Susceptibility of Corals to Growth Anomaly at Waiopae Tide Pools, Hawaii

1
Susceptibility of Corals to Growth Anomaly at
Waiopae Tide Pools, Hawaii Misaki Takabayashi,
T. Makani Gregg, Eva Farah, Kaikaika Teves, S.
Kehaunani Tom Marine Science Department,
University of Hawaii at Hilo ltmisakita_at_hawaii.edu
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A sacred place for corals in Native Hawaiian
culture In the Hawaiian creation chant, the
Kumulipo, corals are depicted as the first
organism to arise in the ocean and on earth. So
corals were thought of as a god, and from her all
other life is born. In the first chapter of the
Kumulipo Hanau Kumulipo I ka po, he
kane, Hanau Poele I ka po, he wahine, Hanau ka
ukukoakoa, Hanau kana, he akoakoa,
puka (Kumulipo born in the night, a
male, Poele born in the night, a female, A coral
polyp was born, from which was born a perforated
coral) Liliuokalani, 1897
Study Site

• Coral reefs in Hawaii
• Hawaii islands, and thus coral reefs
  surrounding them, are the most remote and
  isolated islands and reefs in the world.
• Of the 60 species of scleractinian corals found
  in Hawaii, approximately 25 are endemic to this
  island chain.
• Local decline in reef health may have more
  long-lasting repercussions than in other places
  around the world.

Fig. 1 Map location the study site and photos
depicting the physical environment of the tide
pools

• Environment
• Substrate porous basaltic lava (most recent lava
  flow in 1960)
• Tide pools ranging in 5 - 50m radius, 0.5 - 7.5m
  depth, with varying levels of connectivity to
  open water
• Up to 70 coral cover
• 12 coral species commonly found

Background
Marine Life Conservation District Located within
the Waiopae tide pools is a Marine Life
Conservation District (MLCD) with a high
abundance of corals and fish where no taking or
gathering of any kind is allowed. However, the
MLCD tide pools are more accessible and receives
more recreational human use than the non-MLCD
tide pools.
Feb 2007 May 2007 Aug 2007 Nov 2007
Feb 2008 May 2008
M. capitata 2 Initially, colony had numerous
growth anomalies with tissues still intact (Feb
07). Anomalous growths progressively lost tissue
over time until the entire colony was dead (May
08).
M. capitata 7 Colony was initially mostly
healthy except for two anomalous growths in the
middle (arrow). The size of these growths did not
change relative to the entire colony during our
study.
Case studies
M. capitata 11 Colony remained completely
healthy during our study.
Results
Inside vs. Outside MLCD
Species-specific vulnerability
Is Waiopae an anomaly?
Temporal changes
(a)
(b)
Fig. 3 Number of coral colonies (all species
included) exhibiting different conditions (a)
inside Waiopae Marine Life Conservation
District and (b) outside Waiopae Marine Life
Conservation District
Fig.5 Increases in the proportion of colony areas
occupied by skeletal growth anomaly in the three
Montipora species at Waiopae tide pools from
February ?07 to April ?08
Fig. 4 Comparison of prevalence of healthy corals
surveyed in February 2007 and April 2008 at
Waiopae tide pools, by genera
Fig.2 Susceptibility to different conditions in
different coral species found at Waiopae tide
pools
Fig.6 Prevalence of Montipora colonies with
skeletal growth anomaly at five sites around
Hawaii Island.
The prevalence of healthy corals decreased in all
coral genera, except for Pavona, from February
2007 to April 2008 in Waiopae tide pools with
Montipora and Porites having the lowest health
rates (Fig. 4). Mean areas of Montipora colonies
occupied by skeletal growth anomaly increased 0.8
-3.9 during the same period (Fig. 5). Not all
Montipora colonies succumb to anomalous growths
(Case Studies).
All unhealthy coral conditions found in both
inside and outside of Waiopae Marine Life
Conservation District (MLCD Fig. 3). Higher
(plt0.05) prevalence of skeletal growth anomaly
found inside MLCD (Fig. 3).
Preliminary surveys suggest that the high
prevalence of skeletal growth anomalies in
Montipora spp. at Waiopae is an anomaly among
sites around Hawaii Island (Fig. 6).
Several unhealthy conditions found in corals at
Waiopae tide pools (Fig. 2). Montipora spp. are
significantly more susceptible to skeletal growth
anomaly Porites to trematodiasis than others
genera (plt0.05).
Summary
Acknowledgements Keaholoa STEM Program (NSF TCUP)
provided internship opportunities for T.M.G. and
S.K.T.. Luis Stokes Alliance (NSF IOA) provided
internship opportunities for E.F. and K.T.