New Species Discovered On Aussie Reefs

Did you read the article on The Straits Times yesterday 20 Sep 08? Marine scientists said that they have discovered hundreds of new animal species on Ausse reefs (Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef). This is a wonderful achievement and I was thrilled with the pictures taken. When I was at Ninglaoo Reef in June 2008, this discovery was not known yet. Anway, I hope that when I next visit Ningaloo Reef, I have the opportunity to view some of the new species :)

I like this twisted nudibranch, (Chromodoris Elizabethina), on the reef face off Heron Island most. It is very bright and colourful.

About half of the 300 soft corals found are thought to be new discoveries, although they will only be given names and classified formally once the scientists have compared them against existing species. Unlike their hard-bodied cousins, soft corals do not build reefs but are nevertheless considered vital for the marine environment. These colourful animals can dominate some regions of the sea, covering up to 25 per cent of the ocean floor.

The latest discovery is a result of a four-year project centred on the extensive coral reefs of western and north-western Australia and is part of a larger effort to take a census of all marine life in the world, due to be finished in 2010. When complete, the census will be used as a "baseline" to try to quantify the rate at which species are becoming extinct in the marine environment. Coral reefs are considered to be the rainforests of the sea because of their rich biodiversity. It is estimated that something between one million and nine million species of marine creatures live in and around coral reefs, but scientists have little idea of the precise numbers.

Here is a dendronepthya soft coral

ans a colonial salp jellyfish

and a ctenophore or comb jellyfish

You can see more pictures on http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2008/sep/18/wildlife.australia?picture=337754721

4 Oct: "Secret Shores of Singapore" Talk at Sungei Buloh

My mum informed me of this talk which will be held on 4 Oct 08 by Ria Tan. She will share on the "Secret Shores of Singapore" through 300-600 recent photos and stories of adventures and discoveries on our living shores. From Changi to Tuas, Sentosa to the Sisters Islands and beyond. Nemos, sea snakes, living corals and more. Ria will also share about some of the threats to our shores, and the many ways ORDINARY PEOPLE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE about our little-known shores. I am sure we can learn from her as she is an ordinary person too.

I know your exams are coming, but if you can steal some time from your revisions, I encourage you to attend.

Time: 10.30am-12noon

Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/

Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

See more on http://wildsingaporehappenings.blogspot.com/2008/09/4-oct-sat-secret-shores-of-singapore.html

Make Singapore a Coral Haven

This newspaper article is extracted from My Paper published on 10 Sep 08. In the "Blue Plan" proposed by a group of marine conservationists, 10% of the reefs in Singapore should be turned into sanctuaries. These could be categorised into "no-go zones", where access is granted only for scientific purposes. Other areas with limited acess could be allowed, or opened under proper management. I strongly support this movement as it will help in the conservation of the marine life here.You can read more about coral reefs in Singapore at http://coralreef.nus.edu.sg/

What are Coral Reefs?

Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse marine eco-systems on the Earth! Many think that corals are plants, but they are actually animals.

A coral reef is composed of a calcereous exo-skeleton secreted by billions of tiny animals called polyps. Millions of polyps grow on top of the limestone remains of former colonies to create the massive reefs. It takes years for some corals to grow even one centimetre! They range in size from a pinhead to a few feet in length. Amazingly, these tiny animals form the only natural structure visible from space.

Each polyp lives in a symbiotic relationship with a type of algae, zooxanthellae, that gives the coral its colour.

Read more at: http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/rescuereef/explore/facts.html

The Coral Reef Ecosystem

The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species that interact with each other and the physical environment.They are perhaps one type of ecosystem that is neglected more than any other and is also one of the richest in biodiversity. That is why it is very important to protect these natural treasures.

Coral reefs create homes for many different types of animals, from crabs to fishes to turtles! They are like giant cities for marine life. Each and every species of animal in the reef relies on others to keep it alive, so you can imagine what will happen if the reefs are wiped out!

Ocean Threats

Coral reefs are being degraded by an accumulation of stresses arising from human activities and examples of these activities include:

Over-Fishing - There is an increasing demand for food fish and tourism curios, which resulted in over-fishing of not only deep-sea commercial fishes, but key reef species as well! The over-fishing of certain species near coral reefs can affect the ecological balance and biodiversity of the reefs. From subsistence level fishing to the live fish trade, inadequate fisheries management is forcing the decline of fish stocks.

Pollution - Pollution causes the damaging of reefs worldwide. The disposing of litter or unwanted items on beaches, in the sea or near storm drains can damage coral reefs when transported by rivers into coastal waters.

Corals are also affected by climate changes.

Coral Bleaching - This occurs when symbiosis between corals and their symbiotic zooxanthellae breaks down, resulting in the loss of the symbionts and a rapid whitening of the coral host (thus the term "bleaching"). This is actually a stress response by the coral that can be caused by various factors. But the more severe and frequent cases are caused by the rising of the sea surface temperature (SSTs).If the temperature decreases, there is a chance that the corals can recover; but if it persists, the whole colony could be wiped out.

The impacts from coral bleaching are becoming global in scale. They are also increasing in frequency and intensity. Mass coral bleaching generally happens when temperatures around coral reefs exceed 1o C above an area's historical norm for four or more weeks. Sea surface temperature increases have been strongly associated with El Niño weather patterns. However, light intensity, (during doldrums, i.e. flat calm conditions), also plays a critical role in triggering the bleaching response. If temperatures climb to more than 2o C for similar or longer periods, coral mortalities following bleaching will increase.

Other causes such as coral disease can also cause the deterioration of coral species. Most diseases occur in response to the onset of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. However, natural events and human-caused activities may exacerbate reef-forming corals' susceptibility to waterborne pathogens.

The Crown of Thorns Starfish(COTs) is a voracious coral reef predator. Populations of the COTs have increased since the 1970s and large outbreaks of starfish can occur wiping out huge tracks of coral reef. Few animals in the sea are willing to attack the spiny and toxic crown-of-thorns starfish, but some shrimp, worms and species of reef fish do feed on larvae or small adults. The decline of these predators, through over-harvesting and pollution, is one factor contributing to the rise in the population of the starfish.

How Fast Are The Reefs Disappearing?

Coral reefs are home to 25 percent of the world's marine fish species, and cover 1 percent of the Earth's surface. But they will be soon destroyed if we do not try to save them. Did you know that around 30 percent of the world's coral reefs are already damaged, some irreparably? At the present rate, by the year 2050, 70 percent of the world's reefs will have disappeared!

Coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region - where 75 percent of the world's reefs live - are now being destroyed at a rate of 1 percent a year. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it is actually twice as fast as the rate of destruction of tropical rainforests!

In the early 1980s, around 40 percent of the region's reefs hosted live coral -- today it is just 2 percent. Now do you see how disastrous the situation is?

Pulau Semakau 17 Aug 08 (Part 1 - Intertidal Walk, Corals)

On 17 Aug 08, I woke up at 3am to get ready for our trip to Pulau Semakau. My mother had signed us up for an intertidal walk organised by the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. What we saw was really unbelievable! This affirmed our belief that we need to save the reefs!

Look at all the hard and soft corals spotted! Are they fabulous? Would you have imagined that they can be found along Singapore's shorelines?