Last species standing: loss of Pocilloporidae corals associated with coastal urbanization in a tropical city state

Rosa Celia Poquita-Du; Zheng Bin Randolph Quek; Sudhanshi Sanjeev Jain; Sebastian Schmidt-Roach; Karenne Tun; Eliza C. Heery; Loke Ming Chou; Peter A. Todd; Danwei Huang

doi:10.1007/s12526-019-00939-x

Last species standing: loss of Pocilloporidae corals associated with coastal urbanization in a tropical city state

Rosa Celia Poquita-Du, Zheng Bin Randolph Quek, Sudhanshi Sanjeev Jain, Sebastian Schmidt-Roach, Karenne Tun, Eliza C. Heery, Loke Ming Chou, Peter A. Todd, Danwei Huang

Biological, Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Coral reefs worldwide are facing multiple severe stressors leading to ecosystem degradation, but local extinctions of species are not well documented. Here, we track the diversity of Pocilloporidae Gray, 1840 coral species—many of which are known to be sensitive to environmental disturbances—on Singapore reefs through time, integrating information from taxonomically verified museum specimens, careful examination of the literature, and DNA sequences. We found that more Pocilloporidae species were detected in the past than at present. A total of five species were historically recorded under Pocillopora Lamarck, 1816; Seriatopora Lamarck, 1816; and Stylophora Schweigger, 1820. Among the five species, only Pocillopora acuta Lamarck, 1816 appears to remain on Singapore reefs. The absence of Seriatopora for over half a century and the recent losses of Stylophora and the other species of Pocillopora are likely caused by habitat loss and other stressors associated with coastal urbanization, which have been further exacerbated by recent bleaching events.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1727-1741
Number of pages	15
Journal	Marine Biodiversity
Volume	49
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-019-00939-x
State	Published - Feb 21 2019

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements: We especially thank Chua Keng Soon (LKCNHM) and Stephen Cairns (USNM) for assistance with loans, imaging, and cataloging of specimens. We would also like to acknowledge Sin Tsai Min and Lee Ai Chin Michelle from the Tropical Marine Science Institute for additional information on Pocillopora corals in Singapore reefs. Many thanks to Pang Hui En from Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory and members of the Reef Ecology Laboratory at the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, for fieldwork and laboratory support. The comments from James Guest, three anonymous reviewers and Associate Editor Bert Hoeksema greatly improved this paper. Funding: This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Marine Science Research and Development Programme (Award Nos. MSRDP-P03 and MSRDP-P05).

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10.1007/s12526-019-00939-x

Cite this

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title = "Last species standing: loss of Pocilloporidae corals associated with coastal urbanization in a tropical city state",

abstract = "Coral reefs worldwide are facing multiple severe stressors leading to ecosystem degradation, but local extinctions of species are not well documented. Here, we track the diversity of Pocilloporidae Gray, 1840 coral species—many of which are known to be sensitive to environmental disturbances—on Singapore reefs through time, integrating information from taxonomically verified museum specimens, careful examination of the literature, and DNA sequences. We found that more Pocilloporidae species were detected in the past than at present. A total of five species were historically recorded under Pocillopora Lamarck, 1816; Seriatopora Lamarck, 1816; and Stylophora Schweigger, 1820. Among the five species, only Pocillopora acuta Lamarck, 1816 appears to remain on Singapore reefs. The absence of Seriatopora for over half a century and the recent losses of Stylophora and the other species of Pocillopora are likely caused by habitat loss and other stressors associated with coastal urbanization, which have been further exacerbated by recent bleaching events.",

author = "Poquita-Du, {Rosa Celia} and Quek, {Zheng Bin Randolph} and Jain, {Sudhanshi Sanjeev} and Sebastian Schmidt-Roach and Karenne Tun and Heery, {Eliza C.} and Chou, {Loke Ming} and Todd, {Peter A.} and Danwei Huang",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements: We especially thank Chua Keng Soon (LKCNHM) and Stephen Cairns (USNM) for assistance with loans, imaging, and cataloging of specimens. We would also like to acknowledge Sin Tsai Min and Lee Ai Chin Michelle from the Tropical Marine Science Institute for additional information on Pocillopora corals in Singapore reefs. Many thanks to Pang Hui En from Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory and members of the Reef Ecology Laboratory at the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, for fieldwork and laboratory support. The comments from James Guest, three anonymous reviewers and Associate Editor Bert Hoeksema greatly improved this paper. Funding: This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister{\textquoteright}s Office, Singapore under its Marine Science Research and Development Programme (Award Nos. MSRDP-P03 and MSRDP-P05).",

