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Journal Articles - UP - MSI

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  • Species composition and plant performance of mixed seagrass beds along a siltation gradient at Cape Bolinao, The Philippines
    Bach, S. S.; Borum, J.; Fortes, M. D.; Duarte, C. M. (Inter-Research Science Center, 1998)
    The response of mixed Southeast Asian seagrass beds to siltation was analyzed based on field data, a transplantation experiment and experimental manipulation of light availability in seagrass populations along a silt gradient at Cape Bolinao,The Philippines. Seagrass species diversity, shoot density and depth penetration declined with increasing amounts of suspended material and increasing water column light attenuation along the silt gradient. The seagrass species could be ranked according to decreasing tolerance to siltation as: Enhalus acoroides > Cymodocea serrulata > Halodule uninervis > Thalassia hemprichii > Halophila ovalis > Cymodocearotundata > Syringodium isoetifolium. A gradual decline in shoot density and depth penetration of the different species along the silt gradient suggested that changes in the vertical light attenuation coefficient in the water column, primarily caused by differences in suspended inorganic solids, was the most important factor affecting seagrass performance. However, inconsistency among the species in response to increasing water depth, artificial shading and transplantation indicated that other factors, such as siltation-derived changes in sediment conditions, contribute to the sequential loss of seagrass species along the silt gradient.
  • Observations on a multi-seagrass meadow offshore of Negros Oriental, Republic of the Philippines
    Tomasko, D. A.; Dawes, C. J.; Fortes, M. D.; Largo, D. B.; Alava, M. N. R. (Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 1993)
    Eight species of seagrasses were encountered in a multi-species meadow offshore of Negros Oriental, Republic of the Philippines: Halodule uninervis (Forssk.) Aschers., Halodule pinifolia (Miki) Den Hartog, Cymodocea rotundata Ehrenb. et Hempr. ex Aschers., Cymodocea serrulata (R. Br.) Aschers., Syringodium isoetifolium (Aschers.) Dandy, Thalassia hemprichii (Ehrenb.) Aschers., Enhalus acoroides (L./.) Royle, and Halophila ovalis (R. Br.) Hook./. A transect survey showed that five of the eight species were quite common, with cover estimates of individual species ranging from less than 10% to over 50%. Above- and below-ground biomass and leaf productivity data were collected for at least four species at each of three stations. Above-ground biomass for combined species ranged from 125 to 250g dw m~2, and below-ground biomass of combined species ranged from 264 to 828 g dw m~2. Areal production rates for combined species ranged between 4.78 to 9.38g dw m~2 d"1, with considerable inter-specific variation. High levels of protein and low levels of soluble carbohydrate were consistent with the rapid above-ground growth observed for all species, and also suggested high growth for below-ground portions of C. serrulata, H. uninervis, S. isoetifolium, and T. hemprichii. Epiphyte loads were low compared to sister species from other locations, perhaps due to rapid blade turnover rates (up to 7.8% day"1 for S. isoetifolium).
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    The role of epiphytic periphyton and macroinvertebrate grazers in the trophic flux of a tropical seagrass community
    Klumpp, D.W.; Salita-Espinosa, J. S.; Fortes, M. D. (Elsevier, 1992-11)
    Biomass and production of epiphytic periphyton, and the abundance, distribution and grazing rate of epifauna were measured in tropical seagrass beds in the Philippines. Periphyton comprised mainly detritus, diatoms and filamentous algae (Polysiphonia sp. 1, Centroceras clavulatum (C. Agardh) Montagne, Ceramium gracillimum Harvey and Cladophora sp.). Mean biomass of periphyton was 0.16 mg ash-free dry weight (AFDW) cm−2 frond of Enhalus acoroides (L.f.) Royle and 0.24 mg AFDW cm−2 frond of Cymodocea serrulata (R. Br.) Aschers. and Magnus. Total periphyton biomass per unit area (m2) of seagrass bed varied between habitats because of differing densities of seagrass, and ranged from 598 to 1061 mg AFDW or (24–646 mg C). Maximum (midday, summer) in situ rates of photosynthesis and respiration by epiphytes colonising artificial seagrass material averaged 11.6 μg O2 cm−2 h−1 and 2.0 μg O2 cm−2 h−1, respectively. Daily net productivity was 14 μg C cm−2 frond. Productivity of epiphytes per area of seagrass bed varied with site (36–77 mg C m−2 day−1). Relative to biomass, these data show that epiphytes are highly productive, with turnover times of 6–8 days, compared with known values of 30–100 + days for tropical seagrass fronds. The epifaunal grazer community was dominated by a few species of gastropod molluscs (especially Strombus mutabilis Swainson and Cerithium tenellum (Sowerby)). Within habitats, numbers of grazers on particular seagrass species were directly related to their available surface. Three groups of grazers were identified: those occurring on fronds day and night (e.g. S. mutabilis); those foraging over sediment during the day and fronds at night (e.g. Cerithium tenellum); those mainly confined to sediments (e.g. Strombus urceus L.). All epifaunal grazers exhibited upward movement into the seagrass canopy at night. Grazing was non-selective, removing the periphyton, except for the unutilised encrusting coralline algae, in proportion to abundance. Epifaunal grazers consumed between 20 and 62% of periphyton net production and, as in temperate systems, must therefore play a major role in the trophic flux of this tropical seagrass community.
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    17-year change in species composition of mixed seagrass beds around Santiago Island, Bolinao, the northwestern Philippines
    Tanaka, Yoshiyuki; Go, Gay Amabelle; Watanabe, Atsushi; Miyajima, Toshihiro; Nakaoka, Masahiro; Uy, Wilfredo H.; Nadaoka, Kazuo; Watanabe, Shuichi; Fortes, Miguel D. (Elsevier, 2014)
    Effects of fish culture can alter the adjacent ecosystems. This study compared seagrass species compositions in 2012 with those in 1995, when fish culture was less intensive compared to 2012 in the region. Observations were conducted at the same four sites around Santiago Island, Bolinao: (1) Silaqui Island, (2) Binaballian Loob, (3) Pislatan and (4) Santa Barbara, and by using the same methods as those of Bach et al. (1998). These sites were originally selected along a siltation gradient, ranging from Site 1, the most pristine, to Site 4, a heavily silted site. By 2012, fish culture had expanded around Sites 2, 3 and 4, where chlorophyll a (Chl a) was greater in 2012 than in 1995 by one order of magnitude. Enhalus acoroides and Cymodocea serrulata, which were recorded in 1995, were no longer present at Site 4, where both siltation and nutrient load are heavy.