Made available in DSpace on 2014-11-10T11:09:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2014-04-30Bitstream added on 2014-11-10T11:57:37Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000795456.pdf: 2640420 bytes, checksum: a58739aae1a1c938df8b0938f723ea44 (MD5) / Das práticas artísticas coletivas, a música ocupa um papel de destaque, pois ela está presente entre os jovens em termos autobiográficos constituindo-se um poderoso instrumento de comunicação. Este estudo parte da necessidade de entender as culturas juvenis e seus modos de representação, principalmente no que se refere à escuta musical, de modo que esta preocupação possa indicar formas mais atrativas da prática do canto coral com jovens. Destacamos a importância desta prática como possibilidade de resgatar valores humanos quanto à sensibilidade, subjetividade e afetividade em contraposição aos problemas enfrentados atualmente pela sociedade quanto à alienação promovida pela mídia e pela indústria cultural, que muitas vezes ressaltam o que é superficial e passageiro em detrimento de relações mais profundas e permanentes da música como lazer ativo, capaz de promover experiências estéticas importantes, desencadear processos criativos e estimular aspectos de fruição. Para tanto nos reportamos à “Sociosofia” do cotidiano, desvelada nas teorias de José Machado Pais, Michel Maffesoli, Giles Deleuze, Félix Guattari e Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Destacamos ainda a prática coral juvenil como instrumento eficaz e acessível à Educação Musical na perspectiva de entender como dar-se-ia a inserção desta atividade em ambiente escolar. Consideramos a importância de centralizar o processo de aprendizagem no conhecimento musical do aluno/cantor para que sejam delineadas estratégias de intervenção que possam expandir essas referências por um processo de ressignificação da memória musical, promovendo diálogo entre as culturas popular e erudita. Nesta perspectiva foi imprescindível caracterizar o trabalho do regente coral transitando em ambientes formais (na escola), não formais ou informais (fora da escola) para identificar particularidades e condutas profissionais ajustadas ... / Among the collective artistic practices, music plays an important role because it is present among youth in autobiographical terms constituting a powerful communication tool. This study stems from the need to understand youth cultures and their modes of representation, especially in regard to music listening, so this concern may indicate more attractive forms of the choral singing practice with young people. We stress the importance of this activity as a mean to retrieve human values in what regards the sensibility, subjectivity and affectivity in contrast to the current problems faced by society such as the alienation promoted by media and the cultural industry, which often emphasize what is superficial and the fleeting rather than the deeper and permanent relations of music as a active leisure able to promote relevant ethic-aesthetic experiences, start creative processes and stimulating aspects of fruition. Therefore, we refer to the everyday Sociosophy unveiled in the theories of José Machado Pais, Michel Maffesoli, Giles Deleuze, Félix Guattari e Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. We also highlight the youth choir practice as an effective and accessible tool to music education from the perspective of understanding how to include this activity in the school environment. We consider the importance of centralizing the learning process in the student/singer's musical knowledge in order to outline strategies for intervention that can expand these references by a process of re-signification of the musical memory, promoting a dialogue between the scholarly and popular cultures. In this perspective it was essential to characterize the work of the choir conductor both in formal settings (in school), non-formal or informal (outside of school) to identify characteristics and professional behaviors adjusted to the Brazilian reality, noting that, in most cases, the choir is the only possible access to music literacy

