Challenge 09: Skills, knowledge, and technology for all
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.unesco.gov.ph/handle/123456789/26
Ocean Decade
Challenge 09:
Skills, knowledge, and technology for all
Ensure comprehensive capacity development and equitable access to data, information, knowledge and technology across all aspects of ocean science and for all stakeholders.
Browse
Search Results
- Sexual reproduction in the soft coral Lobophytum schoedei in Bolinao‐Anda Reef Complex, Pangasinan, northwestern PhilippinesBaran, Christine C.; Baria‐Rodriguez, Maria Vanessa (Wiley, 2021-04-02)The characterization of early life-history strategies of soft corals is important in understanding population maintenance, replenishment, and recovery in disturbed coral reefs. This study examined the sexual reproduction of the soft coral Lobophytum schoedei in the Bolinao-Anda Reef Complex (BARC), a degraded reef in northwestern Philippines. Reproductive strategies such as sexuality, sex ratio, fecundity, and reproductive timing were examined. Random colonies of L. schoedei were sampled a few weeks before the predicted time of spawning to assess fecundity (n = 73 colonies), and sexuality and sex ratio (n = 221 colonies). Monthly sampling of tagged colonies of L. schoedei (n = 20) was done over 13 months to determine the reproductive timing through polyp dissection. Peak of annual spawning was inferred based on the presence of large gametes and their absence in the next sampling period. Results showed that L. schoedei is a gonochoric broadcast spawner with 1:1.1 sex ratio. Although oogenesis and spermatogenesis exhibited overlapping cycles, both gametes matured and spawned in April, coinciding with increasing sea surface temperature. Prior to spawning, oocytes and spermaries ranged 300–633 µm and 150–337 µm in diameter, respectively. Mean female fecundity was 6.7 ± 3.9 oocytes per polyp and male fecundity was 39.2 ± 22.5 (±SD) spermaries per polyp. Some of these results, including the low number of oocytes produced by female polyps, may be caused by sexual reproduction in a degraded reef environment. Understanding these reproductive traits may be useful for predicting the resiliency of populations of L. schoedei in response to ongoing and future environmental change.
- Thecal tabulation, body scale morphology and phylogeny of Heterocapsa philippinensis sp. nov. (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae) from the PhilippinesBenico, Garry; Lum, Wai Mun; Takahashi, Kazuya; Yñiguez, Aletta T.; Iwataki, Mitsunori (Elsevier, 2021-08)The thecal tabulation and body scale structure of the marine armoured dinoflagellate Heterocapsa, isolated from Philippines, were examined using LM, SEM and TEM, and its phylogenetic position was inferred from ITS and LSU rDNA sequences. Cells were ovoid and the plate tabulation (Po, cp, X, 5′, 3a, 7′′, 6c, 5s, 5′′′, 2′′′′) was consistent with most Heterocapsa species. The second anterior intercalary plate (2a) had a circular pattern with a thick marginal border free of pores. The nucleus was longitudinally elongated and curved, and located at the dorsal side of the cell. Discoid lobes of brownish chloroplast were peripherally distributed, and a pyrenoid was positioned at the centre. The triradiate body scales, measuring 250–300 nm in diameter, consisted of a roundish basal plate with six radiating ridges, nine peripheral uprights/spines, and three radiating spines. These components were identical to those of H. pseudotriquetra and H. steinii, except for the roundish outline of basal plate. Molecular phylogeny showed that the species clustered with H. pseudotriquetra and H. steinii. This species was differentiated from all other Heterocapsa species in the sausage-shaped nucleus and circular pattern on the 2a plate. This study proposed a novel species Heterocapsa philippinensis sp. nov. for the isolate.
