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Spring “bleaching” among Pocillopora in the Sea of Cortez, Eastern Pacific

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Abstract

A mild bleaching event was observed among Pocillopora spp. in the southern Gulf of California in the spring of 2006. Uniform bleaching occurred in numerous colonies on the upper portions of their branches. Most (∼90%) colonies that exhibited bleaching contained a species of endosymbiotic dinoflagellate, Symbiodinium C1b-c, which differed from the Symbiodinium D1 found inhabiting most unbleached colonies. Analysis of chlorophyll fluorescence, indicated a decline in photosystem II photochemical activity, especially among colonies populated with C1b-c. By early August, most affected colonies had recovered their normal pigmentation and fluorescence values were once again high for all colonies. No mortality was observed among tagged bleached colonies nor did symbiont species composition change during recovery. This unusual episode of bleaching did not appear to be a response to thermal stress, but may have been triggered by high levels of solar radiation during a period of unseasonally high water clarity in the early spring.

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Acknowledgments

We especially thank Robin Smith (FIU) for conducting qPCR analyses. Several people assisted us with fieldwork, including David A. Paz García (UABC), Miriam Mora Pérez (CICIMAR), Israel Sánchez Alcántara and Saúl González Romero (UABCS). Support for this work was provided by the National Science Foundation grants IOB 544765 and IOB 544854, and Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (grant E5–05–010).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, OE 167, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    T. C. LaJeunesse

  2. Departamento de Biologia Marina, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur., Apartado postal 19-B, CP 23080, La Paz, B. C. S., Mexico

    H. Reyes-Bonilla

  3. University of Delaware, College of Marine and Earth Studies, 700 Pilottown Rd, Lewes, DE, 19958, USA

    M. E. Warner

Authors
  1. T. C. LaJeunesse
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  2. H. Reyes-Bonilla
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  3. M. E. Warner
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Correspondence to T. C. LaJeunesse.

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Communicated by Biology Editor M. van Oppen.

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LaJeunesse, T.C., Reyes-Bonilla, H. & Warner, M.E. Spring “bleaching” among Pocillopora in the Sea of Cortez, Eastern Pacific. Coral Reefs 26, 265–270 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-006-0189-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-006-0189-3

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