12. University of the Philippines - Marine Science Institute (UP - MSI)

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University of the Philippines - Marine Science Institute (UP - MSI) - Philippines - contributions to address the Ocean Decade Challenges
The UP Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) is one of seven academic institutes of the University of the Philippines College of Science. It is housed in its own building complex within the UP Diliman Campus in Quezon City. UP MSI was originally established as the Marine Sciences Center (MSC) with the approval of its charter by the Board of Regents on 28 March 1974.

MARINE SCIENCE FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET
The UP Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) is one of seven academic institutes of the University of the Philippines College of Science. It is housed in its own building complex within the UP Diliman Campus in Quezon City. UP MSI was originally established as the Marine Sciences Center (MSC) with the approval of its charter by the Board of Regents on 28 March 1974.

THE FOUNDING DIRECTOR
In June 1974, the first Advisory Executive Council of the Center was formed with the appointment of Dr. Edgardo D. Gomez as acting Director. As a National Scientist, Dr. Edgardo D. Gomez pioneered coral research in the Philippines, the world’s first national-scale assessment of damage to coral reefs which led to widespread public awareness and conservation efforts around the world. He was a prominent researcher, scientist, conservation advocate, and mentor who specialized in giant clam restoration, coral reef assessment, and marine conservation.
The founding director of MSI also contributed to the baseline mapping of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea, laying the foundation of the UP System’s Archipelagic Studies Program.

VISION
MSI: A global center of excellence in marine science research, education, and development; Highest quality graduate programs providing advanced scientific training and an excellent learning experience in interdisciplinary research and development;
Institutionalized hub for national or global interdisciplinary scientific research and forms on coastal and marine concerns;
Recognized expertise in applications of science-based knowledge in technology development, resources and environmental management, and manpower development.

MISSION & MANDATE
The Marine Science Institute shall serve as a center of excellence for the advancement, dissemination, and application of knowledge in the marine sciences. It shall undertake the three-fold mission of research and development, and public service and extension in the marine sciences and related disciplines. The institute intends:

To generate basic information necessary for optimal and sustained utilization, management, and conservation of the marine environment and its resources;
To provide graduate-level training and extension services to develop human resource requirements in the marine sciences;
To develop appropriate and environmentally sound marine-based technologies for industrial and economic development.

OUR FOCUS
We are all scientists in our own right. The UP MSI aims to cultivate the culture of science and education through its Teaching and Research branches. By offering courses and supporting research in marine physical sciences, marine biology, and marine biotechnology, the UP MSI plays a big role in shaping the discourse on the Philippine waters.

RESEARCH
Research in the UPMSI focuses on producing scientific results that promote the sustained utilization, management, and conservation of marine and coastal environments. Research groups and collaborators work on emerging and contemporary marine science issues in biology, biotechnology, and the physical sciences.

TEACHING
The UPMSI offers master’s, doctorate, and professional master’s programs to train future marine scientists, policymakers, and professionals in the private sector. Students may choose to specialize in Marine Biology, Marine Physical Sciences, or Marine Biotechnology.

EXTENSION
The UPMSI regularly hosts workshops, conferences, and training courses on survey and monitoring techniques, coastal zone management, habitat restoration, mariculture, and science-based decision support systems. Public and private agencies can also consult the UP MSI for projects related to marine protection and management, biotechnology, and product development.

MARINE BIOLOGY
Marine biology not only examines organisms individually, but also considers their interactions with the other members of their ecosystems.

MARINE PHYSICAL SCIENCES
The physical sciences branch of marine science attempts to understand the physical, chemical and geological patterns and processes of the coastal and open oceans.

MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY
Through marine biotechnology, molecular biological approaches are used to understand the phylogeny of marine organisms, and identify and develop natural products for various applications.

OUR OBJECTIVES
The Marine Science Institute values the conduct of science to harness knowledge for the development of the environment and humanity.

It seeks to achieve the following:

To generate basic information necessary for optimal and sustained utilization, management, and conservation of the marine environment and its resources.
To provide graduate-level training and extension services to develop human resource requirements in the marine sciences.
To develop appropriate and environmentally-sound marine-based technologies for industrial and economic development.