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / As assembleias de peixes em ambientes recifais estÃo entre as mais diversas dos oceanos, sendo o estudo destes animais indispensÃvel para um melhor entendimento do ecossistema como um todo. Recentemente foi publicado um volume considerÃvel de trabalhos a respeito da ictiofauna recifal brasileira. Contudo, algumas regiÃes, como o estado do CearÃ, apresentam grande carÃncia de informaÃÃes bÃsicas. A presente pesquisa encontra-se dividida em dois tÃpicos principais, sÃo eles: 1. Estruturas das assembleias de peixes em trÃs ambientes recifais do Parque Estadual Marinho da Pedra da Risca do Meio (PRM), 2. Uma anÃlise zoogeogrÃfica dos peixes em ambientes recifais do Nordeste brasileiro. Para discutir ambos os assuntos, foram utilizados dados qualitativos (listas das espÃcies) e quantitativos (abundÃncia das espÃcies) obtidos em aproximadamente 210 mergulhos autÃnomos (SCUBA) em 13 ambientes recifais da costa cearense entre 16 e 35 metros de profundidade. As amostragens quantitativas foram realizadas em trÃs ambientes recifais dentro do PRM (Pedra Nova, Risca, AviÃo) entre outubro de 2002 e setembro de 2003 e foram baseadas em 63 censos visuais estacionÃrios, 21 em cada ponto. Para o PRM foram inventariadas 129 espÃcies de peixes sendo 6 elasmobrÃnquios e 123 teleÃsteos. Baseado em registros fotogrÃficos, foi elaborado um guia preliminar contendo 83 espÃcies de peixes do PRM. Foram registradas nos censos 11.140 ocorrÃncias de peixes sendo: 4.755 na Pedra Nova, 2.222 na Risca e 4.163 no AviÃo. As trÃs assembleias analisadas apresentaram padrÃes de ictiofauna significativamente diferenciados que provavelmente estÃo relacionados Ãs peculiaridades ambientais de cada local. TambÃm foram constatadas diferenÃas significativas nas assembleias dos trÃs locais, entre os dois perÃodos climÃticos existentes na regiÃo (seco e chuvoso). A anÃlise zoogeogrÃfica comparou ambientes recifais do CearÃ, Parcel do Manuel LuÃs (MaranhÃo), Risca do Zumbi (Rio Grande do Norte) ParaÃba (PA), Abrolhos (Bahia) e as ilhas oceÃnicas Atol das Rocas e ArquipÃlago de SÃo Pedro e SÃo Paulo. Foi observado que a composiÃÃo da ictiofauna recifal do Cearà apresenta considerÃvel semelhanÃa as dos estados prÃximos (Rio Grande do Norte e ParaÃba). Alem disso, os ambientes recifais continentais da regiÃo nordeste do Brasil suportam um nÃmero semelhante de espÃcies. / Meetings of fish in reef environments are among the most diverse of the oceans, and the study of these essential for a better understanding of the ecosystem as a whole animal. Recently published a considerable volume of studies regarding the Brazilian reef fish populations. However, some regions, such as the state of CearÃ, show great lack of basic information. This research is divided into two main topics are: 1. Structures of the Assemblies of fish in three reef environments of Pedra da Risca do Meio State Marine Park (PRM), 2. A zoogeographical analysis of fish in reef environments Northeast Brazil. Were used qualitative data (list of species) and quantitative (species abundance) obtained in approximately 210 scuba dives (SCUBA) in 13 reef environments of Cearà coast between 16 and 35 feet deep to discuss both matters. Quantitative samples were taken from three reef environments within the PRM (New Stone, Risca, Airplane) between October 2002 and September 2003 and were based on stationary visual census 63, 21 in each point. PRM to 129 species of fish and 6 elasmobranch and teleost 123 were inventoried. Based on photographic records, we designed a preliminary guide containing 83 fish species from the PRM. 11,140 occurrences of fish were being recorded in the censuses: 4755 New Stone, in 2222 and 4163 in Risca Airplane. The three assemblies analyzed showed significantly different patterns of fish populations that are probably related to the environmental characteristics of each site. Significant differences were also found in the assemblies of the three sites, existing between the two climatic periods in the region (dry and wet). A zoogeographical analysis compared reef environments of CearÃ, Parcel Manuel LuÃs (MaranhÃo), Risca Zombie (Rio Grande do Norte) ParaÃba (PA) Abrolhos (Bahia) and oceanic islands Archipelago and Rocas Atoll St Peter and St Paul . It was observed that the composition of the reef fish fauna of Cearà has considerable similarity to the nearby states (Rio Grande do Norte and ParaÃba). Moreover, the continental reef environments of northeastern Brazil support a similar number of species.