- Manzaea minuta gen. & comb. nov. (Scytosiphonaceae, Phaeophyceae) from the tropical Northwestern Pacific OceanSantiañez, Wilfred John E.; Kogame, Kazuhiro (Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology, 2022-07-11)Recent molecular-assisted taxonomic studies on the brown algal genus Hydroclathrus has resulted in discoveries of new taxa in the family Scytosiphonaceae, both at the genus and species level. However, phylogenetic studies on Hydroclathrus based on wide geographical sampling also suggested that the genus is not monophyletic. That is, one of the recently described species Hydroclathrus minutus is consistently segregated from the Hydroclathrus main clade. We propose here to segregate H. minutus from the brown algal genus Hydroclathrus and establish the new monotypic genus Manzaea (i.e., Manzaea minuta gen. & comb. nov.) based on information on molecular phylogenetics and morpho-anatomy. Morphologically, M. minuta is similar to Hydroclathrus and Tronoella in having clathrate (net-like) and spreading thalli but is differentiated from the latter two genera in having membranous thalli that are sometimes interadhesive resulting in portions of the thallus forming amorphous clumps. Additionally, Manzaea is distinguished from both clathrate genera in having thick-walled medullary cells and short closely arranged quadriseriate plurangia. Phylogenetic analyses (Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference) based on single (plastidial psaA and rbcL genes) and concatenated (cox3 + psaA + rbcL) genes showed that M. minuta is consistently segregated from the highly supported clade of Hydroclathrus species and often clustering with Tronoella and/or Rosenvingea. Our proposal further increases the diversity of monotypic genera in the Scytosiphonaceae and underscores the need to conduct further studies on tropical seaweed biodiversity.WJES thanks Dr. Gavino C. Trono, Jr. and Dr. Edna T. Ganzon-Fortes for the inspiration and encouragement to conduct seaweed biodiversity and systematics research. WJES is funded by the University of the Philippines through the Balik PhD Program of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA-BPhD-2018-05), the University of the Philippines Diliman through the In-house research grant of the Marine Science Institute, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of the Government of Japan under the Monbukagakusho Scholarship Grant. WJES also acknowledges the support of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) of the Government of the Philippines through the DOST Balik Scientist Program.
- Contrasting reproductive strategies between stress-tolerant and competitive coral taxaBonilla, K. G.; Guest, J. R.; Baria-Rodriguez, M. V. (Springer, 2023-04-19)Reproductive traits such as fecundity (i.e., the number of gametes produced) and the size and age of coral colonies at reproductive onset can vary in predictable ways among life history strategies. However, most studies on the onset of reproductive maturity in corals only report the presence or absence of oocytes with little known about variation in fecundity across size and age classes. This study aimed to determine the colony size and fecundity at the onset of reproductive maturity across size classes of two scleractinian corals with contrasting life history strategies, Acropora millepora (competitive) and Favites colemani (stress-tolerant). Colonies at a site in northwestern Philippines were sampled to determine the smallest colony size class with mature oocytes and to estimate fecundity across size classes. Histological slides were also prepared to verify the presence of mature gametes. Colonies were able to produce mature oocytes when they had attained colony diameters of 4.7 cm for A. millepora and 1.5 cm for F. colemani. A. millepora had lower fecundity, but larger oocytes compared to F. colemani. Although small colonies can contribute to the larval pool, the proportion of mature colonies increased for larger size classes, suggesting that larger colonies make a disproportionately greater contribution to population reproductive output. These findings contribute to our understanding of coral population dynamics, particularly in parameterizing population and demographic models for different coral life histories.We are grateful to Christine Baran, Jue Alef Lalas, Jerry Arboleda, Gabriel de Guzman, the students and research assistants of Community and Ecology and Interactions of Marine Bionts and Benthic Ecosystems Laboratories for their valuable assistance during field and laboratory works, Darryl Valino for the site map, and Liam Lachs for the assistance on the statistical analyses. This research was supported by the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute’s In-house project, Department of Science and Technology – ASTHRDP Thesis Grant, and University of the Philippines – Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs’ Balik Ph.D. project (OVPAA-BPhD-2018-02).
- Ontogenetic variability in the diel activity pattern of the marine gastropod Cassis cornuta(Mollusca: Cassidae)Calle, Lala Grace; Cabaitan, Patrick C; Sayco, Sherry Lyn G; Tan, Shau Hwai; Conaco, Cecilia (Oxford University Press, 2024-01-25)Examining activity patterns is essential in understanding gastropod feeding and movement ecology. However, the diel activity patterns of large-bodied gastropods, such as Cassis cornuta, remain poorly studied. Here, we conducted outdoor hatchery-based experiments to examine the diel activity patterns of C. cornuta adults and juveniles under natural sunlight and photoperiod. Activities of C. cornuta, such as crawling, hunting, feeding, burrowing and resting on the substratum, were examined every hour for 3 days. Although most individuals were inactive for a greater part of the observation period, active behaviours were recorded for some individuals during both daytime and nighttime, suggesting that C. cornuta is cathemeral, as supported by a nonsignificant result from a Rayleigh's test of uniformity. A higher proportion of adult and juvenile C. cornuta were inactive, either burrowed or resting on the substratum, during the 24-h period. Peak activity time for juveniles started at 20:00, with up to 50% of individuals active, while peak activity time for adults started at 21:00, with up to 20% of active individuals. Adults spent more time resting aboveground, whereas juveniles spent more time burrowed under the sand when not feeding. Juveniles hunted more frequently and spent more time feeding compared to adults. Additionally, juveniles crawled faster and were more successful in capturing sea urchins than adults. The information on variability in the diel activity patterns and movement rates between adult and juvenile C. cornuta would allow further demographic studies, and provide insights into possible conservation strategies for this species.