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Enhancing coral recruitment through assisted mass settlement of cultured coral larvae
dela Cruz, Dexter W.; Harrison, Peter L. (Public Library of Science, 2020-11-24)
The escalating rate at which coral communities are declining globally requires urgent intervention and new approaches to reef management to reduce and halt further coral loss. For reef systems with limited natural larval supply, the introduction of large numbers of competent coral larvae directly to natural reef substrata provides a potentially useful approach to replenish adult coral populations. While few experiments have tested this approach, only one experiment has demonstrated its long-term success to date. Given the differences in life-history traits among corals, and different sensitivities of larvae to abiotic and biotic factors, coupled with the dynamic nature of post-settlement survivorship and recruitment processes, trials of the larval enhancement technique with larvae of different coral species are needed to test the broader applicability and viability of this approach. Accordingly, in this paper we examine the applicability of the larval enhancement technique to restore a population of Acropora loripes in the Bolinao-Anda Reef Complex, Pangasinan, northwestern Philippines. Larvae were cultured ex situ following spawning of collected A. loripes colonies in June 2014. Competent larvae were transported to degraded reef areas and approximately 300,000 larvae were introduced in each of three 6 × 4 m plots directly on the reef. Fine mesh enclosures retained the larvae inside each treatment plot for five days. Three adjacent 6 × 4 m plots that served as controls were also covered with mesh enclosures, but no larvae were introduced. Each plot contained ten 10 × 10 cm conditioned settlement tiles cut from dead tabulate Acropora that were used to quantify initial larval settlement. After allowing larval settlement for five days, mean settlement on tiles from the larval enhancement plots that were monitored under stereomicroscopes was significantly higher (27.8 ± 6.7 spat per tile) than in control plots, in which not a single recruit was recorded. Post-settlement survivorship and growth of spat and coral recruits on tiles and reef substrata inside the experimental plots were monitored periodically for 35 months. After 35 months, the mean size of each of the remaining 47 A. loripes coral colonies surviving on the reef substrata was 438.1 ± 5.4 cm3, with a mean diameter of 7.9 ± 0.6 cm. The average production cost for each of the surviving A. loripes colonies at 35 months was USD 35.20. These colonies are expected to spawn and contribute to the natural larval pool when they become reproductively mature, thereby enhancing natural coral recovery in the area. This study demonstrates that mass coral larval enhancement can be successfully used for restoring populations of coral species with different life-history traits, and the techniques can rapidly increase larval recruitment rates on degraded reef areas, hence catalysing the regeneration of declining coral populations.
We thank the staff and research assistants at the Bolinao Marine Laboratory of the Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines for logistical support with this research especially E. Gomez, C. Ligson, R. Gomez and M. Ponce. We thank C. Barlow and A. Fleming from ACIAR for ongoing support. This publication is dedicated to our colleague at BML, Dr Ronald D. Villanueva who became terminally ill during 2015. This is MSI Contribution No. 476, and contribution 2 from the Southern Cross University ACIAR Coral Larval Restoration reef restoration trials.
Coral responses in single- and mixed-species plots to nutrient disturbance
Dizon, R. M.; Yap, H. T. (Inter-Research Science Center, 2005)
Space is a limiting resource in coral reef communities causing actively growing coral colonies to come in proximity and interact with each other. Although most contact interactions among corals have been studied extensively, very few non-contact and non-aggressive interactions have been documented so far. We present results from a 3 yr field study of coral communities showing that, under unperturbed conditions, the reef-building coral Porites cylindrica exhibits significantly higher growth when transplanted together with 2 other species (P. rus and Pavona frondifera) than when grown in monoculture. However, the introduction of a chronic disturbance (nutrient enrichment) adversely affected its growth rates and survival, thus overturning the earlier trend. Furthermore, the 3 species used in the experiment exhibited different responses to the perturbation (negative, no effect, positive). Our results show that the presence of other species can enhance performance at the colony level, while differential species responses potentially provide buffering effects at the community level that may contribute to the maintenance of community structure and function during periods of disturbance.