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-03-31T15:55:37Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Edivaldo Lima PPGBA_2015.pdf: 1216837 bytes, checksum: a0087d1ed1223b4689da6194020ad828 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-31T15:55:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Edivaldo Lima PPGBA_2015.pdf: 1216837 bytes, checksum: a0087d1ed1223b4689da6194020ad828 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-28 / FACEPE / O pisoteio decorrente do tráfego de pedestres sobre os recifes de coral é um fenômeno associado ao turismo em muitas praias de Pernambuco. No ambiente fital o pisoteio pode afetar as algas e a fauna associada, modificando a estrutura das comunidades. O filo Tardigrada é componente permanente da meiofauna sendo encontrado no sedimento marinho e associado a macroalgas. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito do pisoteio sobre os tardígrados associados ao fital dos recifes de Porto de Galinhas, PE. Para isso delineou-se experimentos observacionais e manipulativos com intuito de avaliar o impacto do turismo e das simulações de pisoteio humano sobre a comunidade de Tardigrada. No primeiro experimento foram determinadas estações pareadas ao longo dos recifes, seguindo os limites entre a área protegida e a exposta ao trafego humano, avaliando se a comunidade diferia em consequência do pisoteio. Os tardígrados apresentaram abundâncias aparentemente condicionadas pelo tipo de substrato, mostrando reduções na densidade quando associados a Gelidiela acerosa, e exibindo maior densidade na área impactada quando associados Chodrophicus papillosus. Para o segundo experimento foram determinados transects na área protegida do recife e executados dois níveis de intensidade de pisoteio sobre o substrato recifal. A avaliação do efeito do pisoteio seguiu um desenho experimental BACI (Antes/Depois e Controle/Impacto), sendo as amostras coletadas para monitoramento do nível de recuperação da comunidade com um, dois e três meses após cessado o pisoteio. Como resultado deste trabalho, houve redução das variáveis do substrato algal (biomassa, cobertura, peso do substrato e altura do tapete) e também na densidade de Tardigrada, com valores seguindo uma tendência de redução tanto maior o nível de estresse. Variações locais, foram determinantes para a estrutura da comunidade de Tardigrada, dificultando a compreensão dos efeitos do impacto. O processo de recuperação foi independente da intensidade do distúrbio, alcançando valores estabilizados já no primeiro mês. / The trampling resulting from pedestrian traffic on coral reefs is a phenomenon associated with tourism in many beaches of Pernambuco. In phytal environment the trampling can affect the algae and associated fauna, modifying the structure of communities. The phylum Tardigrada is permanent component of the meiofauna being found in marine sediment and associated with macroalgae. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of trampling on tardigrades associated with the phytal of reefs of Porto de Galinhas, PE. For this were outlined observational and manipulative experiments in order to assess the impact of tourism and simulations of human trampling on the community of tardigrades. In the first experiment were paired certain stations along the reefs, following the boundaries of the protected area and exposed to human traffic, assessing whether the community differed as a result of trampling. The tardigrades presented abundances apparently conditioned by the type of substrate, showing reductions in density when associated with a Gelidiela acerosa, and exhibiting higher density in the impacted area when associated Chodrophicus papillosus. For the second experiment were determined transects in protected reef area and run two levels of intensity of trampling on reef substrate. The evaluation of the effect of trampling followed a experimental design BACI (Before / After and Control / Impact), being the samples collected for monitoring of the level of recovery of the community with one, two and three months after trampling ceased. As a result of this work, there was a reduction of the algal substrate variables (biomass, cover, substrate weight and turf height) and also the density of tardigrades, with values following a trend of greater reduction in both the level of stress. Local variations were crucial to the structure of the tardigrades community, making the understanding of the effects of the impact difficult. The recovery process was independent of the intensity of the disturbance, reaching values stabilized in the first month.

