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     data   graph     files  public [Sargassum mature growth - figure 2] - Growth of mature caged Sargassum polycystum fronds
from MPAs and non-MPAs when reciprocally transplanted (Killer Seaweeds: Allelopathy against
Fijian Corals)
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The Dataset's Variables and Attributes

Row Type Variable Name Attribute Name Data Type Value
attribute NC_GLOBAL access_formats String .htmlTable,.csv,.json,.mat,.nc,.tsv,.esriCsv,.geoJson
attribute NC_GLOBAL acquisition_description String [Reference cited below are from Dell et al (2016) Plos One.]
Study site and species:
This study was conducted between January and May in 2013 and 2015 on the
coral coast of Fiji\u2019s main island, Viti Levu, in the villages of Votua
and Vatu-o-lailai (18\u00b012\u201932S, 177\u00b042\u201900E and
18\u00b012\u201913S, 177\u00b041\u201929E respectively; Fig 1). These villages
are ~3km apart and each has jurisdiction over their stretch of reef flat; a
habitat ranging between ~1.5 and 3m deep at high tide and between ~0 and 1.5m
deep at low tide. In 2002, these villages established small areas (0.8km2 in
Votua and 0.5 km2 in Vatu-o-lailai; Fig 1) as no-take MPAs [25]. Though MPA
and non-MPA areas were initially similar in coral and macroalgal cover (33-42%
macroalgal cover; 3-12% coral cover [25]), MPAs now differ significantly from
the adjacent non-MPAs in benthic cover and fish diversity and abundance. MPAs
now have ~56% live coral cover on hard substrate, ~2% macroalgal cover, ~8
fold higher biomass of herbivorous fishes, and higher recruitment of both
fishes and corals than the non-MPAs [5,22]. Meanwhile the non-MPAs have lower
fish biomass, 5-16% live coral cover on hard substrates and 51-92% macroalgal
cover, the majority of which is comprised by Phaeophytes (primarily Sargassum
polycystum C. Agardh [22]). In the MPAs, macroalgal cover is restricted to the
shallowest, most shoreward areas (where access by herbivorous fishes appears
limited), whereas macroalgal cover in the non-MPAs extends throughout the
habitat. Thus, over distances of only a few hundred metres, there are dramatic
differences in community composition that may impact the efficacy of factors
controlling macroalgal populations, without the confounding factors of great
differences in space or time.

Effect of habitat and origin on the survival and growth of mature S.
polycystum fronds

We used Sargassum polycystum as a study organism because it is often the most
conspicuous macroalgal species on degraded Pacific reefs and can grow to
dominate large areas [22,28-30]. On reefs lacking adequate herbivory, S.
polycystum can reach 8.55 kg wet weight per square metre [28] and its odour
can suppress both fish and coral recruitment [5], potentially limiting reef
recovery. In Fiji, perennial holdfasts start regenerating in December and by
the end of its growing season in June, S. polycystum commonly dominates large
expanses of the unprotected reef flats [22,29]. Around this time it may
reproduce sexually via spores that disperse only one to three metres [31],
suggesting the potential for reduced connectivity between even nearby sites.
After June, S. polycystum senesces leaving the perennial rhizomes sheltered
within the reef structure. Populations in our study area will have undergone
about 10 generations since MPA establishment, which has been shown to be
adequate time for population differentiation among some species if selection
is strong [24,32].

The dearth of S. polycystum in the MPAs and its high abundance in the non-MPAs
could be due to differing physical conditions in those locations. To
investigate the role of physical conditions and to test whether S. polycystum
in these areas was acclimatising to the different local conditions, a
reciprocal transplant experiment was performed between the MPAs and non-MPAs
at two villages to measure survival and growth of mature S. polycystum as a
function of origin (from the MPA or non-MPA) and habitat (placed in the MPA or
non-MPA) when the fronds were protected from herbivory in cages.

The uppermost 15 centimetres of a S. polycystum frond was collected from 40
separate holdfasts in the MPA and 40 in the non-MPA of the villages of both
Votua and Vatu-o-lailai. To minimise the likelihood of collecting multiple
fronds from a single clone, the holdfasts were separated by at least two
metres. The lowest five centimetres of each frond were defoliated, the fronds
were then blotted dry with paper towels and weighed to the nearest 0.1g. The
top of the defoliated section was marked by piercing the thallus with a needle
and tying a thread at this 5cm point to set a standard from which to measure
growth in length. One strand of S. polycystum from the MPA and one from the
non-MPA were affixed 20cm apart in the centre of a 50cm piece of 3-strand
rope. The lowest 5cm of each algal stipe was threaded through the rope to
anchor the strand in place. Four ropes were affixed in each of five cages
(dimensions 1m x 1m x 0.8m constructed of 1cm mesh) by the two 10cm end
sections of each rope so that the rope\u2019s centre, holding the algae, was
raised a few centimetres above the substrate. Five cages were anchored at a
depth of ~1.2m at low tide in both each MPA and non-MPA so that cages at each
location were separated by a minimum of two metres. After one month, the
length (from the threaded point) and mass of each frond were measured to
assess growth.

