Abstract
Corals are facing rapid environmental changes including global-scale climate changes and local-scale anthropogenic influences. Japan covers a wide latitudinal range, stretching from subtropical to temperate areas, and latitudinal limits of coral reefs and coral distributions are observed around the Japanese islands. Further, at some islands, land development is causing sedimentation of coral reefs via the rivers. The variation in environmental parameters in Japan provides one of the best opportunities to examine the relationships between changes in coral reef status and environmental variables.
In this chapter, we review the current status of the national coral reef database of Japan and present the applications and possible future directions of the database. The database was developed by collecting information from published reports and scientific papers in a survey spanning the period from the 1930s to the present. Currently, coral coverage and species data originate from ~10,000 and ~1,000 sites, respectively. The databases enable the detection of decreases in coral coverage caused by coral bleaching from anomalously high sea surface temperatures in subtropical areas, as well as poleward range expansions of coral distributions in temperate areas. In addition to these specific applications, by integrating environmental variables and their future projections, the database could play a central role in the integration of observations, statistical modeling, and future projections to understand coral dynamics and to establish proper management protocols for coral reef ecosystems.
Keywords
- BISMaL
- Coral
- Coverage
- Environmental change
- Japan
- Monitoring
- OBIS
- Species
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Akasaka M, Takenaka A, Ishihama F, Kadoya T, Ogawa M, Osawa T, Yamakita T, Tagane S, Ishii R, Nagai S, Taki H, Akasaka T, Oguma H, Suzuki T, Yamano H (this volume) Development of a national land use/cover dataset to estimate biodiversity and ecosystem services. In: Nakano S, Yahara T, Nakashizuka T (eds) The biodiversity observation network in the Asia-Pacific region: integrative observations and assessments of Asian biodiversity. Springer, Tokyo
Bellwood DR, Hughes TP, Folke C, Nyström M (2004) Confronting coral reef crisis. Nature (Lond) 429:827–833
Bruno JF, Selig ER (2007) Regional decline of coral cover in the Indo-Pacific: timing, extent, and subregional comparisons. Plos ONE 2(8):e711
Bruno JF, Sweatman H, Precht WF, Selig ER, Schutte VGW (2009) Assessing evidence of phase shifts from coral to macroalgal dominance on coral reefs. Ecology 90:1478–1484
Carpenter KE, Abrar M, Aeby G, Aronson RB, Banks S, Bruckner A, Chiriboga A, Cortés J, Delbeek JC, DeVantier L, Edgar GJ, Edwards AJ, Fenner D, Guzmán HM, Hoeksema BW, Hodgson G, Johan O, Licuanan WY, Livingstone SR, Lovell ER, Moore JA, Obura DO, Ochavillo D, Polidoro BA, Precht WF, Quibilan MC, Reboton C, Richards ZT, Rogers AD, Sanciangco J, Sheppard A, Sheppard C, Smith J, Stuart S, Turak E, Veron JEN, Wallace C, Weil E, Wood E (2008) One-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts. Science 321:560–563
Done TJ (1983) Coral zonation: its nature and significance. In: Barnes DJ (ed) Perspectives in coral reefs. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, pp 107–147
Fabricius KE (2005) Effect of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis. Mar Pollut Bull 50:125–146
Freeman LA, Miller AJ, Norris RD, Smith JE (2012) Classification of remote Pacific coral reefs by physical oceanographic environment. J Geophys Res 117, C02007
Fujii M, Yamano H (2010) Response to Omori (2010) Comment on “Development and analysis of a coral cover database in seas close to Japan”. J Jpn Coral Reef Soc 12:53–57
Fukami H, Tachikawa H, Suzuki G, Nagata S, Sugihara K (2010) Current status and problems with the identification and taxonomy of zooxanthellate scleractinian corals in Japan. J Jpn Coral Reef Soc 12:17–31
Fukami H, Chen CA, Budd AF, Collins A, Wallace C, Chuang Y-Y, Chen C, Dai C-F, Iwao K, Sheppard C, Knowlton N (2008) Mitochondrial and nuclear genes suggest that stony corals are monophyletic but most families of stony corals are not (Order Scleractinia, Class Anthozoa, Phylum Cnidaria). PLoS One 3:e3222
Gardner TA, Côté IM, Gill JA, Grant A, Watkinson AR (2003) Long-term region-wide declines in Caribbean corals. Science 301:958–960
Hodgson G (1999) A global assessment of human effects on coral reefs. Mar Pollut Bull 38:345–355
Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E, Harvell CD, Sale PF, Edwards AJ, Caldeira K, Knowlton N, Eakin CM, Iglesias-Prieto R, Muthiga N, Bradbury RH, Dubi A, Hatziolos ME (2007) Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318:1737–1742