Submitted by Caroline Falcao (caroline.rfalcao@ufpe.br) on 2017-05-25T16:22:44Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Dissertação Biblioteca CTG _Isabela Leal2014.pdf: 1821915 bytes, checksum: 02d8b6e07baa301d973d284819756060 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-25T16:22:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Dissertação Biblioteca CTG _Isabela Leal2014.pdf: 1821915 bytes, checksum: 02d8b6e07baa301d973d284819756060 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-27 / Hidrocorais ramificados do gênero Millepora desempenham importantes papéis ecológicos nos recifes de corais do Atlântico Sul. De acordo com estudos anteriores uma grande proporção de espécies de peixes recifais usam as ramificações das colônias como abrigo, reprodução e / ou fonte de alimento. No entanto, pouca atenção tem sido dada à importância ecológica do coral- de-fogo em relação à ecologia da comunidade de peixes que vivem a eles associados e na competição intra / inter-específica de algumas espécies que ocorrem dentro do coral. O estudo foi divido em dois capítulos, sendo o primeiro com o objetivo de analisar como o volume das colônias de M. alcicornis e a competição exercida pelos indivíduos de Stegastes fuscus pode afetar a comunidade de peixes associadas ao hidrocoral. O segundo capítulo teve como objetivo comparar a eficiência do uso de diferentes metodologias (censo visual e câmera de vídeo) na observação da abundância e riqueza da comunidade de peixes associadas ao coral-de-fogo M. alcicornis. Para análises do primeiro capítulo, o presente estudo analisou a influência do tamanho das colônias do coral (volume - m3) e a presença competitiva da espécie Stegastes fuscus na comunidade de peixes recifais associados às ramificações dos corais-de- fogo. De setembro de 2012 a abril 2013 estudos foram realizados no recife “Ilha do Norte” localizado no litoral de Tamandaré-PE. 20 colônias do corais-de-fogo M. alcicornis foram marcadas e medidas, buscando assim relacionar o volume da colônia com abundância e a riqueza das espécies associadas. Os resultados mostraram que a abundância e a riqueza dos peixes foram diretamente correlacionadas com volume colônias. Dentre as espécies associadas, Stegastes fuscus foi a mais abundante. Essa espécie mostrou visíveis mudanças de comportamento, quando associadas às colônias, a depender do tamanho do corpo. Por exemplo, indivíduos menores de 6 cm foram vistos com maior frequência abrigando-se e alimentando-se de corais e indivíduos maiores de 6 cm realizando interações agonísticas, alimentando-se de algas e nadando ao redor do coral. Herbívoros errantes, onívoros e comedores de invertebrados sésseis foram as guildas tróficas que os indivíduos de S. fuscus preferiram manter interações agonísticas, provavelmente devido à sobreposição alimentar. Colônias muito grandes mostraram ser importantes locais de abrigo para os indivíduos de S. fuscus de menores que 6 cm. O comportamento agonístico foi mais frequente em colônias categorizadas como muito grandes. Os demais padrões também variaram a depender do volume da colônia. O presente estudo forneceu a primeira evidência de que através da competição, a presença S.fuscus pode afetar na comunidade de peixes associadas com as colônias de M. alcicornis. Os resultados também indicam que os indivíduos de S. fuscus usam as colônias de corais-de-fogo como parte de seu território, abrigo e recurso alimentar. Para análises do segundo capítulo, observações foram realizadas a partir de setembro de 2012 a abril de 2013, também no recife “Ilha do Norte”. Nove colônias de M. alcicornis de diferentes tamanhos foram escolhidas para análise e os dois tipos de metodologias (censo visual e câmera de vídeo) foram utilizadas. Três réplicas de cada método de análise foram utilizadas em cada colônia estudada. A fim de evitar possíveis erros metodológicos, os dois tipos de metodologias foram realizadas sob as mesmas condições de maré, hora do dia e época do ano. A riqueza e abundância dos peixes recifais associados às colônias do coral-de-fogo foram analisadas tanto pelo censo visual quanto pelo uso de câmera de vídeo. Os resultados indicam que ambas as metodologias registraram números semelhantes de abundância e riqueza de espécies em cada colônia, não havendo assim diferença significativa a depender do método utilizado. Contudo, pequenas diferenças relacionadas com a capacidade do uso de cada método foram observadas. Pode-se afirmar que os dois tipos de metodologias utilizadas foram eficazes na observação dos peixes associados às colônias de M. alcicornis. / Branching hydrocorals from the genus Millepora play important ecological roles in South Atlantic reefs, where branching scleractinians are absent. According to previous studies, a high proportion of reef fish species use branching fire-coral colonies as shelter, breeding and/or feeding sites. Nevertheless, little attention has been given to the ecological importance of branching fire-corals in regards to determinants of fish association and intra/interspecific competition. The study was divided into two chapters, the first being with the aim of examining how the volume of colonies of M. alcicornis and the competition performed by the individuals Stegastes fuscus can affect the fish community associated with hydrocoral. The second chapter aimed to compare the efficiency of using different methodologies (visual census and video camera) on the observation of abundance and richness of the fish community associated with the fire coral M alcicornis. The first chapter analyzed the influence of coral colony size (colonies volume - m3) and presence of a high-competitive and extremely aggressive damselfish (Brazilian endemic Stegastes fuscus) on the reef fish community associated with branching fire-corals M. alcicornis. From September 2012 to April 2013 surveys were conducted on tagged fire-coral colonies at Tamandaré Reefs, Northeast Brazil. The abundance and richness of coral-associated fish was directly correlated with M. alcicornis coral colonies volume. S. fuscus was the most abundant species associated with colonies showing noticeable behavioral ontogenetic shifts according to body size (e.g. individuals smaller than 6 cm sheltering and feeding on corals and individuals larger than 6 cm performing agonistic interactions, feeding on algae and swimming around the coral). Roving herbivores, omnivores and sessile invertebrate feeders were the trophic guilds that suffered the most with agonistic interactions, probably due food overlap. Very large colonies show to be important places of refuge for individuals of S. fuscus smaller than 6 cm. The agonistic behaviors were more frequent in proportion to the volume of the colonies increased. The other behavior patterns also showed variation depending on the volume of the colony. The present study provided the first evidence that through competition, S.fuscus presence may affect reef fish associated with M. alcicornis. The results also indicate that S. fuscus individuals use M. alcicornis coral colonies as part of their territory for shelter and foraging. For analysis of the second chapter, the richness and abundance of associated reef fishes presented non-significant difference depending on the used methodology. The present study represented the first one investigating the use of different methodologies and their influence in the abundance and richness species associated with coral colonies.

