Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Despite the increasing dominance of turf algae in coral reefs, few studies have investigated their physiological and ecological responses to changes in abiotic factors. We tested the effects of depth and ultraviolet radiation on turf algae at different levels of successional stages using two experiments. Depth-related differences were found for all turf algal communities, characterized by a higher amount of the cyanobacteria taxon Dichothrix and the red filamentous genera Poly-/Herposiphonia in the shallow and the appearance of oscillating cyanobacteria in deeper waters. In the first experiment, cross-depth transplantation of 153 days old communities influenced percentage cover, biomass and taxa composition. Downward transplantation lowered overall biomass and abundance of the foraminifera Sorites, whereas the crustose green alga Pringsheimiella and filamentous cyanobacteria colonized the communities. A nearly reverse pattern was observed in upward transplanted communities. Overall we distinguished between sensitive taxa, like Oscillatoria, and taxa able to acclimate to alterations in their environment, like Pringsheimiella, Poly/Herposiphonia and Dichothrix. In the second experiment, algae grown for 285 days at 5 m were exposed together with a set of sterile settlement tiles to three UVR regimes at 2 m for 22 days. UVR had no effect on turf algal communities regardless of successional stage. This study highlights the presence of high light and UV tolerant species. The high UV tolerance of turf communities may confer a competitive advantage over other more sensitive coral reef biota, such as corals. This study demonstrates that turf algae are dynamic communities exhibiting species-specific resistance to environmental changes.
ISSN: 0022-0981

hal-01333486
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01333486
DOI : 10.1016/j.jembe.2014.07.017

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
While the fire coral Millepora platyphylla is an important component of Indo-Pacific reefs,where it thrives in a wide range of environments, the ecological and biological processesdriving its distribution and population structure are not well understood. Here, we quantifiedthis species' population structure in five habitats with contrasting hydrodynamic regimes inMoorea, French Polynesia; two in the fore reef: mid and upper slopes, and three in thelagoon: back, fringing and patch reefs. A total of 3651 colonies of fire corals were mappedand measured over 45,000 m2 of surveyed reef. Due to the species' sensitivity to fragmentationin response to strong water movement, hydrodynamic conditions (e.g. waves, pass andlagoonal circulation) corresponded to marked differences in colony size distributions, morphologyand recruitment dynamics among habitats. The size structure varied among reefhabitats with higher proportions of larger colonies in calm nearshore reefs (fringing andpatch reefs), while populations were dominated by smaller colonies in the exposed forereefs. The highest densities of fire corals were recorded in fore reef habitats (0.12±0.20 n.m-2) where the proportion of recruits and juveniles was higher at mid slope populations(49.3%) than on the upper slope near where waves break (29.0%). In the latter habitat, mostcolonies grew as vertical sheets on encrusting bases making them more vulnerable to colonyfragmentation, whereas fire corals were encrusting or massive in all other habitats. Thelowest densities of M. platyphylla occurred in lagoonal habitats (0.02±0.04 n.m-2) characterizedby a combination of low water movement and other physical and biological stressors.This study reports the first evidence of population structure of fire corals
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01561659
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01561659
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01561659/document
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01561659/file/millepora%20platyphylla.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0173513

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD PeerJ
Résumé : International audience
Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are major benthic calcifiers that play crucial roles in marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs. Over the past two decades, epizootics have been reported for several CCA species on coral reefs worldwide. However, their causes remain often unknown in part because few studies have investigated CCA pathologies at a microscopic scale. We studied the cellular changes associated with two syndromes: Coralline White Band Syndrome (CWBS) and Coralline White Patch Disease (CWPD) from samples collected in Curaçao , southern Caribbean. Healthy-looking tissue of diseased CCA did not differ from healthy tissue of healthy CCA. In diseased tissues of both pathologies, the three characteristic cell layers of CCA revealed cells completely depleted of protoplasmic content, but presenting an intact cell wall. In addition, CWBS showed a transition area between healthy and diseased tissues consisting of cells partially deprived of protoplasmic material, most likely corresponding to the white band characterizing the disease at the macroscopic level. This transition area was absent in CWPD. Regrowth at the lesion boundary were sometimes observed in both syndromes. Tissues of both healthy and diseased CCA were colonised by diverse boring organisms. Fungal infections associated with the diseased cells were not seen. However, other bioeroders were more abundant in diseased vs healthy CCA and in diseased vs healthy-looking tissues of diseased CCA. Although their role in the pathogenesis is unclear, this suggests that disease increases CCA susceptibility to bioerosion. Further investigations using an integrated approach are needed to carry out the complete diagnosis of these diseases.
ISSN: 2167-8359

Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
hal-01174251
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01174251
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01174251/document
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01174251/file/peerj-1034.pdf
DOI : 10.7717/peerj.1034

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Benthic cyanobacterial mats (BCMs) are impacting coral reefs worldwide. However, the factors and mechanisms driving their proliferation are unclear. We conducted a multi-year survey around the Caribbean island of Curaçao, which revealed highest BCM abundance on sheltered reefs close to urbanised areas. Reefs with high BCM abundance were also characterised by high benthic cover of macroalgae and low cover of corals. Nutrient concentrations in the water-column were consistently low, but markedly increased just above substrata (both sandy and hard) covered with BCMs. This was true for sites with both high and low BCM coverage, suggesting that BCM growth is stimulated by a localised, sub-strate-linked release of nutrients from the microbial degradation of organic matter. This hypothesis was supported by a higher organic content in sediments on reefs with high BCM coverage, and by an in situ experiment which showed that BCMs grew within days on sediments enriched with organic matter (Spirulina). We propose that nutrient runoff from urban-ised areas stimulates phototrophic blooms and enhances organic matter concentrations on the reef. This organic matter is transported by currents and settles on the seabed at sites with low hydrodynamics. Subsequently, nutrients released from the organic matter degradation fuel the growth of BCMs. Improved management of nutrients generated on land should lower organic loading of sediments and other benthos (e.g. turf and macroalgae) to reduce BCM proliferation on coral reefs.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01159626
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01159626
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01159626/document
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01159626/file/journal.pone.0125445.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0125445