Hongo C, Yamano H (2013) Species-specific responses of corals to bleaching events on anthropogenically turbid reefs on Okinawa Island, Japan, over a 15-year period (1995–2009). PLoS ONE 8:e60952
Hughes TP (1994) Catastrophes, phase shifts, and large-scale degradation of a Caribbean coral reef. Science 265:1547–1551
Kayanne H, Hongo C, Yamano H (2004) Coral reef landforms in Japan. In: Ministry of the environment and Japanese Coral Reef Society (eds) Coral reefs of Japan. Ministry of the Environment, Tokyo, pp 14–19
Kimura T (2004) Coral monitoring in Japan. In: Ministry of the environment and Japanese Coral Reef Society (eds) Coral Reefs of Japan. Ministry of the Environment, Tokyo, pp 78–88
Kinjo K, Higa E, Uehara M (2005) Transition of sediment of red soil on seabed and its impact on corals. Ann Rep Okinawa Pref Inst Health Environ 39:63–74
Loya Y, Sakai K, Yamazato K, Nakano Y, Sambali H, van Woesik R (2001) Coral bleaching: the winners and the losers. Ecol Lett 4:122–131
Magdaong E, Yamano H, Fujii M (this volume) Development of a large-scale, long-term coral cover and disturbance database in the Philippines. In: Nakano S, Yahara T, Nakashizuka T (eds) The biodiversity observation network in the Asia-Pacific region: integrative observations and assessments of Asian biodiversity. Springer, Tokyo
Ministry of the Environment and Japanese Coral Reef Society (2004) Coral reefs of Japan. Ministry of the Environment, Tokyo
Nakao Y, Yamano H, Fujii M, Yamanaka Y (2009) Development and analysis of a coral cover database in seas close to Japan. J Jpn Coral Reef Soc 11:109–129
Namizaki N, Yamano H, Suzuki R, Oohori K, Onaga H, Kishimoto T, Sagawa T, Machida Y, Yasumura, S, Satoh T, Shigiya T, Shibata T, Tsuchikawa M, Miyamoto Y, Harukawa K, Hirate K, Furuse K, Hokoyama K, Yamanaka Y, Wagatsuma T (in press) Potential of citizen monitoring programs for marine areas—two-year activities of Sango (Coral) Map Project. Galaxea J Coral Reef Stud
Nojima S, Okamoto M (2008) Poleward range expansion and bleaching of corals. Nippon Suisan Gakaishi 74:884–888
Nomura K, Uchida H, Fukuda T (2008) Progressive faunal inventory of hermatypic corals in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. Nanki-Seibutsu 50:191–200
Okinawa Prefecture (2010) Report of fixed-point observation of red soil sedimentation in 2009. Okinawa Prefecture
Omija T (2004) Coral monitoring in Japan. In: Ministry of the environment and Japanese Coral Reef Society (eds) Coral reefs of Japan. Ministry of the Environment, Tokyo, pp 64–68
Omija T, Nakasone K, Mitsumoto H, Uehara M, Oshiro T (2000) Comparison of sediment-resistance of corals with bleaching-resistance. Ann Rep Okinawa Pref Inst Health Environ 34:69–76
Osborne K, Dolman AM, Burgess SC, Johns KA (2011) Disturbance and the dynamics of coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef (1995–2009). Plos One 6:e17516s
Possingham HP, Ball IR, Andelman S (2000) Mathematical methods for identifying representative reserve networks. In: Burgman M, Ferson S (eds) Quantitative methods for conservation biology. Springer, New York, pp 291–305
Pratchett MS, Wilson SK, Graham NAJ, Munday PL, Jones GP, Polunin NVC (2009) Coral bleaching and consequences for motile reef organisms: past, present and uncertain future effects. In: van Oppen JH, Lough JM (eds) Coral bleaching: patterns, processes, causes and consequences. Springer, Berlin, pp 139–158
Scopélitis J, Andrefouet S, Phinn S, Arroyo L, Dalleau M, Cros A, Chabanet P (2010) The next step in shallow coral reef monitoring: combining remote sensing and in situ approaches. Mar Pollut Bull 60:1956–1968
Shimazaki H, Yamano H, Yokoki H, Yamaguchi T, Chikamori M, Tamura M, Kayanne H (2006) Global mapping of factors controlling reef-island formation and maintenance. In: Proceedings of the 10th international coral reef symposium. Okinawa, pp 1577–1584
Stoms DM, Davis FW, Andelman SJ, Carr MH, Gaines SD, Halpern BS, Hoenicke R, Leibowitz SG, Leydecker A, Madin EMP, Tallis H, Warner RR (2005) Integrated coastal reserve planning: making the land-sea connection. Front Ecol Environ 3:429–436
Sweatman H, Syms C (2011) Assessing loss of coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef: a response to Hughes et al. (2011). Coral Reefs 30:661–664
Sweatman H, Delean S, Syms C (2011) Assessing loss of coral cover on Australia's Great Barrier Reef over two decades with implications for longer-term trends. Coral Reefs 30:521–531
Takatsuki Y, Kuragano T, Shiga T, Bungi Y, Inoue H, Fujiwara H, Ariyoshi M (2007) Long-term trends in sea surface temperature adjacent to Japan. Sokko-Jiho 74:S33–S87
Tittensor DP, Mora C, Jetz W, Lotze HK, Ricard D, Berghe EV, Worm B (2010) Global patterns and predictors of marine biodiversity across taxa. Nature (Lond) 466:1098–1101
Tsuzawa M (1990) National Surveys on the Natural Environment (“Green Census”). J Geogr 99:64–71