[pt] O presente trabalho aborda as determinações de idades de espeleotemas e corais, usando o método de desequilíbrio da série urânio, mais especificamente, o método de deficiência de filhos daughter deficient DD, em particular o método 230Th/234U. Foram testadas diferentes metodologias empregando separação por extração cromatográfica e quantificação por espectrometria alfa e ICP-MS. Foram testados três procedimentos diferentes: separação em batelada empregando-se colunas com Tri-octil óxido de fosfina (TOPO) em silica- gel e a coluna TRU comercializada pela Eichrom(R), composta de octil-N,N,- isobutil carbamoil óxido de fosfina dissolvido em fosfato de tributila (TBP) e quantificação por espectrometria alfa; separação em batelada com os mesmos sistemas mas quantificação por ICP-MS e separação em linha (flow injection) com cartuchos de TRU e quantificação por ICP-MS. As metodologias desenvolvidas foram validadas empregando-se amostras de referência certificada, IAEA-327 (solo) tendo sido obtidas incertezas de 2% para o método empregando a separação em linha (flow injection) com cartuchos de TRU e quantificação por ICP-MS. As amostras de espeleotema analisadas foram coletadas no Carste de Lagoa Santa, MG, pelo grupo do Prof. Luis Piló (USP) e suas idades variaram de 15,2±2,2 kanos a >350 kanos. Estes valores estão na faixa dos valores encontrados na literatura para amostras de espeleotema coletadas pelo mesmo grupo na mesma região. A amostra de coral, coletada na Bacia de Campos (RJ) era da espécie Lophelia pertusa, foi subdividida segundo suas ramificações (primária, secundária e terciária) e o ramo principal foi datado em 9,4 ± 0,3 kanos. / [en] This paper discusses the age determination of speleothems and corals using Uranium-series- imbalance method, more specifically the daughter deficient method - DD, particularly the 230Th/234U method. Different methodologies were tested using chromatographic extraction separation and quantification by alpha spectrometry and ICP-MS. Three different procedures were tested: batch separation using columns with Tri-N-Octylphosphine Oxide (TOPO) in silica gel and TRU column commercialized by Eichrom(R) composed of octyl-N,N,-isobutyl carbamoylphosphine oxide dissolved in tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) and with quantification by alpha spectrometry; batch separation with the same systems, but with quantification by ICP-MS; and flow injection with TRU cartridges and qualification by ICP-MS. The methodologies developed were verified using certified reference samples, IAEA-327 (soil) with 2% imprecision rate for the method using flow injection with TRU cartridges and qualification by ICP-MS. The speleothem samples analyzed were collected at Carste de Lagoa Santa, in the state of Minas Gerais, by Prof. Luis Piló`s (USP) group, and their ages varied from 15,2±2,2 kyears to >350 kyears. These numbers are within the range found in the literature for speleothem samples collected by the same group in the same region. The coral sample, collected at Bacia de Campos (RJ), and from the Lophelia pertusa species, was subdivided according to its ramifications (primary, secondary and tertiary), and the main ramification dated 9,4 ± 0,3 kyears.

