National Committee on Marine Sciences (NCMS)
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- Individual and interactive effects of ocean warming and acidification on adult Favites colemaniTañedo, Mikhael Clotilde S.; Villanueva, Ronald D.; Torres, Andrew F.; Ravago-Gotanco, Rachel; San Diego-McGlone, Maria Lourdes (Frontiers Media SA, 2021-09-09)Tropical coral reefs are threatened by local-scale stressors that are exacerbated by global ocean warming and acidification from the post-industrial increase of atmospheric CO2 levels. Despite their observed decline in the past four decades, little is known on how Philippine coral reefs will respond to ocean warming and acidification. This study explored individual and synergistic effects of present-day (pH 8.0, 28°C) and near-future (pH 7.7, 32°C) scenarios of ocean temperature and pH on the adult Favites colemani, a common massive reef-building coral in Bolinao-Anda, Philippines. Changes in seawater temperature drive the physiological responses of F. colemani, whereas changes in pH create an additive effect on survival, growth, and photosynthetic efficiency. Under near-future scenarios, F. colemani showed sustained photosynthetic competency despite the decline in growth rate and zooxanthellae density. F. colemani exhibited specificity with the Cladocopium clade C3u. This coral experienced lower growth rates but survived projected near-future ocean warming and acidification scenarios. Its pH-thermal stress threshold is possibly a consequence of acclimation and adaptation to local environmental conditions and past bleaching events. This research highlights the importance of examining the susceptibility and resilience of Philippine corals to climate-driven stressors for future conservation and restoration efforts in the changing ocean.We are grateful to the Marine Biogeochemistry Laboratory and Bolinao Marine Laboratory of the Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines for the valuable logistical and laboratory support provided. We would also like to thank Drs. Haruko Kurihara, Atsushi Watanabe, and Toshihiro Miyajima for the design of the mass flow controller used in the experiments. This is UP-MSI contribution number 484.
- Limited progress in improving gender and geographic representation in coral reef scienceAhmadia, Gabby N.; Cheng, Samantha H.; Andradi-Brown, Dominic A.; Baez, Stacy K.; Barnes, Megan D.; Bennett, Nathan J.; Campbell, Stuart J.; Darling, Emily S.; Gill, David; Gress, Erika; Gurney, Georgina G.; Horigue, Vera; Jakub, Raymond; Kennedy, Emma V.; Mahajan, Shauna L.; Mangubhai, Sangeeta; Matsuda, Shayle B.; Muthiga, Nyawira A.; Navarro, Michael O.; Santodomingo, Nadia; Vallès, Henri; Veverka, Laura; Villagomez, Angelo; Wenger, Amelia S.; Wosu, Adaoma (Frontiers Media SA, 2021-09-29)Despite increasing recognition of the need for more diverse and equitable representation in the sciences, it is unclear whether measurable progress has been made. Here, we examine trends in authorship in coral reef science from 1,677 articles published over the past 16 years (2003–2018) and find that while representation of authors that are women (from 18 to 33%) and from non-OECD nations (from 4 to 13%) have increased over time, progress is slow in achieving more equitable representation. For example, at the current rate, it would take over two decades for female representation to reach 50%. Given that there are more coral reef non-OECD countries, at the current rate, truly equitable representation of non-OECD countries would take even longer. OECD nations also continue to dominate authorship contributions in coral reef science (89%), in research conducted in both OECD (63%) and non-OECD nations (68%). We identify systemic issues that remain prevalent in coral reef science (i.e., parachute science, gender bias) that likely contribute to observed trends. We provide recommendations to address systemic biases in research to foster a more inclusive global science community. Adoption of these recommendations will lead to more creative, innovative, and impactful scientific approaches urgently needed for coral reefs and contribute to environmental justice efforts.We acknowledge the contributions of the many unrecognized and undervalued individuals in coral reef research whose efforts have made it possible for the field to progress. These scientists have collected data, translated across languages, coordinated field work, welcomed foreign visitors to their countries, shared ideas, trained and mentored students, become friends, inspired, and built the foundation for the discipline we know today. We acknowledge the work of all coral reef scientists who continue day after day to pursue equity, inclusion, and justice in the field and for their colleagues and themselves.
