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National Committee on Marine Sciences (NCMS)

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    C30 — A simple, rapid, scientifically valid, and low-cost method for citizen-scientists to monitor coral reefs
    Licuanan, Wilfredo Y.; Mordeno, Princess Zyrlyn B.; Go, Marco V. (Elsevier, 2021-09)
    The extent and speed of recent changes in reef coral abundances due to ocean warming and human impacts require more widespread capability to map and measure these changes, especially in countries like the Philippines. We present “C30”, a simple, rapid, scientifically valid, and low-cost method for skin divers or freedivers to take random photo-quadrat images within predefined stations on the upper reef slope. C30 yields coral cover data similar to those collected using the more intensive C5 method and can be as powerful in detecting small differences in reef cover. Less time is also needed for training personnel and sampling. However, more photo-quadrat images, better cameras, and closer collaboration with local scientists are required if higher precision data and estimates of coral diversity are needed from C30. C30 is a valuable tool for participatory, community-based citizen science monitoring of coral reefs.
    We thank the Department of Science and TechnologyPhilippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (QMSR-MRRD-COR-0-1209 and PCAARRD-GIA 4478), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Coral Reef Visualization and Assessment, The Philippines Project for funding some of the fieldwork. The initial research on citizen-science monitoring was undertaken with funding from Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, Inc., The Philippines (Grant number OMLC RG 2017-18). We also thank the DLSU Innovation and Technology Office for the patent application for the C30 monopod in the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. The comments and suggestions of the reviewers are acknowledged and are very much appreciated. WY Licuanan is the holder of the Br H Alfred Shields FSC Professorial Chair in Biology and Br Cresentius Richard Duerr FSC Professorial Chair in Biochemistry.
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    Characterization of Alexandrium tamutum (Dinophyceae) isolated from Philippine waters, with the rare detection of paralytic shellfish toxin
    Benico, Garry; Azanza, Rhodora (Association of Systematic Biologists of the Philippines, 2022-04-01)
    Alexandrium tamutum M.Montressor, A.Beran & U.John is a non-toxic, bloom-forming dinoflagellate species commonly reported in temperate waters. In this study, 8 cultures of A. tamutum established from Bolinao Channel and Manila Bay, Philippines were characterized in terms of their morphology, phylogeny and toxicity. Cells were roundish, measuring 25.5 –29.84 µm long and 26.2–28.45 µm wide. The nucleus is equatorially elongated and located at the center of the cell. The chloroplasts are numerous, golden brown in color and radially arranged. Thecal tabulation is typical of Alexandrium: APC, 4', 6'', 6c, 6s, 5''', 2''''. Shape of the taxonomically informative thecal plates such as sixth precingular plate (6'') and posterior sulcal plate (sp) was similar to A. tamutum, which confirms the species identity. However, the presence of anterior and posterior attachment pores observed in our cultured isolates is the first case in this species. Molecular phylogeny inferred from LSU rDNA and ITS supports our identification by forming a well-supported clade composed of A. tamutum strains from other geographic regions. HPLC analysis showed that A. tamutum is generally non-toxic except for strain ATC9 which has low amount of decarbamoylsaxitoxin (dcSTX), resulting to a toxicity of 0.07 fmole STX eq per cell. The present study reports the first verified occurrence of Philippine A. tamutum with reliable morphological and molecular information, including the first record in Manila Bay and first detection of PST in one strain at a certain culture period.
    We acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST PCAARRD) and the University of the Philippines-The Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) for the funding support. We are grateful for the assistance of Joshua Vacarizas, Keith Pinto and Jenelyn Mendoza for the molecular and toxicity analyses of the cultures. We also acknowledge Estrelita Flores, Emelita Eugenio and Jayson Orpeza for their assistance during the fieldwork and other logistical support.
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    Effect of the Intensified Sub‐Thermocline Eddy on strengthening the Mindanao undercurrent in 2019
    Azminuddin, Fuad; Lee, Jae Hak; Jeon, Dongchull; Shin, Chang‐Woong; Villanoy, Cesar; Lee, Seok; Min, Hong Sik; Kim, Dong Guk (American Geophysical Union, 2022-02)
    The northward-flowing Mindanao Undercurrent (MUC) was directly measured by acoustic Doppler current profilers from a subsurface mooring at about 8°N, 127°E during 2 years (November 2017–December 2019). Its depth covers a range from 400 m to deeper than 1,000 m with its core appearing at around 900 m. The mean velocity of MUC's core was approximately 5.8 cm s−1 with a maximum speed of about 47.6 cm s−1. The MUC was observed as a quasi-permanent current with strong intraseasonal variability (ISV) with a period of 70–80 days. Further analyses with an eddy-resolving circulation model output suggest that the ISV is closely related to sub-thermocline eddies (SEs). In this study, two types of SEs near the Philippine coast are disclosed: the westward propagating SE (SE-1) and the quasi-stational SE southeast of Mindanao Island (SE-2). The SE-1 has both cyclonic and anticyclonic polarities with the propagation speed of 7–8 cm s−1, while the SE-2 is an anticyclonic eddy that moves erratically within 4–8°N, 127–130°E with the mean translation speed of about 11 cm s−1. Even though the SE-1 plays an important role in modulating the MUC, our results show that the observed strong MUC event (May–July 2019) is evidently induced by the intensified SE-2 that moves northwestward. This study emphasizes that the SE-2 when intensified, receives more energy from the strengthened New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent and loses the energy northward along the Philippine coast by intensifying the MUC.
