Population status of acropora palmata lamarck, 1816 in. Elkhorn coral acropora palmata populations provide important ecological functions on shallow caribbean reefs, many of which were lost when a disease reduced their abundance by more than 95% beginning in the mid1970s. Human pathogen shown to cause disease in the threatened. Evaluating patterns of a whiteband disease wbd outbreak in. Acropora palmata was listed for protection under the united states endangered species act in 2006 1, largely due to a disease unique to this coral species fig. This coral tolerates salinities within the normal range of 33 to 37 parts per thousand.
Cites is an international agreement between governments, aimed to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Snorkeling was used to perform the direct observations. Coral diseases following massive bleaching in 2005 cause 60. Introduction coral reefs are the most diverse and productive marine ecosystems of the world 1.
In acropora palmata, the polyps do not communicate with each other, except. Weak prezygotic isolating mechanisms in threatened caribbean. Runcorn, coral acropora was being used to import vcm from continental ports to build up the plants vcm stock. Aug 08, 2019 metagenome of acropora palmata coral rubble.
Pdf genotypic inventory of acropora palmata elkhorn coral. Other articles where acropora palmata is discussed. Until the late 1970s, the open surfaces of caribbean reefs were dominated by corals, algal turf, and coralline algae. In 2006, elkhorn coral was the first coral, along with its sister species, staghorn coral acropora cervicornis. Pdf genotypic inventory of acropora palmata elkhorn. When i first started diving, the first fields of coral from.
Acropora palmata grows in an area ranging from southern florida and throughout the bahamas and caribbean. Their great success is due to interactions with endosymbiotic dinoflagellates symbiodinium spp. The final recovery plan plan for elkhorn coral acropora palmata and staghorn coral acropora cervicornis is now available. The threatened atlantic elkhorn coral, acropora palmata.
Elkhorn coral is found in shallow water, generally ranging from 1 to 5 meters deep. Acropora palmata definition of acropora palmata by the. These reefs displayed a generalized zonation pattern of common scleractinean coral species being primarily elkhorn coral acropora palmata lamarck, 1816 the primary builder of the shallow reef framework aronson and precht, 2001, roff and mumby, 2012, muko et. Coral diseases following massive bleaching in 2005 cause 60 percent decline in coral cover and mortality of the threatened species, acropora palmata, on reefs in the u. Since then, a lack of significant recovery has prompted rehabilitation initiatives throughout the caribbean. This page was last edited on 16 november 2016, at 20. Genomic variants among threatened acropora corals g3. Acropora palmata, coral reef decline, eutrophication, landbased source pollution 1.
Acropora species are some of the major reef corals responsible for building the immense calcium carbonate substructure that supports the thin living skin of a reef. These branches create habitats for many other reef species, such as lobsters, parrotfish, snapper shrimps and. Stabilization of fragments to enhance asexual recruitment in acropora palmata, a threatened caribbean coral dana e. The following fgdc sections are not currently supported in inport, but were preserved and will be included in the fgdc export. Distribution and status of living colonies of acropora spp.
To develop a foundation for studying coral biology and coral symbiosis, we have constructed a set of cdna libraries and generated and annotated ests from two. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Of all of the coral species acropora palmata or elkhorn coral is one of the easiest to identify. Elkhorn coral acropora palmata is a prominent caribbean reefbuilding coral, although as of the 2010s populations were still recovering from white band disease outbreak. Acropora palmata representativeness and local threats distribution. Due to a lack of marine chartering knowledge and expertise, evc engaged the services of a logistics company. Nope, that is a nice montipora hirsuta, not the critically endangered acropora palmata elkhorn coral this is the coral im talking about. Regionally isolated populations of an imperiled caribbean. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and uptodate information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in. They constitute heterogeneous habitats that serve as an important source of primary production for multiple species, including fisheries 2. Miller2 abstract historically, fragmentation has been a successful life history strategy in acropora palmata. The evolutionary relationships depicted in the coral phylogeny are redrawn based on the phylogenomic analysis by bhattacharya et al.
To develop a foundation for studying coral biology and coral symbiosis, we have constructed a set of cdna libraries and generated and annotated. Since this decline, few surveys have documented the status of a. Evaluating patterns of a whiteband disease wbd outbreak. After settling on an appropriate substrate, the planula larvae then undergo metamorphosis to adjust to the benthic lifestyle of a calcified coral. Elkhorn coral acropora palmata is a prominent caribbean reefbuilding coral, although current populations are still struggling to recover from white band disease outbreak. There is variable unidirectional introgression across loci and sites of a. Acropora palmata, the majestic and endangered elkhorn coral. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the. Description the radioactive isotopes of uranium and thorium obtained from fossil reefcrest corals acropora palmata are used to constrain and reconstruct sea level at barbados during the late deglaciation. Coral acropora was bareboat chartered by the vessel owners to a company in the netherlands antilles which, in 2002, time chartered her to evc ltd.
Here, we report the first successful outplanting and longterm. The worksheet recovery plan actions lists the actions from the recovery plan and their action number. The national marine fisheries service nmfs announces the adoption of a final endangered species act recovery plan for elkhorn coral and staghorn coral. Pdf genotypic variation influences reproductive success. Demographic data for elkhorn coral, acropora palmata, and in situ water temperature data from seven upper florida keys usa reefs revealed three warm thermal stress events between 2010 and 2016. Itis taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. Acropora palmata metadata this file contains additional information such as exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. They are fastgrowing, branching species that tend to be particularity vulnerable to threats such as temperature extremes, storms and disease. This recovery plan covers both elkhorn acropora palmata and staghorn a. Stabilization of fragments to enhance asexual recruitment in.