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doi = "10.1007/s12526-019-00939-x",

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T1 - Last species standing: loss of Pocilloporidae corals associated with coastal urbanization in a tropical city state

AU - Poquita-Du, Rosa Celia

AU - Quek, Zheng Bin Randolph

AU - Jain, Sudhanshi Sanjeev

AU - Schmidt-Roach, Sebastian

AU - Tun, Karenne

AU - Heery, Eliza C.

AU - Chou, Loke Ming

AU - Todd, Peter A.

AU - Huang, Danwei

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements: We especially thank Chua Keng Soon (LKCNHM) and Stephen Cairns (USNM) for assistance with loans, imaging, and cataloging of specimens. We would also like to acknowledge Sin Tsai Min and Lee Ai Chin Michelle from the Tropical Marine Science Institute for additional information on Pocillopora corals in Singapore reefs. Many thanks to Pang Hui En from Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory and members of the Reef Ecology Laboratory at the Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, for fieldwork and laboratory support. The comments from James Guest, three anonymous reviewers and Associate Editor Bert Hoeksema greatly improved this paper. Funding: This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Marine Science Research and Development Programme (Award Nos. MSRDP-P03 and MSRDP-P05).

PY - 2019/2/21

Y1 - 2019/2/21

N2 - Coral reefs worldwide are facing multiple severe stressors leading to ecosystem degradation, but local extinctions of species are not well documented. Here, we track the diversity of Pocilloporidae Gray, 1840 coral species—many of which are known to be sensitive to environmental disturbances—on Singapore reefs through time, integrating information from taxonomically verified museum specimens, careful examination of the literature, and DNA sequences. We found that more Pocilloporidae species were detected in the past than at present. A total of five species were historically recorded under Pocillopora Lamarck, 1816; Seriatopora Lamarck, 1816; and Stylophora Schweigger, 1820. Among the five species, only Pocillopora acuta Lamarck, 1816 appears to remain on Singapore reefs. The absence of Seriatopora for over half a century and the recent losses of Stylophora and the other species of Pocillopora are likely caused by habitat loss and other stressors associated with coastal urbanization, which have been further exacerbated by recent bleaching events.

AB - Coral reefs worldwide are facing multiple severe stressors leading to ecosystem degradation, but local extinctions of species are not well documented. Here, we track the diversity of Pocilloporidae Gray, 1840 coral species—many of which are known to be sensitive to environmental disturbances—on Singapore reefs through time, integrating information from taxonomically verified museum specimens, careful examination of the literature, and DNA sequences. We found that more Pocilloporidae species were detected in the past than at present. A total of five species were historically recorded under Pocillopora Lamarck, 1816; Seriatopora Lamarck, 1816; and Stylophora Schweigger, 1820. Among the five species, only Pocillopora acuta Lamarck, 1816 appears to remain on Singapore reefs. The absence of Seriatopora for over half a century and the recent losses of Stylophora and the other species of Pocillopora are likely caused by habitat loss and other stressors associated with coastal urbanization, which have been further exacerbated by recent bleaching events.

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U2 - 10.1007/s12526-019-00939-x

DO - 10.1007/s12526-019-00939-x

M3 - Article

SN - 1867-1616

VL - 49

SP - 1727

EP - 1741

JO - Marine Biodiversity

JF - Marine Biodiversity

IS - 4

ER -

Last species standing: loss of Pocilloporidae corals associated with coastal urbanization in a tropical city state

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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