This thesis provides a detailed analysis of the growth and survivorship of outplanted Acropora cervicornis corals from underwater nurseries within three regions of the Florida Reef Tract. Substantial loss of stony coral cover on Florida’s coral reefs, including the branching staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, has occurred for decades due to disturbances such as disease, temperature induced bleaching, hurricanes, sedimentation, and pollution. This rapid population decline contributed to A. cervicornis being listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in May 2006. To aid in the recovery of the species, coral fragments were grown in underwater nurseries and outplanted to selected sites located within unique cross-shelf zones in the Upper Florida Keys, Lower Keys, and Biscayne regions. This study evaluated the regional and zonal variation in growth and survivorship of known genotypes of outplanted A. cervicornis corals to better inform future large-scale restoration projects. The zone in which corals of A. cervicornis were outplanted to had a more significant effect on growth than the coral genotype. The forereef zone within the Upper and Lower Keys regions and the mid-channel zone in the Biscayne region had significantly higher mean growth rates. When comparing growth rates of genotypes that performed best, high growth, in the Lower Keys nursery, these same genotypes did not perform the best at any of the outplant sites. Survivorship was not significantly different in any of the regions. Based on these results, future coral outplantings focused in the forereef and mid-channel zones would maximize growth. Choosing coral genotypes based on their high growth rates in the nursery does not ensure the same high growth rates when outplanted.

Coral colonies, from a reef near Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), were counted and assessed for condition using photo-transects. An epidemic model, used to track how a communicable disease moves through a population, was constructed to help predict the future condition of this coral reef. In situ data from a disease outbreak that occurred in September 2011 provided a baseline for the model. Coral Populations of Porites, Platygyra, Acropora and Dipsastrea were modelled using condition categories that included Healthy, Black Band Disease Infected, Cyanobacteria Infected, Recovered, Recruits or Dead. Results from the modelling indicate that populations of Platygyra and Dipsastrea are healthy and growing, even with continued presence of diseases, due to the high rates of recovery (chance for host colony to overcome infection; high recovery rate = high chance of colony recovering from the infection) and low mortality rates (chance of dying from an infection; low mortality rate = low chance of a infected colony dying from the infection) in the genus. Porites showed no signs of population growth, but stabilized near its initial population size, despite having a high infection rate because population growth (recruitment) and recovery rate were canceled by a high mortality rate. Acropora showed a loss in population numbers over time, losing 25% of its population before the disease was eliminated. Diseases may have been eliminated from the Acropora population because population density was low and coral died quickly after becoming infected with a disease, due to the high mortality rate of this genus, before infecting other colonies. Acropora was the only genus to display what seems to be a density dependent infection rate, since chance of infection was reduced and then eliminated by the rapid mortality of infected colonies, if the population was higher disease spread may have been higher. In addition to results obtained using in situ data, higher modified infection rates were used to assess how they might impact these coral populations. Results suggest that all four genera seem to be resilient, shown by in situ modeling and parameters extracted from the phototransects, and able to withstand acute (rapid increase of infection rate which was then again quickly brought back to normal infection rate, an infection “spike”) increases of disease infection, which is shown by either a high recovery rate (Dipsastrea and Platygyra), a high recruitment/low mortality rate (Porites), or a high mortality rate (Acropora) that may not allow for the diseases to spread. However, all four genera would be slowly driven to extinction by a sustained (chronic) increase of disease infection rate brought on by growing stressors such as an increase in average water temperature or pollutants within the Gulf. These results demonstrate fragility of Gulf coral genera when exposed to chronic episodes of disease, which over time causes total collapse of the coral populations.