- Genetic connectivity and diversity between tropical and subtropical populations of the tropical horned sea star Protoreaster nodosus in the northwest PacificNakajima, Yuichi; Yasuda, Nina; Matsuki, Yu; Arriesgado, Dan M.; Fortes, Miguel D.; Uy, Wilfredo H.; Campos, Wilfredo L.; Nadaoka, Kazuo; Lian, Chunlan (Springer, 2024-06-01)Seagrass beds are ecologically and economically important coastal ecosystems, and seagrass-associated organisms are a key part of their biodiversity. Marine organisms that reproduce through broadcast spawning are likely to have less genetic differentiation among populations than those that use other modes of reproduction, but this has not been well studied. Here, we investigated the genetic diversity, genetic differentiation, and migration patterns of the seagrass-associated sea star Protoreaster nodosus across 12 sites spanning approximately 2500 km from the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan, to the Philippines. We genotyped 405 individuals by using seven microsatellite loci and analyzed allelic richness and expected heterozygosity as indices of genetic diversity. Of these two indices, only expected heterozygosity decreased slightly with increasing latitude. These results suggest that genetic diversity has not clearly decreased, even in the isolated Ryukyu Archipelago populations. Geographic distance was significantly correlated with genetic differentiation (pairwise FST: − 0.005 to 0.049). However, populations in the Ryukyu Archipelago and the Philippines showed relatively low genetic structuring and the pairwise genetic differentiation between these regions was often non-significant. Analysis of historical migration rates showed bidirectional north–south migration, which appears to be influenced by the Kuroshio Current and its countercurrents.We thank members of the project ‘Coastal Ecosystem Conservation and Adaptive Management under Local and Global Environmental Impacts in the Philippines’ (CECAM project: https://sites.google.com/view/cecam-project).
- Fisheries Administrative Order No. 266: Series of 2020. Rules and regulations on the implementations of Vessel Monitoring Measures (VMM) and Electronic Reporting System (ERS) for commercial Philippine flagged fishing vessels amending FAO 260 Series of 2018.(Department of Agriculture, 2020-10-12)The objectives of this Order include: a. To enhance monitoring of fishing operations for fisheries management through the implementation of vessel monitoring measures. b. To enhance law enforcement to regulate the capture fisheries sector towards achieving long term resource sustainability. c. To implement vessel monitoring measures to track fishing behavior for scientific research and data. d. To establish a system that will facilitate law enforcement and aid in case building and prosecution of fisheries law violations. e. To gather data on fishing effort and catch data by means of an electronic reporting system which will serve as basis for fisheries management measures. f. To aid in the seafood traceability and catch documentary requirements of the government. g. To ensure safety for fishers thru a tracking device that would monitor the vessels' location during accidents and disasters. h. To implement policies embodied in Republic Act 8550, as amended by RA 10654 and its implementing rules and regulations, relating to the vessel monitoring requirements of fishing vessels. The Text consists of 26 Sections divided into 5 Chapters: General Provisions; lmpJementation of Vessel Monitoring Measures; Operational Requirements for Vessel Monitoring Measures; Penalties; Miscellaneous Provisions. All commercial catcher fishing vessels operating in Philippine waters and all fishing vessels in distant waters shall not engage in fishing activity without the vessel monitoring measures as established in FAO 260 and herein. The VMS shall apply to all licensed Philippine flagged commercial fishing vessels authorized by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to operate in the high seas and those fishing vessels with access rights to fish in other countries' exclusive economic zones. All catcher vessels 30 GT and above operating either in the high seas or with access rights to fish in other coastal states and/or fishing in the Philippine EEZ shall have an installed Electronic Reporting System which can connect to the VMS transceiver to send fishery information to BFAR. For all other vessels, a combination of onboard and port ERS systems shall be implemented to electronically capture and report catch information. As a prerequisite for registration or license renewal, all commercial fishing vessels must secure a certification confirming that: a. An accredited ALC has been installed and verified as fully operational by the Department of Agriculture- Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR). b. The ALC unit deployed has been accredited and certified as meeting the minimum standards set by the DA-BFAR. The Order further make provisions for: the main center for monitoring and gathering data for the purpose of this Order; data access; vessel monitoring measures in marine protected areas; minimum data requirements; accreditation of data systems and service provider; frequency of reporting: offences and penalties; etc.
