invertebrates. J. Phycol. 23: 469-481.
  41. Villamizar, E., J. Posada & S. Gómez. 2003. Rapid assessment of coral reefs in the Archipiélago de Los Roques National Park, Venezuela (Part I: stony corals and algae). In J.C. Lang (eds.). Status of Coral Reefs in the Western Atlantic: Results of Initial Surveys, Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment. Atoll Res. Bull. 496: 512-529.
  42. Villamizar, E., H. Camisotti, B. Rodríguez, J. Pérez & M. Romero. 2008. Impacts of the 2005 Caribbean blea- ching event at Archipiélago de Los Roques National Park, Venezuela. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56: 255-270.
  43. Westmacott, S., K. Teleki, S. Wells & J. West. 2000. Mana- gement of Bleached and Severely Damaged Coral Reefs. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
  44. Whelan, K., J. Miller, O. Sanchez & M. Patterson. 2007. Impact of the 2005 coral bleaching event on Porites porites and Colpophyllia natans at Tektite Reef, US Virgin Islands Coral Reefs 26: 689-693.
  45. Wilkinson, C. & D. Souter. 2008. Status of Caribbean coral reefs after bleaching and hurricanes in 2005. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, and Reef and Rain- forest Research Centre, Townsville, Australia.
  46. Wilkinson, C. 2000. World-wide coral reef bleaching and mortality during 1998: a global change warning for the new millennium? In Seas of the Millennium: An Environmental Evaluation, Vol. III, Global Issues and Processes, Sheppard, C. (ed.). Elsevier, Amsterdam, Holland.
  47. Williams, E. & I. Bunkley. 1990. The worldwide coral reef bleaching cycle and related sources of coral mortality. Atoll Res. Bull. 335: 1-71.