Green Noctiluca scintillans: A dinoflagellate with its own greenhouse
Hansen, P. J.; Miranda, L.; Azanza, Rhodora (Inter-Research Science Center, 2004)
The effect of irradiance on photosynthesis of the green form of the dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans was studied. Photosynthesis, measured in cells collected from the field and without the addition of prey, increased with irradiance to ca. 200 ng C cell-1 d-1 at an irradiance of ~250 to 300 µmol photons m-2 s-1. N. scintillans cells were observed to prey and grow actively on a number of different algae, including the dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum which produces paralytic shellfish toxin. However, in all cases, N. scintillans lost its endosymbionts when grown in the laboratory for more than 3 wk and became colourless, irrespective of food item, concentration and irradiance. A factor necessary for endosymbiont growth was apparently missing, which was not provided to them by N. scintillans when fed the selected prey types. Thus, further experiments were carried out with freshly collected organisms. The growth rate of N. scintillans when grown without prey was 0.058 and 0.14 d-1 at irradiances of 45 and 150 µmol photons m-2 s-1 at a light:dark cycle of 12:12 h and a temperature of 26°C. When supplied with P. bahamense as food, N. scintillans increased its growth rate to 0.09 and 0.24 d-1, at irradiances of 45 and 150 µmol photons m-2 s-1 and prey concentrations of 1610and 2740 µg C l-1, respectively. Ingestion rates were only measured at 150 µmol photons m-2 s-1. At this irradiance, the ingestion rate increased linearly with prey concentration and showed no signs of satiation at a prey concentration of ~2700 µg C l-1. A comparison of the contribution of photosynthesis and phagotrophy to the carbon metabolism revealed that phagotrophy only contributed significantly (30%) to the direct growth of the green N. scintillans at an irradiance of 150 µmol photons m-2 s-1, when the prey concentration was very high. Clearance decreased with prey concentration, from ~0.06 ml N. scintillans -1 d-1 at 25 µg C l-1 to ~0.03ml N. scintillans -1 d-1 at a prey concentration of 2740 µg C l-1. This indicates that N. scintillans, when it occurs at bloom concentrations in nature (1 to 10 cells ml-1), may have a significant impact on the bloom dynamics of P. bahamense var. compressum.
Understanding coral reefs as complex systems: Degradation and prospects for recovery
Dizon, Raymond T.; Yap, Helen T. (Editorial CSIC, 2006-06-30)
The present century is witness to unprecedented levels of coral reef degradation worldwide. Current understanding based on traditional ideas is unlikely to capture adequately the dynamics of phenomena accompanying this trend. In this regard, the ideas of complexity are reviewed. Some applications to coral reefs as complex systems have already been discussed in the literature although further progress is warranted as the search for new and more effective management tools continues, and the direction towards more holistic, integrative and large scale approaches gains wider acceptance. We distinguish between the concepts of robustness and resilience in the face of disturbance, highlight the various mechanisms that foster these stability properties and provide some coral reef examples. We identify some of the driving forces behind succession that are critical for community assembly and possible reef recovery. Finally, we consider how self-organization arises out of apparently random and chaotic processes and interactions to exhibit certain regularities and patterns especially when moving up on the scale of space and/or time.
Composition and spatial distribution of infauna in a river estuary affected by fishpond effluents
Galope-Bacaltos, Della Grace; San Diego-McGlone, Maria Lourdes (Elsevier BV, 2002-08)
Infauna, either macrofauna or meiofauna, are benthos and phytal fauna which pass through a 1.0-0.5 mm screen (Hulings and Gray, 1971). These organisms include a wide array of taxonomic groups, namely: nematodes, oligochaetes, polychaetes, copepods, and amphipods. The importance of infauna in benthic ecosystems has been investigated because they play vital roles in the ecology of the marine environment. Their diverse morphology and ability to adapt to various habitats make them important as food for large benthic organisms (McIntyre, 1964; Christensen, 1967; Tietjen, 1969; Thorson, 1971; Bretschko, 1973) and in the recirculation of nutrients (Thorson, 1966; McIntyre, 1973; Gerlach and Schrage, 1971; Mercer and Cairns, 1973).