Change in length was measured in centimetres after two and four weeks. As mass
measurements required removing the fronds from the water, to minimise stress
to the organism, change in mass was measured in grams only after four weeks.
Because significant effects were the same in each of these data sets, only
results from height change at week four are reported. A mean change in length
was calculated separately for the MPA and non-MPA adults in each cage,
yielding an n=5 for each location. Within each independent cage, we calculated
the mean growth of MPA origin fronds, the mean growth of non-MPA fronds, and
used the difference between these values in paired t-tests run separately for
each location testing the effect of origin on growth over the four weeks.
These difference scores were normally distributed.
attribute NC_GLOBAL awards_0_award_nid String 480718
attribute NC_GLOBAL awards_0_award_number String OCE-0929119
attribute NC_GLOBAL awards_0_data_url String http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0929119 (external link)
attribute NC_GLOBAL awards_0_funder_name String NSF Division of Ocean Sciences
attribute NC_GLOBAL awards_0_funding_acronym String NSF OCE
attribute NC_GLOBAL awards_0_funding_source_nid String 355
attribute NC_GLOBAL awards_0_program_manager String David L. Garrison
attribute NC_GLOBAL awards_0_program_manager_nid String 50534
attribute NC_GLOBAL cdm_data_type String Other
attribute NC_GLOBAL comment String mature growth
Growth of mature caged Sargassum polycystum fronds from MPAs and non-MPAs when reciprocally transplanted
These data were published in Dell et al (2016) PLOS ONE, Fig. 2
version: 2016-05-02