Acropora palmata definition of acropora palmata by the free. Acropora is a genus of small polyp stony coral in the phylum cnidaria. A large reefbuilding coral of the caribbean sea and nearby waters, having broad flat branches that resemble an elks antlers. Some acropora have symbiotic relationships with crabs and shrimps that may help them against predators. Study units are 150 m2 plots in which all attached acropora palmata colonies are mapped and surveyed each year. Nmfs hereby extends the comment period on the proposed listing determinations of 66 reefbuilding coral species and the proposed reclassifications of elkhorn acropora palmata and staghorn acropora cervicornis corals under the esa until april 6, 20, and announces a public hearing to be held in silver spring, md, on march 12, 20. Consolidated checklist of hard corals of the genus acropora oken, 1815 scleractinia. The aim was to produce a baseline study for this species which combined population genetics with demographic data. Mar 22, 2020 some acropora have symbiotic relationships with crabs and shrimps that may help them against predators.
Acropora palmata, the elkhorn coral, is the quintessential caribbean coral reef species. Genotypic variation influences reproductive success and thermal stress tolerance in the reef building coral, acropora palmata. Common staghorn, or acropora cervicornis, and elkhorn, or acropora palmata, are the sole members of a one thriving community that has been reduced by over 80% in the past two decades. Phylogeny of corals with genomic and transcriptomic resources used in this study a with images of the two focal species, acropora palmata b and acropora cervicornis c. Potential metabolic pathways and diversity in the reef ecosystem article pdf available in plos one 148. Hosted by the usgs core science analytics and synthesis. Acropora palmata how can we compare the past to understand.
Acropora palmata are incompetent for settling until approximately 8 days of development. Williams and miller 2005 so either species can be 122 considered for use as an inoculant. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. An inventory of projects related to implementation of the recovery plan for staghorn coral acropora cervicornis and elkhorn coral a.
To record and display the reported sightings of acropora palmata and acropora cervicornis. Scleractinian corals are the foundation of reef ecosystems in tropical marine environments. Likewise, there is little known about the spatiality of outbreaks. This species was once so abundant that entire regions of the reef were called the palmata zone and it was important to know where the palmata zones were, because their sturdy branches easily sank ships. The overall objectives of this project are to document the dynamics of the remaining elkhorn populations in the upper florida keys and to compare its performance to other caribbean locations. However, failure to implement recovery actions may result in the indefinite listing of the species or its extinction. The finger staghorn coral acropora humilis is a cluster shaped coral that sports attractive cherryreds, purples and purple tips. Federal register endangered and threatened species. Loaded by fgdc metadata uploader, batch 6512, 07102015 11. A background in the atlantic and caribbean basins, two corals bear the name acropora.
Elkhorn coral is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, meaning each colony produces both eggs and sperm, but usually does not selffertilize. This disease, termed white pox or acroporid serratiosis aps, is caused by the bacterium serratia marcescens 2. Results show that 61% of the total occurrence area of acropora palmata is located in the highest protected zones, whereas 29. We find that sea level tracked the climate oscillations remarkably well. In 2006, elkhorn coral was the first coral, along with its sister species. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page.
Unsustainable landbased source pollution in a climate of. This species is structurally complex with many large branches. Elkhorn coral reaches reproductive maturity at about 2 square feet. Materials and methods sampling acropora palmata colonies were sampled and genotyped. They constitute heterogeneous habitats that serve as an important source of primary. Previous molecular studies have demonstrated that these species form a hybrid a. Restoration of critically endangered elkhorn coral. Cervicornis corals, which the national marine fisheries service nmfs listed as threatened under the esa in may 2006background. Some of its species are known as table coral, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral.
It was the intention for coral acropora to return to the runcornbarry route once the stock of vcm at runcorn had been built to sufficient levels. Acropora palmata xxx ix 5 colpophyllia natans x i,ii,iii x x x 7 cladocora arbuscula x 1 dendrogyra cylindrus ii 1 dichocoenia stokesi xii x x 4 diploria clivosa xx 2 diploria labyrinthiformis x i,ii x x x 6 diploria strigosa xii x x 4 eusmilia fastigiata ii 1 favia fragum xx x x 4 isophyllastrea rigida ix2. Fossil data from multiple locations indicates that atlantic elkhorn coral, acropora palmata, formed shallow reefs throughout the caribbean sea since the pleistocene. Page designed through the cooperative efforts of interagency itis teams.
Acropora palmata synonyms, acropora palmata pronunciation, acropora palmata translation, english dictionary definition of acropora palmata. The latter type of ecosystems support far fewer species. This is an ongoing monitoring project with thrice yearly surveys in the upper florida keys and annual surveys in curaao and only episodic surveys in navassa 2006, 2009, 2012. Elkhorn coral sexually reproduces once per year after the full moon in late summer by broadcast spawning eggs and sperm into the water column. A standard field protocol for testing relative disease. It really does look like the horns of an elk branching out from a base. Stabilization of fragments to enhance asexual recruitment. Coral diseases following massive bleaching in 2005 cause. Elkhorn coral is a tropical species and inhabits waters with a temperature range of 66 tol 86 degrees f. The break between the two populations is not abrupt, with mixing evident in samples from mona island and puerto rico.
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