van Woesik R, Sakai K, Ganase A, Loya Y (2011) Revisiting the winners and the losers at a decade after coral bleaching. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 434:67–76
Veron JEN (1992) Hermatypic corals of Japan. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville
Veron JEN (2000) Corals of the world. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville
Veron JEN, Minchin PR (1992) Correlations between sea surface temperature, circulation patterns and the distribution of hermatypic corals of Japan. Continent Shelf Res 12:835–857
Wilkinson CR (1998) Status of coral reefs of the world: 1998. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Queensland
Wilkinson CR (2000) Status of coral reefs of the world: 2000. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Queensland
Wilkinson CR (2002) Status of coral reefs of the world: 2002. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Queensland
Wilkinson CR (2004) Status of coral reefs of the world: 2004. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Queensland
Wilkinson CR (2008) Status of coral reefs of the world: 2008. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Queensland
Yabe H, Sugiyama T (1931) Reef corals found in the Japanese seas. Sci Rep Tohoku Imp Univ Sec Ser (Geol) 16:143–167
Yabe H, Sugiyama T (1941) Recent reef-building corals from Japan and the South Sea Islands under the Japanese mandate. II. Sci Rep Tohoku Imp Univ Sec Ser (Geol) Spec 2:67–91
Yabe H, Sugiyama T, Eguchi M (1936) Recent reef-building corals from Japan and the South Sea Islands under the Japanese mandate. I. Sci Rep Tohoku Imp Univ Sec Ser (Geol) Spec 1:1–66
Yamaguchi M (1986) Acanthaster planci infestations of reefs and coral assemblages in Japan: a retrospective analysis of control efforts. Coral Reefs 5:23–30
Yamamoto H, et al (2012) BISMaL, a marine biological database online at the global oceanographic data center of JAMSTEC. In: Nakano S, Yahara T, Nakashizuka T (eds) The biodiversity observation network in the Asia-Pacific Region: Toward future development of monitoring. Springer, Tokyo, pp 247–256
Yamano H (2013) Multispectral applications. In: Goodman JA, Purkis SJ, Phinn SR (eds) Coral reef remote sensing: a guide for multi-level sensing, mapping and assessment. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 51–78
Yamano H, Kayanne H, Yonekura N, Kudo K (2000) 21-year changes of backreef coral distribution: causes and significance. J Coast Res 16:99–110
Yamano H, Sugihara K, Nomura K (2011) Rapid poleward range expansion of tropical reef corals in response to rising sea surface temperatures. Geophys Res Lett 38, L04601
Yamano H, Sugihara K, Goto K, Kazama T, Yokoyama K, Okuno J (2012a) Ranges of obligate coral-dwelling crabs extend northward as their hosts move north. Coral Reefs 31:663
Yamano H, Sugihara K, Watanabe T, Shimamura M, Hyeong K (2012b) Coral reefs at 34°N, Japan: exploring the end of environmental gradients. Geology 40:835–838
Yara Y, Fujii M, Yamanaka Y, Okada N, Yamano H, Oshima K (2009) Projected effects of global warming on coral reefs in seas close to Japan. J Jpn Coral Reef Soc 11:131–140
Yara Y, Oshima K, Fujii M, Yamano H, Yamanaka Y, Okada N (2011) Projection and uncertainty of the poleward range expansion of coral habitats in response to sea surface temperature warming: a multiple climate model study. Galaxea J Coral Reef Stud 13:11–20
Yara Y, Vogt M, Fujii M, Yamano H, Hauri C, Steinacher M, Gruber N, Yamanaka Y (2012) Ocean acidification limits temperature-induced poleward expansion of coral habitats around Japan. Biogeosciences 9:4955–4968
Acknowledgments
This study is a contribution to the S-9 Project (Environment Research and Technology Development Fund, Ministry of the Environment, Japan), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas “Coral reef science for symbiosis and coexistence of human and ecosystem under combined stresses” (No. 20121004, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology [MEXT], Japan), the Program for Risk Information on Climate Change (MEXT), and the Biodiversity Priority Program (National Institute for Environmental Studies).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Japan
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Yamano, H., Hongo, C., Sugihara, K., Yara, Y., Nakao, Y., Fujii, M. (2014). Current Status of the National Coral Database in Japan: Dataset Development, Applications, and Future Directions. In: Nakano, Si., Yahara, T., Nakashizuka, T. (eds) Integrative Observations and Assessments. Ecological Research Monographs(). Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54783-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54783-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-54782-2
Online ISBN: 978-4-431-54783-9
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)