M. Hay (GA Tech)
attribute NC_GLOBAL Conventions String COARDS, CF-1.6, ACDD-1.3
attribute NC_GLOBAL creator_email String info at bco-dmo.org
attribute NC_GLOBAL creator_name String BCO-DMO
attribute NC_GLOBAL creator_type String institution
attribute NC_GLOBAL creator_url String https://www.bco-dmo.org/ (external link)
attribute NC_GLOBAL data_source String extract_data_as_tsv version 2.3 19 Dec 2019
attribute NC_GLOBAL date_created String 2016-04-29T15:48:27Z
attribute NC_GLOBAL date_modified String 2016-05-03T17:23:19Z
attribute NC_GLOBAL defaultDataQuery String &time<now
attribute NC_GLOBAL doi String 10.1575/1912/bco-dmo.644663
attribute NC_GLOBAL Easternmost_Easting double 177.7
attribute NC_GLOBAL geospatial_lat_max double -18.204
attribute NC_GLOBAL geospatial_lat_min double -18.208
attribute NC_GLOBAL geospatial_lat_units String degrees_north
attribute NC_GLOBAL geospatial_lon_max double 177.7
attribute NC_GLOBAL geospatial_lon_min double 177.691
attribute NC_GLOBAL geospatial_lon_units String degrees_east
attribute NC_GLOBAL infoUrl String https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/643915 (external link)
attribute NC_GLOBAL institution String BCO-DMO
attribute NC_GLOBAL instruments_0_acronym String Scale
attribute NC_GLOBAL instruments_0_dataset_instrument_nid String 644023
attribute NC_GLOBAL instruments_0_description String An instrument used to measure weight or mass.
attribute NC_GLOBAL instruments_0_instrument_external_identifier String https://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/L05/current/LAB13/ (external link)
attribute NC_GLOBAL instruments_0_instrument_name String Scale
attribute NC_GLOBAL instruments_0_instrument_nid String 714
attribute NC_GLOBAL keywords String bco, bco-dmo, biological, chemical, data, dataset, dmo, erddap, growth, latitude, longitude, management, oceanography, office, origin, preliminary, village
attribute NC_GLOBAL license String https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/643915/license (external link)
attribute NC_GLOBAL metadata_source String https://www.bco-dmo.org/api/dataset/643915 (external link)
attribute NC_GLOBAL Northernmost_Northing double -18.204
attribute NC_GLOBAL param_mapping String {'643915': {'lat': 'master - latitude', 'lon': 'master - longitude'}}
attribute NC_GLOBAL parameter_source String https://www.bco-dmo.org/mapserver/dataset/643915/parameters (external link)
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_0_affiliation String Georgia Institute of Technology
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_0_affiliation_acronym String Georgia Tech
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_0_person_name String Mark Hay
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_0_person_nid String 480720
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_0_role String Principal Investigator
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_0_role_type String originator
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_1_affiliation String Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_1_affiliation_acronym String WHOI BCO-DMO
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_1_person_name String Nancy Copley
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_1_person_nid String 50396
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_1_role String BCO-DMO Data Manager
attribute NC_GLOBAL people_1_role_type String related
attribute NC_GLOBAL project String Killer Seaweeds
attribute NC_GLOBAL projects_0_acronym String Killer Seaweeds
attribute NC_GLOBAL projects_0_description String Extracted from the NSF award abstract:
Coral reefs are in dramatic global decline, with reefs commonly converting from species-rich and topographically-complex communities dominated by corals to species- poor and topographically-simplified communities dominated by seaweeds. These phase-shifts result in fundamental loss of ecosystem function. Despite debate about whether coral-to-algal transitions are commonly a primary cause, or simply a consequence, of coral mortality, rigorous field investigation of seaweed-coral competition has received limited attention. There is limited information on how the outcome of seaweed-coral competition varies among species or the relative importance of different competitive mechanisms in facilitating seaweed dominance. In an effort to address this topic, the PI will conduct field experiments in the tropical South Pacific (Fiji) to determine the effects of seaweeds on corals when in direct contact, which seaweeds are most damaging to corals, the role allelopathic lipids that are transferred via contact in producing these effects, the identity and surface concentrations of these metabolites, and the dynamic nature of seaweed metabolite production and coral response following contact. The herbivorous fishes most responsible for controlling allelopathic seaweeds will be identified, the roles of seaweed metabolites in allelopathy vs herbivore deterrence will be studied, and the potential for better managing and conserving critical reef herbivores so as to slow or reverse conversion of coral reef to seaweed meadows will be examined.
Preliminary results indicate that seaweeds may commonly damage corals via lipid- soluble allelochemicals. Such chemically-mediated interactions could kill or damage adult corals and produce the suppression of coral fecundity and recruitment noted by previous investigators and could precipitate positive feedback mechanisms making reef recovery increasingly unlikely as seaweed abundance increases. Chemically-mediated seaweed-coral competition may play a critical role in the degradation of present-day coral reefs. Increasing information on which seaweeds are most aggressive to corals and which herbivores best limit these seaweeds may prove useful in better managing reefs to facilitate resilience and possible recovery despite threats of global-scale stresses. Fiji is well positioned to rapidly use findings from this project for better management of reef resources because it has already erected >260 MPAs, Fijian villagers have already bought-in to the value of MPAs, and the Fiji Locally-Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) Network is well organized to get information to villagers in a culturally sensitive and useful manner.
The broader impacts of this project are far reaching. The project provides training opportunities for 2-2.5 Ph.D students and 1 undergraduate student each year in the interdisciplinary areas of marine ecology, marine conservation, and marine chemical ecology. Findings from this project will be immediately integrated into classes at Ga Tech and made available throughout Fiji via a foundation and web site that have already set-up to support marine conservation efforts in Fiji and marine education efforts both within Fiji and internationally. Business and community leaders from Atlanta (via Rotary International Service efforts) have been recruited to help organize and fund community service and outreach projects in Fiji -- several of which are likely to involve marine conservation and education based in part on these efforts there. Media outlets (National Geographic, NPR, Animal Planet, Audubon Magazine, etc.) and local Rotary clubs will be used to better disseminate these discoveries to the public.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
Rasher DB, Stout EP, Engel S, Kubanek J, and ME Hay. "Macroalgal terpenes function as allelopathic agents against reef corals", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 108, 2011, p. 17726.
Beattie AJ, ME Hay, B Magnusson, R de Nys, J Smeathers, JFV Vincent. "Ecology and bioprospecting," Austral Ecology, v.36, 2011, p. 341.
Rasher DB and ME Hay. "Seaweed allelopathy degrades the resilience and function of coral reefs," Communicative and Integrative Biology, v.3, 2010.
Hay ME, Rasher DB. "Corals in crisis," The Scientist, v.24, 2010, p. 42.
Hay ME and DB Rasher. "Coral reefs in crisis: reversing the biotic death spiral," Faculty 1000 Biology Reports 2010, v.2, 2010.
Rasher DB and ME Hay. "Chemically rich seaweeds poison corals when not controlled by herbivores", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v.107, 2010, p. 9683.
attribute NC_GLOBAL projects_0_end_date String 2014-08
attribute NC_GLOBAL projects_0_geolocation String Viti Levu, Fiji (18º13.049’S, 177º42.968’E)
attribute NC_GLOBAL projects_0_name String Killer Seaweeds: Allelopathy against Fijian Corals
attribute NC_GLOBAL projects_0_project_nid String 480717
attribute NC_GLOBAL projects_0_start_date String 2009-09
attribute NC_GLOBAL publisher_name String Biological and Chemical Oceanographic Data Management Office (BCO-DMO)
attribute NC_GLOBAL publisher_type String institution
attribute NC_GLOBAL sourceUrl String (local files)
attribute NC_GLOBAL Southernmost_Northing double -18.208
attribute NC_GLOBAL standard_name_vocabulary String CF Standard Name Table v55
attribute NC_GLOBAL summary String Raw data on the growth of mature Sargassum polycystum fronds originated from
marine protected and non-protected areas (MPAs and non-MPAs, respectively) in
Fiji, reciprocally transplanted between these areas and protected by cages.
Growth was measured as the difference between the final (30 days) and initial
frond length, measured from a standard point established using a thread when
the experiment was set. Details in Dell et al. 2016 Plos One.

