Netherlands Antilles. A Post-Hurricane, Rapid Assessment of Reefs in the Windward Netherlands Antilles (Stony Corals, Algae and Fishes)

Klomp, Kristi D.; Kooistra, David J.

doi:10.5479/si.00775630.496-23.404

Cited by 8 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Saba Bank, part of the Caribbean Netherlands (former Netherlands Antilles), is a large submerged atoll covered by species‐rich benthic assemblages, which are under threat by anchoring oil tankers (Hoetjes & Carpenter 2010; McKenna & Etnoyer 2010). So far, relatively little explorative research has been carried out on the reef assemblages here in relation to neighbouring areas (Klomp & Kooistra 1999). However, a recent survey (2006) showed that zoological collections made at Saba Bank during a previous expedition in 1972 (van der Land 1977) have become valuable baselines to indicate possible losses of local coral and sponge fauna.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A case study: reef surveys at Saba Bank Saba Bank, part of the Caribbean Netherlands (former Netherlands Antilles), is a large submerged atoll covered by species-rich benthic assemblages, which are under threat by anchoring oil tankers McKenna & Etnoyer 2010). So far, relatively little explorative research has been carried out on the reef assemblages here in relation to neighbouring areas (Klomp & Kooistra 1999 Stentoft, 1988, Dragmacidon explicatum Wiedenmayer, 1977, Hyrtios violaceus Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864, and Leucetta floridana Haeckel, 1872. In comparison, the most commonly collected sponge species in 1972, Aplysina cauliformis Carter, 1882, was sampled at 11 of the 17 dive sites (Thacker et al 2010).…”

Section: Biological Collections and Global Change Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unforeseen importance of historical collections as baselines to determine biotic change of coral reefs: the Saba Bank case

et al. 2011

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Botanical and zoological collections may serve as archives for historical ecological research on the effects of global change and human impact on coral reef biota. Museum collections may harbour old specimens of reef‐dwelling species that have become locally extinct. Such collections also help to determine whether early records of invasive species can be obtained from times when they were not yet recognized as such. A case study (2006) involving Saba Bank, Caribbean Netherlands (former Netherlands Antilles), suggests that the coral reef fauna here may have become impoverished when compared with data obtained during an earlier expedition in 1972. However, the 1972 sampling may have been incomplete, as it was performed by professional divers who were not trained taxonomists, whereas the collecting in 2006 was done by experienced marine biologists who knew the taxa they were sampling. As Saba Bank has been under stress due to the anchoring of large vessels, and invasive species have been a potential threat as well, future studies are needed to obtain more insights into the changing reef biota of Saba Bank. Using this Saba Bank example, we want to address the importance of natural history collections as reservoirs of valuable data relevant to coral reef biodiversity studies in a time of global change. As such, these collections are still underexplored and underexploited.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biological Collections and Global Change Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unforeseen importance of historical collections as baselines to determine biotic change of coral reefs: the Saba Bank case

et al. 2011

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“…The geological origin of Saba Bank has been debated [2] but it was ‘undoubtedly’ volcanic [3] . The bank rises steeply from the surrounding sea-floor with extensive coral reef formation at its edges [1] , [4] . These observations have led previous authors to conclude that Saba Bank is a submerged coral reef atoll [1] , [3] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reef Fishes of Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles: Assemblage Structure across a Gradient of Habitat Types

Toller¹,

Debrot

Vermeij

et al. 2010

PLoS ONE

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Saba Bank is a 2,200 km2 submerged carbonate platform in the northeastern Caribbean Sea off Saba Island, Netherlands Antilles. The presence of reef-like geomorphic features and significant shelf edge coral development on Saba Bank have led to the conclusion that it is an actively growing, though wholly submerged, coral reef atoll. However, little information exists on the composition of benthic communities or associated reef fish assemblages of Saba Bank. We selected a 40 km2 area of the bank for an exploratory study. Habitat and reef fish assemblages were investigated in five shallow-water benthic habitat types that form a gradient from Saba Bank shelf edge to lagoon. Significant coral cover was restricted to fore reef habitat (average cover 11.5%) and outer reef flat habitat (2.4%) and declined to near zero in habitats of the central lagoon zone. Macroalgae dominated benthic cover in all habitats (average cover: 32.5 – 48.1%) but dominant algal genera differed among habitats. A total of 97 fish species were recorded. The composition of Saba Bank fish assemblages differed among habitat types. Highest fish density and diversity occurred in the outer reef flat, fore reef and inner reef flat habitats. Biomass estimates for commercially valued species in the reef zone (fore reef and reef flat habitats) ranged between 52 and 83 g/m2. The composition of Saba Bank fish assemblages reflects the absence of important nursery habitats, as well as the effects of past fishing. The relatively high abundance of large predatory fish (i.e. groupers and sharks), which is generally considered an indicator of good ecosystem health for tropical reef systems, shows that an intact trophic network is still present on Saba Bank.

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“…During an earlier expedition in 1971, corals were dredged from 15 to 100 m depths but this did not result in other species records (Macintyre et al 1975 ). Stony coral species were also mentioned in a report of a post-hurricane assessment in 1999 (Klomp and Kooistra 2003 ) and in a report on a benthic survey that took place in 2007 (Toller 2008 ), but these did not include any remarkable records for Saba Bank. The stony corals of Saba Bank were also subject of more extensive surveys in 1996, 2011, and 2013, which eventually resulted in a total record of 39 species (Meesters et al 1996 ; Van Beek and Meesters 2013 , 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wave-swept coralliths of Saba Bank, Dutch Caribbean

Hoeksema

Hassell²,

Meesters³

et al. 2017

Mar Biodiv

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During a recent reef coral survey at the submarine Saba Bank (Eastern Caribbean), an uncommon and diverse assemblage of unattached scleractinian corals (coralliths) was encountered, which has not been reported from the Atlantic before. Four different types of these free-living (unattached) corals were distinguished. They were observed on a relatively flat seafloor (15-20 m deep) with poor coral cover and full exposure to oceanic swell. Much of the substratum was not consolidated and consisted mainly of sand and fragments of branching coralline algae. One of the four types is the (1) anthocyathus stage in the life history of the freeliving species Manicina areolata and Meandrina danae. The other three are coralliths formed as ecophenotypic varieties: (2) spheroidal-amoeboidal (= globular and (sub)massive) in Porites astreoides, Siderastrea radians, S. siderea, and Stephanocoenia intersepta; (3) tumbleweed-like (= globular and ramose) in Porites divaricata and P. furcata; and (4) discoidal (flat and circular with short branches) in Madracis decactis and possibly in M. cf. auretenra. This assemblage of free-living corals is likely related to a combination of abiotic factors consisting of wave exposure (swell), depths that waves can reach, a horizontal sea floor with little relief, an unconsolidated substratum, and low coral cover.

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Netherlands Antilles. A Post-Hurricane, Rapid Assessment of Reefs in the Windward Netherlands Antilles (Stony Corals, Algae and Fishes)

Cited by 8 publications

References 2 publications

Unforeseen importance of historical collections as baselines to determine biotic change of coral reefs: the Saba Bank case

Unforeseen importance of historical collections as baselines to determine biotic change of coral reefs: the Saba Bank case

Reef Fishes of Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles: Assemblage Structure across a Gradient of Habitat Types

Wave-swept coralliths of Saba Bank, Dutch Caribbean

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