Growth and survival of coral transplants with and without electrochemical deposition of CaCO₃
Sabater, Marlowe G.; Yap, Helen T. (Elsevier BV, 2002-06)
This study aims to investigate experimentally the effect of electrochemical deposition of CaCO₃ on linear and girth growth, survival and skeletal structure of Porites cylindrica Dana. Transplanted coral nubbins were subjected to up to 18 V and 4.16 A of direct current underwater to induce the precipitation of dissolved minerals. Naturally growing colonies showed a significant increase in percentage longitudinal growth over the treated and untreated corals. Survival followed a similar trend as the growth rate. Lowest survival rates were found in the untreated nubbins. Phenotypic alterations were observed in the treated nubbins where the basal corallites decreased in size with a concomitant increase in their number per unit area. This was probably due to increased mineral concentration (such as Ca²⁺, Na⁻, Mg²⁺, CO₃²⁻, Cl⁻, OH⁻ and HCO₃⁻) at the basal region of the nubbins. These alterations were accompanied by a significant increase in girth growth rates of the treated nubbins at their basal regions. The abundance of mineral ions at the basal region thus appeared to be utilized by the numerous small polyps for a lateral increase in size of the nubbins instead of a longitudinal increase.
Estimating biomass from the cover of Gelidiella acerosa along the coasts of eastern Philippines
Rollon, R. N.; Samson, M. S.; Roleda, M. Y.; Araño, K. G.; Vergara, M. W. B.; Licuanan, W. Y. (Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 2003-01-18)
In three Gelidiella acerosa beds on the poorly-studied eastern coasts of the Philippines, cover and biomass of this commercially important agar-producing red alga were measured. The three selected G. acerosa beds represented low (mean cover < 5%), medium (approximately 10%) and high cover (> 20%) vegetation. In each of the sites, we estimated the cover of G. acerosa fronds within 10 x 10 cm grids (n ranged from 33–36) in various strata. All G. acerosa fronds within each grid were harvested, cleaned of attached epiphytes and sediments, and subsequently, oven-dried at 60 °C to constant weight. We applied regression analysis to establish empirical relationships between cover and biomass. All linear regression lines were highly significant (p < 0.001, R2 > 0.6) indicating that biomass could be confidently estimated from cover estimates: low cover (y = 0.0171x + 0.310;R2 = 0.67, p < 0.0001), medium cover (y = 0.0363x + 0.118, R2 = 0.83, p < 0.0001) and high cover (y = 0.0304x + 0.481, R2 = 0.80, p < 0.0001). Evidently though, sites with higher overall mean cover (also longer thalli) had significantly steeper regression slopes, which was most pronounced when comparing sites with the lowest (< 5%) and highest (> 20%) mean cover. Nevertheless, we subsequently projected a minimum annual yield from the known 51 ha along the eastern coasts amounting to, at a minimum, 23 t dw y−1. Such yield may translate to approximately 68.8 million pesos (US$ 1.38 million) in gross sales of agar.
Past and future fisheries modeling approaches in the Philippines
Lachica-Aliño, Lualhati; Wolff, Matthias; David, Laura T. (Springer, 2006-08-10)
Philippines coastal fisheries research started during the colonization period in the 1800s with the basic taxonomic identification of the countries aquatic resources and a description of their distribution in national waters. Research further evolved with the change from localized fisheries governance to a centralized one, presently, with a combination of both. The dramatic postwar expansion of Philippine fisheries in the mid 1940s led to the need for sustainable resources management. In the mid-1970s, single-species fisheries approaches (i.e. specifically surplus production models) indicated the overfished state of the Philippine coastal fisheries resources. These early models together with additional ecological and socioeconomic studies, served as inputs to coastal resources management initiatives, in the context of an ecosystem approach. The implementation of further management schemes such as marine reserves and fish sanctuaries also resulted from these initiatives. The decentralization of governance of coastal resources in the 1990s led to participatory or co-management approaches for the local governance of coastal resources. The development and great improvement of ecosystem-based models in fisheries science (such as Ecopath with Ecosim [EwE]) during this period allowed for investigations into the interactions of the multispecies and multigear fisheries dynamics. Complementary models derived from single-species such as Yield per Recruit and Surplus production in conjunction with ecosystem-based (EwE-type) approaches are both needed in Philippine fisheries research. An emerging framework for sustainable Philippine fisheries management system requires mainstreaming of coastal governance with science based adaptive management for Philippine aquatic resources governance.