Related Reference:
Dell, C., Longo, G.O., Hay, M.E. (2016) Positive feedbacks enhance
macroalgal resilience on Degraded Coral Reefs. Plos One.

Related Datasets:
[Sargassum recruit-sized survival - figure 3](\\http://www.bco-
dmo.org/dataset/644035\\)
[Sargassum mature growth conspecific - figure 4](\\http://www.bco-
dmo.org/dataset/644062\\)
[Sargassum recruit-sized growth and survival with conspecifics - figures 5 and
6](\\https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/644080\\)
attribute NC_GLOBAL title String [Sargassum mature growth - figure 2] - Growth of mature caged Sargassum polycystum fronds from MPAs and non-MPAs when reciprocally transplanted (Killer Seaweeds: Allelopathy against Fijian Corals)
attribute NC_GLOBAL version String 1
attribute NC_GLOBAL Westernmost_Easting double 177.691
attribute NC_GLOBAL xml_source String osprey2erddap.update_xml() v1.3
variable latitude   double  
attribute latitude _CoordinateAxisType String Lat
attribute latitude _FillValue double NaN
attribute latitude actual_range double -18.208, -18.204
attribute latitude axis String Y
attribute latitude bcodmo_name String latitude
attribute latitude colorBarMaximum double 90.0
attribute latitude colorBarMinimum double -90.0
attribute latitude description String latitude; north is positive
attribute latitude ioos_category String Location
attribute latitude long_name String Latitude
attribute latitude nerc_identifier String https://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P09/current/LATX/ (external link)
attribute latitude standard_name String latitude
attribute latitude units String degrees_north
variable longitude   double  
attribute longitude _CoordinateAxisType String Lon
attribute longitude _FillValue double NaN
attribute longitude actual_range double 177.691, 177.7
attribute longitude axis String X
attribute longitude bcodmo_name String longitude
attribute longitude colorBarMaximum double 180.0
attribute longitude colorBarMinimum double -180.0
attribute longitude description String longitude; east is positive
attribute longitude ioos_category String Location
attribute longitude long_name String Longitude
attribute longitude nerc_identifier String https://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P09/current/LONX/ (external link)
attribute longitude standard_name String longitude
attribute longitude units String degrees_east
variable village   String  
attribute village bcodmo_name String site
attribute village description String village name: VLL = Vatu-o-lailai; VOT = Votua
attribute village long_name String Village
attribute village units String unitless
variable location   String  
attribute location bcodmo_name String site
attribute location description String where Sargassum fronds were transplanted to: MPA = marine protected area; NON-MPA = non-protected area
attribute location long_name String Location
attribute location units String unitless
variable origin   String  
attribute origin bcodmo_name String site
attribute origin description String where Sargassum fronds were collected for the transplant: MPA = marine protected area; NON-MPA = non-protected area
attribute origin long_name String Origin
attribute origin units String unitless
variable growth   float  
attribute growth _FillValue float NaN
attribute growth actual_range float 4.2, 35.7
attribute growth bcodmo_name String growth
attribute growth description String difference between the final (30 days) and initial frond length; measured from a standard point established when the experiment was set using a thread
attribute growth long_name String Growth
attribute growth units String cm

The information in the table above is also available in other file formats (.csv, .htmlTable, .itx, .json, .jsonlCSV1, .jsonlCSV, .jsonlKVP, .mat, .nc, .nccsv, .tsv, .xhtml) via a RESTful web service.


 
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