Transplanted coral (Order: Scleractinia) colony condition was surveyed at five injury event sites, two coral nurseries, and one impact minimization location off the coast of Broward County, Florida, USA in 2012. Because stony corals are long-lived and slow growing, generally growing less than one centimeter in diameter per year, determining transplantation success requires long-term (greater than two years) monitoring. Long-term monitoring efforts, however, are rarely completed. This study is unique in that it examined stony coral transplantation success of several projects over a time period of 6-17 years. Control colonies were also surveyed in order to compare naturally growing coral colonies to the experimental (transplanted) colonies. Because the transplantation activities at the projects examined in this study occurred over a long time period (oldest population occurred 17 years prior to this study and the youngest occurred six years), colony percent partial mortality was used as a measure of success (colony condition). A successful effort should result in transplanted colonies experiencing partial morality similar to that of control colonies over extended periods of time. The control colonies used came from Broward County Annual Monitoring sites, and the M/V Firat and the C/V Hind ship grounding sites. The experimental colonies used came from five injury events (C/V Hind, Clipper Lasco, M/V Firat, and M/V Spar Orion ship grounding sites and Hillsboro Cable Drag location), two stony coral nurseries (DERM Modules and Warren Modules), and one impact minimization location (Broward County Mitigation Boulders). With all control colonies pooled and experimental colonies pooled, no significant differences in colony partial mortality were found between the experimental and control colonies. Once each experimental coral colony was reattached to the substrate, it generally appeared similar to the control colonies; the mean percent mortality for control colonies was 50% (2.95 ±SE) and the mean percent mortality for experimental colonies was 56% (1.24 ±SE). However, differences were found between stony coral species within each treatment (control and experimental). Colony mortality for identified control corals was greatest for Porites astreoides, Siderastrea siderea, and Montastrea annularis complex. For experimental colonies, S. siderea and P. astreoides had the most mortality. The least mortality of the control corals were found in Montastrea cavernosa, Solenastrea bournoni, and Meandrina meandrites. Of the experimental colonies, S. bournoni, M. meandrites, and Montastrea annularis complex had the least mortality. Resource managers need to consider colony transplantation location, coral species, and percent initial colony mortality when allocating efforts for injury and impact minimization events. Also, project initial restoration and final reports documenting transplantation locations and colony species, size and/or mortality should to be more detailed; this would be beneficial for future monitoring efforts.

Visible lesions on coral colonies are potential indicators that environmental stressors are influencing a reef. To test this hypothesis, pairs of near-shore reefs on Taiwan were surveyed along an anthropogenically influenced gradient that included locations near the cities of Taipei and Taitung, and more remote reefs off Green Island. Two fringing reefs at Sanya, Hainan Island, a popular Chinese resort area, were also assessed. Field surveys were undertaken to detect, quantify and visually describe the occurrence of lesions at each site. Coral mucus samples were collected from both normal-appearing polyps and lesion-afflicted areas of colonies to assess carbon requirements of associated microbes. Tissue samples were also collected to identify bacterial communities inhabiting healthy tissue for comparison with those associated with lesions; denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 16S rRNA sequencing for bacterial identification were utilized in these analyses. In addition, tissue samples were collected in the vicinity of lesions and prepared for histological examination. At sites in Taiwan, lesions were encountered twice as often at the sites near Taipei and Taitung than at Green Island. The fewest (15/72 sightings) lesions were encountered at the reefs near Sanya, primarily because there has been nearly an 80% loss of coral cover at Sanya in recent decades. Overall, tissue loss was the most common lesion recorded (52%), followed by pink discoloration (27%) and color loss (i.e., bleaching, 15%). Porites was the taxon most commonly observed with one or more lesions (45% of sightings). Microbes within mucus from lesioned areas utilized similar carbon sources as microbes from mucus from healthy polyps, but utilized those sources more than twice as often. Examples of carbon sources utilized by microbes in >50% of the lesion samples were D-cellobiose, D-mannitol, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, alpha-cyclodextrin, and glycogen. Bacterial assemblages on corals were significantly different between Taiwan and China, among sites, and between water samples and coral samples, but not between healthy samples and lesions. Bacterial sequences identified in tissue samples from lesions revealed the presence of well-known disease-related genera, such as Clostridium and Vibrio. Microbes specifically indicating anthropogenic sources, included Bacillus sp. (sewage sludge) and Geobacillus thermolevorans (irritable bowel syndrome). Histological examination of tissue samples, particularly those from lesions characterized as tissue loss, revealed fragmentation and detachment from the mesoglea of gastrodermis and epidermis, as well as brown granular material, and the presence of ciliates and small crustaceans. Corals are susceptible to a variety of diseases. For reefs in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, occurrences of lesions and characterization of coral diseases have been relatively well documented. In contrast, many areas in the vast Indo-Pacific, including the reefs of Taiwan and China, have received much less attention. This study of lesions and associated microbiomes on nearshore reefs of Taiwan and Hainan Island supports previous research that has revealed higher incidences of coral lesions and disease in reefs near extensive human populations. The results also support the hypothesis that many of the microbes associated with coral lesions are part of the natural coral microbiome and that some microbes can become opportunistic when the host corals are stressed.