A comparison between sites of growth, physiological performance and stress responses in transplanted Tridacna gigas
Elfwing, Tina; Blidberg, Eva; Sison, Marilou; Tedengren, Michael (Elsevier BV, 2003-04)
The continuous increase of human activities in the tropical coastal zones threatens the water quality necessary for cultivating giant clams. In order to investigate the potential for disturbances, of natural and/or anthropogenic origin, to affect growth in giant clams, transplantation experiments were conducted in the north of the Philippines. After 6 months, there were significantly lower values for both wet weights (wwt) and shell lengths (SL) at the “disturbed sites”, where the clams had experienced both natural turbidity and impacts from human settlement and fish pens, compared to the reference site. Differences between sites were also manifested as impaired physiological performance under identical light regimes and water quality in a laboratory experiment: gross production and respiration (Pg/R) ratios were lower, Rapid Light Curves (RLC) showed lower maximal production at light saturation, chlorophyll (chl) a levels per cell was higher and the degree of epibionts increased with over 90% compared to controls. The suggested explanation to this is reduced light penetration as a result of both natural higher turbidity and nutrient loading brought about by, e.g. intensive fish aquaculture in the channel. Light penetration will be further reduced in the future with present development of fish pens in the channel. To assess tolerance to additional anthropogenic impacts, such as release of copper from antifouling treatment of fish cages, clams from different sites were exposed to a sublethal dose of copper (5 μg Cu2+ l−1) under laboratory conditions. Clams from all sites showed lowered Pg/R ratios when exposed to the metal, although the control clams displayed a larger percentage decrease than clams from the channel. This could be interpreted as higher tolerances in those clams already adapted to a stressful environment, or merely reflect an overall energy conservation through reduced metabolic activity.
Monitoring and evaluation of reef protected areas by local fishers in the Philippines: Tightening the adaptive management cycle
Uychiaoco, Andre J.; Arceo, Hazel O.; Green, Stuart J.; De La Cruz, Margarita T.; Gaite, Paulyn A.; Aliño, Porfirio M. (Springer, 2005-10)
Monitoring by local community managers tightens the adaptive management cycle by linking management more closely with its evaluation, so management actions become more responsive to the field situation. Local community volunteers, usually fishers, managing coral reef protected areas in the Philippines used simple methods (e.g. snorkeling fish visual census) to periodically monitor and evaluate reef protection together with professional marine biologists. Except for estimates of hard coral, data collected by local volunteers were not significantly correlated with data collected by biologists (specifically abundance estimates of sand, major reef fish carnivores, and fish herbivores). Community-collected fish data generally have higher variance and show higher abundances than biologist-collected data. Nonetheless, though the data was less precise, the locally based monitoring identified or confirmed the need for management actions that were generic in nature (e.g. stronger enforcement, organizational strengthening, etc.). The locally based monitoring also encouraged cooperation among stakeholders and prompted a management response. Little time and financing is required after initial establishment and replication has been increasing. However, sustainability depends upon the communities’ perceived added-value of undertaking the monitoring and input from a paid and/or more committed local person (e.g. government) who occasionally conducts monitoring himself/herself and supervises the community monitoring. Management impact depends heavily upon good integration with active management interventions outside the monitoring effort per se

12. University of the Philippines - Marine Science Institute (UP - MSI)

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