Wilfredo Y. Licuanan

One-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts

The conservation status of 845 zooxanthellate reef-building coral species was assessed by using International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Criteria. Of the 704 species that could be assigned conservation status, 32.8% are in categories with elevated risk of extinction. Declines in abundance are associated with bleaching and diseases driven by elevated sea surface temperatures, with extinction risk further exacerbated by local-scale anthropogenic disturbances. The proportion of corals threatened with extinction has increased dramatically in recent decades and exceeds that of most terrestrial groups. The Caribbean has the largest proportion of corals in high extinction risk categories, whereas the Coral Triangle (western Pacific) has the highest proportion of species in all categories of elevated extinction risk. Our results emphasize the widespread plight of coral reefs and the urgent need to enact conservation measures.

Towards a phylogenetic classification of reef corals: the Indo-Pacific genera Merulina, Goniastrea and Scapophyllia (Scleractinia, Merulinidae)

Recent advances in scleractinian systematics and taxonomy have been achieved through the integration of molecular and morphological data, as well as rigorous analysis using phylogenetic methods. In this study, we continue in our pursuit of a phylogenetic classification by examining the evolutionary relationships between the closely related reef coral genera Merulina, Goniastrea, Paraclavarina and Scapophyllia (Merulinidae). In particular, we address the extreme polyphyly of Favites and Goniastrea that was discovered a decade ago. We sampled 145 specimens belonging to 16 species from a wide geographic range in the Indo‐Pacific, focusing especially on type localities, including the Red Sea, western Indian Ocean and central Pacific. Tree reconstructions based on both nuclear and mitochondrial markers reveal a novel lineage composed of three species previously placed in Favites and Goniastrea. Morphological analyses indicate that this clade, Paragoniastrea Huang, Benzoni & Budd, gen. n., has a unique combination of corallite and subcorallite features observable with scanning electron microscopy and thin sections. Molecular and morphological evidence furthermore indicates that the monotypic genus Paraclavarina is nested within Merulina, and the former is therefore synonymised.

Conservation of reef corals in the South China Sea based on species and evolutionary diversity

The South China Sea in the Central Indo-Pacific is a large semi-enclosed marine region that supports an extraordinary diversity of coral reef organisms (including stony corals), which varies spatially across the region. While one-third of the world’s reef corals are known to face heightened extinction risk from global climate and local impacts, prospects for the coral fauna in the South China Sea region amidst these threats remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyse coral species richness, rarity, and phylogenetic diversity among 16 reef areas in the region to estimate changes in species and evolutionary diversity during projected anthropogenic extinctions. Our results show that richness, rarity, and phylogenetic diversity differ considerably among reef areas in the region, and that their outcomes following projected extinctions cannot be predicted by species diversity alone. Although relative rarity and threat levels are high in species-rich areas such as West Malaysia and the Philippines, areas with fewer species such as northern Vietnam and Paracel Islands stand to lose disproportionately large amounts of phylogenetic diversity. Our study quantifies various biodiversity components of each reef area to inform conservation planners and better direct sparse resources to areas where they are needed most. It also provides a critical biological foundation for targeting reefs that should be included in a regional network of marine protected areas in the South China Sea.

Estimating Biomass from the Cover of Gelidiella acerosa along the Coasts of Eastern Philippines

Abstract 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

I-C-SEA Change: A participatory tool for rapid assessment of vulnerability of tropical coastal communities to climate change impacts

1.38 million) in gross sales of agar.

Resilience to thermal stress of coral communities in Talim Bay, Lian, Batangas

We present a synoptic, participatory vulnerability assessment tool to help identify the likely impacts of climate change and human activity in coastal areas and begin discussions among stakeholders on the coping and adaptation measures necessary to minimize these impacts. Vulnerability assessment tools are most needed in the tropical Indo-Pacific, where burgeoning populations and inequitable economic growth place even greater burdens on natural resources and support ecosystems. The Integrated Coastal Sensitivity, Exposure, and Adaptive Capacity for Climate Change (I-C-SEA Change) tool is built around a series of scoring rubrics to guide non-specialists in assigning scores to the sensitivity and adaptive capacity components of vulnerability, particularly for coral reef, seagrass, and mangrove habitats, along with fisheries and coastal integrity. These scores are then weighed against threat or exposure to climate-related impacts such as marine flooding and erosion. The tool provides opportunities for learning by engaging more stakeholders in participatory planning and group decision-making. It also allows for information to be collated and processed during a “town-hall” meeting, facilitating further discussion, data validation, and even interactive scenario building.

Cleaning up the 'Bigmessidae': Molecular phylogeny of scleractinian corals from Faviidae, Merulinidae, Pectiniidae and Trachyphylliidae

Climate change driven disturbances such as increases in sea surface temperature (SST) pose a critical threat to coral reefs. Increased understanding of the mechanisms that maintain coral community structure (i.e., coral cover and species diversity) now allows for the assessment of resilience of coral communities to thermal stress. Such an assessment was conducted in Talim Bay, Lian, Batangas and sought to quantify factors that relate to resistance (i.e., coral community structure) and recovery potential (i.e., coral recruitment, topography of the reef and historical data on mortality and recovery). The Bay was found to be dominated by bleaching-resistant coral species, suggesting high resistance to thermal stress. Recovery potential was also assessed to be high and was associated with the physical characteristics of the reef, the coral size structure, and the presence of adjacent reefs for reseeding. Sedimentation and nutrient loading were found to have a significant role in determining the status of the coral communities of Talim Bay. Insights from this resilience assessment may inform coastal communities of management measures which are necessary to alleviate stress on coral reefs to minimize coral reef degradation and phase shifts. Keywords—Coral community structure, Resilience, Climate Change