- Two hidden mtDNA-clades of crown-of-thorns starfish in the Pacific OceanYasuda, Nina; Inoue, Jun; Hall, Michael R.; Nair, Manoj R.; Adjeroud, Mehdi; Fortes, Miguel D.; Nishida, Mutsumi; Tuivavalagi, Nat; Ravago-Gotanco, Rachel; Forsman, Zac H.; Soliman, Taha; Koyanagi, Ryo; Hisata, Kanako; Motti, Cherie A.; Satoh, Noriyuki (Frontiers Media SA, 2022-04-27)Recurring outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) severely damage healthy corals, especially in the Western Pacific Ocean. To obtain a better understanding of population genetics of COTS and historical colonization across the Pacific Ocean, complete mitochondrial genomes were sequenced from 243 individuals collected in 11 reef regions. Our results indicate that Pacific COTS (Acanthaster cf. solaris) comprise two major clades, an East-Central Pacific (ECP) clade and a Pan-Pacific (PP) clade, separation of which was supported by high bootstrap value. The ECP clade consists of COTS from French Polynesia, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The Hawaii population is unique within this clade, while California COTS are included in EPC clade. On the other hand, the PP clade comprises multiple lineages that contain COTS from Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, GBR, Vanuatu, Fiji and French Polynesia. For example, a lineage of the PP clade, which has the largest geographic distribution, includes COTS from all of these locations. These results suggest two alternative histories of current geographic distributions of COTS in the Pacific Ocean, an ECP clade ancestry or Western Pacific clade ancestry. Although further questions remain to be explored, this discovery provides an evolutionary context for the interpretation of COTS population structure which will aid future coral reef research in the Pacific Ocean, and ultimately improve reef management of COTS.We thank the following people for their help with sample collection: Dr. Hugh Sweatman and the AIMS Bioresources Library for GBR samples, Dr. Molly Timmers for Hawaiian samples, Geoff Jones and Jeff Kinch for Papua New Guinean samples, Monal Lal for Fijian samples, Christina Shaw for Vanuatu samples, Hoang Dinh Chieu for Vietnamese samples, and Hiromitsu Ueno for Japanese samples. The DNA Sequencing Section and IT section of OIST are acknowledged for its expert help with genome sequencing and bioinfomatic analysis. Last, but not least, we acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and sea country on which this research took place.
- Implications of fisher perceptions on coral restoration in Tondol, northwestern PhilippinesGomez, Rickdane; Mamauag, Samuel; Fabinyi, Michael; dela Cruz, Dexter; McLeod, Ian M.; Cabaitan, Patrick; Harrison, Peter L. (Elsevier, 2024)Increasing coral restoration efforts globally have been aimed at improving reef status and the ecosystem functions and services they provide, including enhancing reef fish communities and fisheries production on nearby reefs. However, empirical evidence showing the influence of coral restoration on fish stocks is limited. In Barangay Tondol, a small-scale fishing village in the northwestern Philippines, fisher knowledge and perception studies were completed through individual interviews to provide insights into the perceived impacts of local restoration efforts on coral reef conditions and fishery outputs. The influence of fishers' social demographics and fishery information to their held perceptions were also explored. Fishers’ responses showed a perceived decline in fish stocks over the last 5–10 years mainly attributed to overharvesting, and a slight improvement in coral reef condition due to a reduction in destructive fishing. Out of 53 fisher respondents, 72% were aware of coral restoration efforts in their area and held positive perceptions that theoretically, conducting coral restoration can improve their fish stocks and local reef conditions through the provision of habitat functions. Perceived actual effectiveness of the local efforts was also positive, but with a lower number of responses. Multiple hierarchical regression tests showed that, among social demographics, fishery information, and perceptions on fish stocks, perceived improvement in coral condition was associated with stronger support for coral restoration activities. These findings indicate that fishers perceive positive effects of coral restoration to local coral status and fisheries, and highlight the need for restoration practitioners to engage early on with key stakeholders to assess local fisheries status and local priorities to inform restoration strategies. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd
- Institutional dimensions of coral reef restoration in the PhilippinesMatorres, Dane Erlo; Fabinyi, Michael; Horigue, Vera; Novilla, Carmela Therese; Baria-Rodriguez, Maria Vanessa (Elsevier, 2024)While the Philippines is mostly known for its experiences on marine protected areas, local governments and non-government organizations are increasingly using coral restoration with the aim of rehabilitating degraded reef areas. Since the establishment of artificial reefs in the 1970s, the application, techniques and corresponding policy directives for reef restoration have evolved over time, and restoration has recently generated significant interest and investments from donors and government agencies. As the Philippines does not have a policy framework to support effective and sustainable practices for the use of different coral restoration techniques, the increase and unregulated use of restoration may result in unintended consequences and pose potential challenges to coastal management. To address this gap, we conducted a review of existing coral restoration policies, programs and projects across the country, with a focus on social, economic and governance aspects. The study collated existing published literature and unpublished information on coral restoration in the country, and conducted key informant interviews. The results show that coral restoration continues to increase, and that existing guidelines on coral restoration are poorly implemented and not widely understood among practitioners. While coral restoration projects reported ecological benefits, socio-economic impacts are limited. The evidence supports the need to review existing policies and contextualize coral restoration to contribute to relevant policy decisions about the restoration and protection of reefs.