TY - GEN
T1 - emAmphistegina/em (Foraminiferida) Densities as a Practical, Reliable, Low-Cost Indicator of Coral Reef Vitality
AU - Hallock, Pamela
AU - Muller, Pamela Hallock
PY - 1995/1/1
Y1 - 1995/1/1
N2 - Algal symbiont-bearing foraminifera, Amphistegina spp., can provide a practical, reliable, low-cost indicator of coral-reef vitality. These protists are relatively large (1-3 mm adult diameter), reef-dwellers found nearly circumtropically. In their dependence upon algal endosymbionts for growth and calcification, their adaptation to nutrient-poor, warm, shallow-water environments is similar to that of reef-building corals. They live on reefrubble and on closely-cropped coralline and filamentous algae on reef substrate. When environmental conditions change to favor organisms using autotrophic and heterotrophic nutritional modes over organisms using mixotrophic (algal symbiotic) modes, Amphistegina populations decline. Diatom endosymbionts impart a golden-brown to olive-green color to living Amphistegina specimens, making them easy to recognize. These foraminifera can be sampled by collecting reef rubble, scrubbing it, and examining the detached sediment and meiobiota with stereomicroscope, either live or freeze-killed and dried. Under "healthy" reef conditions, Amphistegina population densities should exceed 50 living individuals per 100 cm 2 bottom area of rubble. Population densities of 10-50/100 cm 2 indicate cause for concern. Under environmental conditions marginal for reef growth, Amphistegina may be present but uncommon (less than 10/100 cm 2 of rubble.) Living specimens are usually not found in areas where rapid reef degradation is occurring.
AB - Algal symbiont-bearing foraminifera, Amphistegina spp., can provide a practical, reliable, low-cost indicator of coral-reef vitality. These protists are relatively large (1-3 mm adult diameter), reef-dwellers found nearly circumtropically. In their dependence upon algal endosymbionts for growth and calcification, their adaptation to nutrient-poor, warm, shallow-water environments is similar to that of reef-building corals. They live on reefrubble and on closely-cropped coralline and filamentous algae on reef substrate. When environmental conditions change to favor organisms using autotrophic and heterotrophic nutritional modes over organisms using mixotrophic (algal symbiotic) modes, Amphistegina populations decline. Diatom endosymbionts impart a golden-brown to olive-green color to living Amphistegina specimens, making them easy to recognize. These foraminifera can be sampled by collecting reef rubble, scrubbing it, and examining the detached sediment and meiobiota with stereomicroscope, either live or freeze-killed and dried. Under "healthy" reef conditions, Amphistegina population densities should exceed 50 living individuals per 100 cm 2 bottom area of rubble. Population densities of 10-50/100 cm 2 indicate cause for concern. Under environmental conditions marginal for reef growth, Amphistegina may be present but uncommon (less than 10/100 cm 2 of rubble.) Living specimens are usually not found in areas where rapid reef degradation is occurring.
UR - https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1214
UR - https://archive.epa.gov/water/test/web/pdf/2007_06_28_oceans_coraluments_symposium.pdf
M3 - Other contribution
ER -