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Oil Refinery Impacts on Coral Reef Communities in Aruba, N.A.
C. Mark Eakin, Joshua S. Feingold, and Peter Glynn
[Chapter Abstract]
From 1925 to 1985, Lago Oil and Transport Co. operated a transshipping terminal and refinery on the southeastern coast of Aruba, N.A. This facility has affected the nearshore marine ecosystem through both oil contamination at the harbor and tanker berths, and from disturbance related to shipping, dredging and construction. The impact of this facility on nearby coral reef communities was studied from January 1987 to August 1989. This included an analysis of reef community structure comparing sites adjacent to the refinery with those upstream and downstream, the modern and historical growth of the predominant coral species, and recruitment of new corals. Both upstream and downstream control sites were in good health and exhibited high diversity. In contrast, reefs adjacent to the refinery exhibited low density and diversity of live corals and abundant dead coral rubble. Additionally, periods of construction in the inner harbor and on surrounding spoil islands and high refinery activity corresponded well with periods of reduced coral growth near the refinery. Although the relative importance of oil contamination, sedimentation and other anthropogenic effects is uncertain, our observations suggest that sedimentation and other physical stress resulted in substantial reductions in environmental quality at the disturbed sites. Coral recruitment at the highly impacted sites showed hope for recovery if these environments are protected from renewed perturbation.
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Circadian Rhythms in Fishes and Their Implications for Research
Richard E. Spieler
This book discusses the care and use of fish, amphibians and reptiles in research. These species are used as important research models in many different biomedical disciplines. Little has been written about their humane and responsible care in a research environment. This book also discusses anaesthesia, analgesia, euthanasia, handling, husbandry, nutrition, behaviour, disease, field research and medicine for the different species of fish.
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Feeding-Entrained Circadian Rhythms in Fishes
Richard E. Spieler
There has been sufficient work done in fishes to warrant a review of feeding-entrained rhythmicity, if only for comparative reasons. Relative to the extensive work with laboratory mammals, however, information on this topic in fishes is meager. An attempt at a broad overview at this point is fated from the outset to be data poor and speculation rich; hopefully this paper will, nevertheless, serve a heuristic role. Specifically, the paper addresses five questions regarding feeding entrainment of circadian rhythms in fishes: Does feeding entrain rhythms in fishes? How? Why? So what? and What next?
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Metal Binding Proteins and Peptides for the Detection of Heavy
D. H. Petering, M. S. Goodrich, W. Hodgeman, S. Krezoski, D. N. Weber, C. F. Shaw III, Richard E. Spieler, and L. D. Zettergren
Overview. Anatomical and cytological endpoints. Detoxication, adaptive and immunological responses. Genotoxic responses. Metal metabolism. Application of biomakers in field evaluation.
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Effects of Drilling Fluids on Reef Corals: A Review
Richard E. Dodge and Alina Szmant-Froelich
This chapter reviews research on the effects of drilling fluid on reef-building, or hermatypic, corals. Experiments have shown that the burial of corals in drilling fluid, or mud, caused mortality and that certain drilling fluids applied as slurries could not be removed by corals. Under field conditions, however, slurries were removed with the assistance of natural currents, but appeared to cause lowered growth rates in treated specimens. Certain species showed behaviorial stress symptoms after 96-h exposure to 0.100 ml liter-1 of drilling fluid (0.100 ml of fluid in 1 liter of seawater) and exposure to 1.000 ml liter-1 caused mortality in 65 h for three of seven species tested. A chronic 6-week exposure to 0.100 ml liter-1 of drilling fluid caused an 84% decrease in calcification, a 40% decrease in respiration, reductions in gross photosynthesis (26%), nitrate uptake (28%), ammonium uptake (49%), and feeding, as well as some death. Other studies showed that average linear skeletal growth also decreased. A field assessment of a reef, several years after drilling , indicated a 70-90% reduction in foliose, branching, and platelike corals within a 115 m x 85 m ellipse around the drilling site. Detrimental effects on corals, as extrapolated from the limited information on effects, seem probable within a minimum distance of 100m from the source.
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Appendix 3: Quantitative Analysis of Skeletal Growth Records Part C: Probabilistic Population Descriptions
J. Rimas Vaisnys and Richard E. Dodge
In this appendix we propose some probabilistic and statistical techniques for describing biological populations. The techniques are illustrated with actual data, obtained from studies of coral reefs in Bermuda. In our example, we use skeletal band counts, made for a small sample of corals, to construct an age-frequency description of the coral reef population. The techniques are quite general and are applicable whenever a quantifiable skeletal growth record is exhibited by an individual organism and when one is interested in estimating the frequency distribution of the same growth pattern in the species population.
In this appendix we propose some probabilistic and statistical techniques for describing biological populations. The techniques are illustrated with actual data, obtained from studies of coral reefs in Bermuda. In our example, we use skeletal band counts, made for a small sample of corals, to construct an age-frequency description of the coral reef population. The techniques are quite general and are applicable whenever a quantifiable skeletal growth record is exhibited by an individual organism and when one is interested in estimating the frequency distribution of the same growth pattern in the species population.