Worldwide, coral cover has declined at rates that have often exceeded 5% per year since the 1980’s. Populations of scleractinians (stony corals) in the Florida Keys reef tract have declined as well, with some communities declining at rates > 3% per year. Decreased water quality (e.g., steady increases in the ocean water temperatures and increased pollution, nutrients, or water turbidity due to coastal runoff) are commonly attributed to this decline. But actual linkages between variability and trends in these environmental parameters, and in stony coral diversity and ecosystem functions such as net community production, have not yet been well characterized. With this research, I examined the influence of water quality (water temperature, nutrients and turbidity) on stony coral diversity and net community productivity in shallow-water reef ecosystems of the Florida Keys between 1996 and 2010. Differences in stony coral diversity in Florida Keys patch reefs with respect to sea surface temperature (SST) variability are evaluated in Chapter Two. Habitat-specific differences in stony coral diversity with respect to changes in a suite of environmental parameters (water turbidity, nutrients, water temperature and depth) are addressed in Chapter Three. Differences in daytime net community production and light-adapted stony coral photosynthetic efficiencies among three reef sites with different turbidity levels and seasons (May and October) are presented in Chapter Four. Environmental parameters examined to characterize the differences in stony coral diversity across the Florida Reef Tract included satellite-derived sea surface temperature [SST] and Degree Heating Weeks [DHWs], field observations of bio-optical properties of the water, and nutrient concentrations. These parameters were compared with live coral cover and species richness, net community production, and coral photo-physiological observations. In Chapter Two, I found that stony coral cover and diversity was higher in patch reefs of the Florida Keys relative to offshore and deeper reefs. Generally, patch reefs were characterized by intermediate to high SST variability (≥7.0°C2). Intermediate SST variance (7.0–10.9°C2) was correlated with higher diversity indices for patch reefs of the Upper (Shannon Diversity: 1.2–1.5) and Middle Keys (Species Richness: 13–19), suggesting that stony coral species in these habitats are either adapted to intermediate temperature ranges or thermal acclimation has taken place for individual colonies. Additionally, I found that found that years for which cold and warm-water extremes coincided (i.e., highest SST variance), such as 1997-98 and 2009-2010, led to significant reductions in both H’ and SR. Coral bleaching and mortality were associated with exposure to cold- and warm-water temperature extremes and the combination of both extremes were associated with reductions in stony coral diversity. The highest species richness and abundance were found in patch reefs of the Middle Keys, despite exposure to the warmest water-temperature anomaly events (as indicated by DHWs exceeding the coral bleaching threshold of 4) observed during the summers of 1998 and 2010. In Chapter Three, I found that the environmental parameters that best explained the differences in stony coral diversity (species composition and abundance) on patch reefs of the Florida Keys were water turbidity, nutrients, surface water temperature, % surface oxygen saturation and chlorophyll a concentrations averaged over a period of 24 months, along with depth (F = 4.4, R2 = 0.66, R2adj. = 0.40, p < 0.05). Surface water turbidity and depth were the most relevant environmental parameters driving the differences in stony coral diversity (R2 = 0.17, p < 0.05, R2 = 0.10, p < 0.05, respectively). The influence of these environmental parameters decreased towards offshore shallow and deep reefs. In the Florida Keys, stony coral diversity was the highest at patch reefs of the Middle and Lower Keys where exposed to higher water turbidity and nutrients than those in the Upper Keys located in clearer waters. This suggests that, at long-term scales, corals in patch reef environments exposed to higher water turbidity and water temperature variabilities (as reported in Chapter Two) might be better able to withstand thermal and light-induced stress. Moreover, a short-term study (described in Chapter Four) indicated that the net community production (NEP) was similar among sites with different water turbidity levels (i.e., Cheeca Rocks and Crocker Reef; Upper Keys and Sugarloaf Key; Lower Keys) and seasons (May or October). However, the light-adapted photosynthetic efficiencies (F/Fm’) varied spatiotemporally. The highest F/Fm’ values (0.57–0.69) were found at the nearshore patch reef of Sugarloaf Key, Lower Keys, in October 2012. At this patch reef, high light attenuation (Kd (488) = 0.12 m-1) was associated with absorption by colored dissolved organic matter and exacerbated by particulates following thunderstorms. The lowest F/Fm’ values ( This study represents a baseline against which future observations on coral reef biodiversity and net community production in the Florida Keys reef tract may be evaluated.