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Challenge 07: Expand the Global Ocean Observing System

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.unesco.gov.ph/handle/123456789/28

Ocean Decade


Challenge 07:
Expand the Global Ocean Observing System



Ensure a sustainable and sustained ocean observing system across all ocean basins that delivers accessible, timely and actionable data and information to all users.

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Thecal tabulation, body scale morphology and phylogeny of Heterocapsa philippinensis sp. nov. (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae) from the Philippines
    Benico, 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 Ocean
    Santiañez, 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.
  • Genetic connectivity and diversity between tropical and subtropical populations of the tropical horned sea star Protoreaster nodosus in the northwest Pacific
    Nakajima, 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.
  • Asterocladon ednae sp. nov. (Asterocladales, Phaeophyceae) from the Philippines
    Sasagawa, Eriko; Santiañez, Wilfred John E.; Kogame, Kazuhiro (Wiley, 2022-06-21)
    Members of the brown algal order Asterocladales are characterized by stellate arrangement of its chloroplasts, in which a stellate configuration has a protruding central pyrenoid complex. The order is represented by the genus Asterocladon, which consists of only three species so far. Similar to other small and filamentous seaweeds, studies on Asterocladon remain scant and their diversity poorly understood. To fill this gap, we conducted molecular-assisted taxonomic studies on Asterocladon based on seven culture isolates collected from Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and Cebu, the Philippines. One culture isolate from the Philippines was revealed to be a new species of Asterocladon based on morpho-anatomical and molecular analyses using rbcL and psaA genes and is described here as Asterocladon ednae. The other isolates were attributed to A. rhodochortonoides. A. ednae was most closely related to A. rhodochortonoides in morphology and molecular phylogeny but was distinguished from the latter by its elongately ellipsoid plurilocular sporangia. This is the first report of the genus and species A. ednae in the Philippines, further increasing the diversity of seaweeds in the country.
  • Intact shallow and mesophotic assemblages of large carnivorous reef fishes underscore the importance of large and remote protected areas in the Coral Triangle
    Salvador, Mikaela L.; Utzurrum, Jean Asuncion T.; Murray, Ryan; Delijero, Kymry; Conales, Segundo F.; Bird, Christopher E.; Gauthier, David T.; Abesamis, Rene A. (Wiley, 2024-02-23)
    1. Overfishing remains a threat to coral reef fishes worldwide, with large carnivores often disproportionately vulnerable. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can restore fish populations and biodiversity, but their effect has been understudied in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs), particularly in the Coral Triangle. 2. Videos were analysed from baited remote underwater video systems deployed in 2016 to investigate the assemblage structure of large carnivorous fishes at shallow (4–12 m) and mesophotic (45–96 m) depths in two of the largest and most isolated MPAs in the Philippines: an uninhabited, fully no-take MPA enacted in 1988 (Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park) and an archipelagic municipality surrounded by an extensive but not fully no-take MPA declared in 2016 (Cagayancillo). Taxa focused on were groupers (Serranidae), snappers (Lutjanidae), emperors (Lethrinidae), jacks (Carangidae) and the endangered Cheilinus undulatus (Labridae). 3. Mean abundance and species richness were not greater in TRNP than in Cagayancillo regardless of depth despite long-term protection in the former. Limited impacts of fishing in Cagayancillo may explain this result. Differentiation of fish assemblages was evident between TRNP and Cagayancillo but more obvious between depths at each location, probably due more to habitat than MPA effects. In Cagayancillo, overall carnivorous reef fish, grouper and jack mean abundance were 2, 2 and 10 times higher, respectively, at mesophotic depths, suggesting that MCEs can serve as deep refugia from fishing. 4. These findings of differentiation between depths and higher abundance of certain taxa in mesophotic depths emphasize that MCEs are distinct from shallow reefs, serve as important habitat for species susceptible to overfishing and, thus, must be explicitly included in the design of MPAs. This study also highlights the value of maintaining strict protection of MPAs like TRNP for the Coral Triangle and an opportunity to safeguard intact fish assemblages in Cagayancillo by expanding its no-take zones.
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    Pseudocryptic diversity and species boundaries in the sea cucumber Stichopus cf. horrens (Echinodermata: Stichopodidae) revealed by mitochondrial and microsatellite markers
    Lizano, Apollo Marco D.; Kim, Kenneth M.; Juinio-Meñez, Marie Antonette; Ravago-Gotanco, Rachel (Nature Research, 2024)
    Morphologically cryptic and pseudo-cryptic species pose a challenge to taxonomic identification and assessments of species diversity and distributions. Such is the case for the sea cucumber Stichopus horrens, commonly confused with Stichopus monotuberculatus. Here, we used mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and microsatellite markers to examine genetic diversity in Stichopus cf. horrens throughout the Philippine archipelago, to aid species identification and clarify species boundaries. Phylogenetic analysis reveals two recently diverged COI lineages (Clade A and Clade B; c. 1.35–2.54 Mya) corresponding to sequence records for specimens identified as S. monotuberculatus and S. horrens, respectively. Microsatellite markers reveal two significantly differentiated genotype clusters broadly concordant with COI lineages (Cluster 1, Cluster 2). A small proportion of individuals were identified as later-generation hybrids indicating limited contemporary gene flow between genotype clusters, thus confirming species boundaries. Morphological differences in papillae distribution and form are observed for the two species, however tack-like spicules from the dorsal papillae are not a reliable diagnostic character. An additional putative cryptic species was detected within Clade B-Cluster 2 specimens warranting further examination. We propose that these lineages revealed by COI and genotype data be referred to as Stichopus cf. horrens species complex. © The Author(s) 2024.