    This study was part of the project entitled “study on air–sea interaction and process of rapidly intensifying Typhoon in the northwestern Pacific” (PM61670) funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Rep. of Korea. This study was also partly supported by the project entitled “Influences of the Northwest Pacific circulation and climate variability on the Korean water changes and material cycle I—The role of Jeju warm current and its variability” (PEA0011) funded by Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST). The mooring data used in this study were provided by KIOST and are available from the KIOST live access server (http://las.kiost.ac.kr/data_adcp/). The model data are freely available from Mercator Ocean (https://resources.marine.copernicus.eu/?option=com_csw&view=details&product_id=GLOBAL_ANALYSIS_FORECAST_PHY_001_024).
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    Update of seagrass cover and species diversity in Southern Viet Nam using remote sensing data and molecular analyses
    Nguyen, Xuan-Vy; Lau, Va-Khin; Nguyen-Nhat, Nhu-Thuy; Nguyen, Trung-Hieu; Phan, Kim-Hoang; Dao, Viet-Ha; Ho-Dinh, Duan; Hayashizaki, Ken-ichi; Fortes, Miguel D.; Papenbrock, Jutta (Elsevier, 2021-05)
    Along with coral reefs and mangroves, seagrass meadows are being threatened globally Southeast Asia is considered within the area of seagrasses’ cradle of diversity. However, information on the current status of seagrass beds from Southern Viet Nam is limited due to lack of reliable data about seagrass species occurring in the Southeast Asian region. One factor is the difficulty of unambiguous species identification. For example, the leaf morphological characteristics of Halophila ovalis and closely related species are overlapping which leads to misidentifications. In this study, the latest satellite Landsat 8 OLI and SENTINEL-2B image analyses were applied to determine the distribution of seagrass beds in Southern Viet Nam. Detailed morphological and genetic marker analyses were used to determine and update the species composition. The present study together with literature reviews indicate that the total area of seagrass beds from Southern Viet Nam are 10,832.1 ha. 2562 ha (or 19.1%) of seagrass coverage has been lost. The seagrass beds at Phu Quoc Island are the largest with 7579 ha. The occurrence of Halophila major is updated for almost all off-shore islands and open-water areas.
    We are deeply indebted to all staff of the Department of Marine Botany, Center for Oceanographic Data, GIS and Remote Sensing, Institute of Oceanography (ION), Viet Nam, for their support, generously providing many valuable suggestions. We thank the VAST Key lab on Food and Environmental Safety (Central Viet Nam) for the ability to use their equipment. We would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers for their suggestions, comments, and editing. We also thank to JSPS Core-toCore Program CREPSUM.JPJSCCB20200009. This work was supported by Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, grant code VAST04.01/20-21.
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    Survival and sexual maturity of sexually propagated Acropora verweyi corals 4 years after outplantation
    Ligson, Charlon A.; Cabaitan, Patrick C. (Wiley, 2021-04-19)
    Most coral reef restoration efforts are carried out over 1–2 years, and few have assessed long-term (over 3 years) outcomes. Although studies of outplantation of sexually propagated corals have reported promising initial results, few studies have followed outplanted corals to maturity. Here, we monitored sexually propagated Acropora verweyi corals for 4 years post-outplantation to determine their survival and sexual maturity. These corals were outplanted when 4 months old in two size classes (small = 0.3–0.5 cm; large = 1.0–1.5 cm) at two sites in the northwestern Philippines. Four years after outplantation, the 240 colonies of A. verweyi exhibited 17.9% survival, with mean diameters ranging from 7.48–26.8 cm. Most of the surviving outplants were gravid (81.4% of the 43 colonies) with mean diameters of at least 11.8 cm. Higher survivorship was detected in the initial large size class outplants than in the small ones at the natal site, but not at the other site. However, 4 years after outplantation, there was no significant difference in terms of geometric mean diameter between the initial size classes or between the sites. Results show that 4-month-old outplants of sexually propagated corals can survive until sexual maturity and are already capable of contributing gametes for the potential recovery of degraded coral communities at age 4 years.
    The authors are grateful to Ronald de Guzman, Francis Kenith Adolfo,and Renato Adolfo for the field and hatchery assistance.This study was supported by a grant from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology to PCC. The authors are also grateful to Prof. Peter Harrison for providing CAL a research assistantship opportunity and for additional logistical support through an Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development.