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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Oldest Indo-Pacific Lionfish (Pterois Volitans/P. Miles) Recorded From The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Raven D. Blakeway, Alexander Q. Fogg, Glenn A. Jones
Oldest Indo-Pacific Lionfish (Pterois Volitans/P. Miles) Recorded From The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Raven D. Blakeway, Alexander Q. Fogg, Glenn A. Jones
Gulf and Caribbean Research
Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) were first detected off the coast of Florida in the 1980s, with aquaria release being the most likely mechanism for introduction. Since then, lionfish have proliferated through the Western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Here, we report the oldest lionfish aged on record in the Western Atlantic, removed from Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) in the GOM. In August 2018, a research expedition removed 745 lionfish from FGBNMS, of which a subset were retained for age and growth estimation. The oldest lionfish was a 10 y old male, …
Review: Formation And Metabolic Function Of Coral Rubble Biofilms In The Reef Ecosystem, Andres Sanchez-Quinto, Luisa I. Falcon
Review: Formation And Metabolic Function Of Coral Rubble Biofilms In The Reef Ecosystem, Andres Sanchez-Quinto, Luisa I. Falcon
Gulf and Caribbean Research
When coral dies, their calcareous skeletons constitute coral rubble in conjunction with the cementing activity of coralline algae and bacteria, creating a secondary reef structure which takes from years to decades to form. Healthy coral reefs differ from coral—rubble dominated reefs in microbial taxonomic composition and metabolic functional roles. The metabolisms of healthy reefs are dominated by autotrophic pathways, where carbon and nitrogen fixation dominate, while the metabolism of rubble—dominated reefs predominate in degradation of organic matter. Nitrogen fixation is 3 orders of magnitude lower in rubble—dominated reefs than in healthy reefs. Coral—rubble harbors a vast diversity of microbes that …
Detection Of Adsorbed Chlordecone On Microplastics In Marine Sediments In Guadeloupe: A Preliminary Study, Fidji Sandre, Charlotte R. Dromard, Karyn Le Menach, Yolande Bouchon-Navaro, Sébastien Cordonnier, Nathalie Tapie, Hélène Budzinski, Claude Bouchon
Detection Of Adsorbed Chlordecone On Microplastics In Marine Sediments In Guadeloupe: A Preliminary Study, Fidji Sandre, Charlotte R. Dromard, Karyn Le Menach, Yolande Bouchon-Navaro, Sébastien Cordonnier, Nathalie Tapie, Hélène Budzinski, Claude Bouchon
Gulf and Caribbean Research
Plastic pollution in the oceans is recognized as a worldwide problem. Since the 1950s, the production of plastics has been increasing and the first reports of microplastics (particles < 500 μm) in the marine environment began to appear in the 1970s. These particles represent a growing environmental problem due to their dispersion in seawater and marine organisms. Additionally, microparticles in general can adsorb pollutants that will then become bioavailable to organisms by being desorbed during digestion, which could be an important pathway for the contamination of organisms. In Guadeloupe and Martinique, an organochlorine pesticide called “chlordecone” was used from 1972 to 1993 in banana plantations and this very persistent pollutant contaminates soils, rivers, and coastal marine areas and accumulates in marine foodwebs. To examine these issues, we had two goals: 1) to assess the contamination of marine sediments by microplastics surrounding Guadeloupe; and 2) to determine the ability of microplastics to adsorb chlordecone, as has been demonstrated for other organochlorine pollutants. To do so, marine sediments were collected in triplicate from 12 sites in coral reef environments around the island. Microplastics from each sample were then enumerated by size, color and shape under a binocular microscope. The results indicate that microplastics are found in all the studied sites and that their distribution could be linked to marine currents or proximity to areas of significant human activities (port activities, agglomeration, etc.). Finally, our preliminary results indicated that chlordecone could be adsorbed onto microplastics, with a concentration ranging from 0.00036—0.00173 µg/µg of microfilter.
Record Body Size For The Red Lionfish, Pterois Volitans (Scorpaeniformes), In The Southern Gulf Of Mexico, Alfonso Aguilar-Perera, Leidy Perera-Chan, Luis Quijano-Puerto
Record Body Size For The Red Lionfish, Pterois Volitans (Scorpaeniformes), In The Southern Gulf Of Mexico, Alfonso Aguilar-Perera, Leidy Perera-Chan, Luis Quijano-Puerto
Gulf and Caribbean Research
Non-native species are those that have been transported, via human actions, from one continent and introduced into another (Lockwood et al. 2007). In the 1980s, red lionfish, Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758), traded in the US aquarium industry from the Pacific Ocean, was introduced into the coral reefs off Florida's coast by aquarium hobbyists (Morris and Whitfield 2009). It is unknown how this introduction occurred, but after more than 20 years the red lionfish population is widespread, occupying a large portion of the Western Atlantic (Schofield 2010) where it represents a threat to the marine ecosystem (Green et al. 2012). The …
A New Baseline For Diadema Antillarum, Echinometra Viridis, E. Lucunter, And Eucidaris Tribuloides Populations Within The Cayos Cochinos Mpa, Honduras, Paul A.X. Bologna, Lucy Webb-Wilson, Patrick Connelly, James E. Saunders
A New Baseline For Diadema Antillarum, Echinometra Viridis, E. Lucunter, And Eucidaris Tribuloides Populations Within The Cayos Cochinos Mpa, Honduras, Paul A.X. Bologna, Lucy Webb-Wilson, Patrick Connelly, James E. Saunders
Gulf and Caribbean Research
We investigated the density of 4 urchin species from 5 shallow reefs in the Cayos Cochinos Marine Protected Area in Honduras. Individual species density varied among reefs with total urchin density ranging from 3.2–7.9 individuals/m2. Echinometra viridis (Agassiz, 1863) was the numerically dominant species (2.29/m2) followed by E. lucunter (Linnaeus, 1758) (1.76/m2) with Eucidaris tribuloides (Lamarck 1816) representing the fewest individuals (0.42/m2). Our results indicated that density of Diadema antillarum (Philippi, 1845) differed significantly among reefs (0.4-1.3/m2, mean = 0.63/m2), but are three times greater than data collected …