- Hydrodynamics rather than type of coastline shapes self‐recruitment in anemonefishesSato, Masaaki; Honda, Kentaro; Nakamura, Yohei; Bernardo, Lawrence Patrick C.; Bolisay, Klenthon O.; Yamamoto, Takahiro; Herrera, Eugene C.; Nakajima, Yuichi; Lian, Chunlan; Uy, Wilfredo H.; Fortes, Miguel D.; Nadaoka, Kazuo; Nakaoka, Masahiro (Wiley, 2023-07-25)Many marine species have a pelagic larval phase that undergo dispersal among habitats. Studies on marine larval dispersal have revealed a large variation in the spatial scale of dispersal and self-recruitment. However, few studies have investigated the influence of types of coastline (e.g., bay vs. open coast) on marine larval dispersal. Bays or lagoons generally enhance the retention of larvae, while larvae are more likely to be flushed by strong currents in open coasts. To examine associations between larval dispersal, coastline type, and hydrodynamics, we compared fin-scale dispersal patterns, self-recruitment, and local retention (LR) of two anemonefishes (Amphiprion frenatus and Amphiprion perideraion) between a semi-enclosed bay and an open coast in the Philippines combining genetic parentage analysis and biophysical dispersal modeling. Contrary to our expectations, parentage analysis revealed lower estimates of self-recruitment in the semi-closed bay (0%) than in the open coast (14–15%). The result was consistent with dispersal simulations predicting lower LR and self-recruitment in the semi-closed bay (0.4% and 19%) compared to the open coast (2.9% and 38%). Dispersal modeling also showed that cross-shore currents toward offshore were much stronger around the semi-closed bay and were negatively correlated with LR and self-recruitment. These results suggest that stronger cross-shore currents around the semi-closed bay transport anemonefish larvae to the offshore and mainly contributed to the lower self-recruitment. Our results highlight importance of hydrodynamics on larval dispersal and difficulty in predicting self-recruitment from coastline type alone.
- Fisheries Administrative Order No. 268: Series of 2023. Rules and regulations governing the catch certification or documentation scheme for fish and fishery products intended for export that require catch certificates.(Department of Agriculture, 2023-01-16)This Regulation aims to ensure traceability of fishery products obtained from legal means in all stages of supply chain, establish a harmonized mandatory procedures on catch certification for export of fishery products, ensure compliance with applicable domestic laws, and update and revise the procedures on catch certifications scheme, and to ensure continued global market access of Philippine fish and fishery products. The text further provides for regular catch certificate, processing statement and non-processing statement, simplified catch certificate, record-keeping, monitoring and payment of fees, and settlement of issues. This Order shall apply to all foreign or Philippine-flagged fishing vessels that supply raw materials to canneries, processors or exporters for processing prior to the export of the processed fishery products. The text contains 30 Articles and has 12 Annexes.
- Total polyphenol content of tropical marine and coastal flora: Potentials for food and nutraceutical applicationsNarvarte, Bienson Ceasar V.; Genovia, Tom Gerald T.; Hinaloc, Lourie Ann R.; Gonzaga, Shienna Mae C.; Tabonda-Nabor, April Mae; Palecpec, Flora Maye R.; Dayao, Helen M.; Roleda, Michael Y. (Springer, 2023-07-08)The marine environment is abundant in natural products that are beneficial to humans. Among these compounds are the polyphenols produced by marine flora as secondary metabolites and used as a defense against stressful environmental conditions. Accordingly, recent pharmacological and biomedical studies showed that polyphenols from marine and coastal floras have several important bioactivities including antioxidant property. In this study, we measured the total polyphenol content (TPC) of 75 species of marine-associated flora. The TPC of their methanolic extracts was measured spectrophotometrically using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and was expressed both as mg phloroglucinol equivalent per g of dry weight (mg PGE g−1 DW) and as mg gallic acid equivalent per g dry weight (mg GAE g−1 DW). The TPC values are higher when expressed in terms of GAE compared to PGE. Also, the mean TPC of tracheopytes (229 ± 43.0 mg PGE g−1 DW) was higher compared to the mean TPC of macroalgae (69.4 ± 9.59 mg PGE g−1 DW). For macroalgae, ochrophytes (97.9 ± 22.7 mg PGE g−1 DW) had the highest mean TPC followed by chlorophytes (80.0 ± 20.5 mg PGE g−1 DW) and rhodophytes (49.5 ± 8.60 mg PGE g−1 DW). Moreover, our study also showed that TPC varied between young and mature tissues, among different color morphotypes and different parts of the plants. Although the concentrations of total polyphenols varied among species, ages, strains and parts of the plant, our study showed that marine and coastal floras are rich sources of polyphenols that could be further examined for their biological activities and other applications in food industry.