coral

Coral bleaching is the disruption of symbioses between coral animals and their photosynthetic
microalgal endosymbionts (zooxanthellae). It has been suggested that large-scale bleaching episodes
are linked to global warming. The data presented here demonstrate that Vibrio coralliilyticus is an
etiological agent of bleaching of the coral Pocillopora damicornis. This bacterium was present at high
levels in bleached P. damicornis but absent from healthy corals. The bacterium was isolated in pure
culture, characterized microbiologically, and shown to cause bleaching when it was inoculated onto
healthy corals at 25C. The pathogen was reisolated from the diseased tissues of the infected corals.
The zooxanthella concentration in the bacterium-bleached corals was less than 12% of the
zooxanthella concentration in healthy corals. When P. damicornis was infected with V. coralliilyticus
at higher temperatures (27 and 29C), the corals lysed within 2 weeks, indicating that the seawater
temperature is a critical environmental parameter in determining the outcome of infection. A large
increase in the level of the extracellular protease activity of V. coralliilyticus occurred at the same
temperature range (24 to 28C) as the transition from bleaching to lysis of the corals. We suggest
that bleaching of P. damicornis results from an attack on the algae, whereas bacterium-induced lysis
and death are promoted by bacterial extracellular proteases. The data presented here support the
bacterial hypothesis of coral bleaching.

Tridacna
Giant clam, as a protected marine species, has been exploited massively in many regions in
Indonesia. This has lead to the rapid extinction of the giant clam natural population. The purpose of
the research is to obtain the abundance status of giant clam species in several island in Kepulauan
Seribu and surroundings waters of Manado. Surveys were done by using the modification of Line
Intercept Transect (LIT) methods. A hundred meter length of transect line were drawn, in depth of 5
meter and paralleled to the coast line. The observations were made in 2.5 meter to the left and right
of the transect line. The results showed, there were total number of clams found at Seribu Islands
and Manado waters were 106 and 61 individual, respectively. The average density in Seribu Islands
were T. squamosa: 0.026 indv/m2, T. maxima: 0.016 indv/m2, and T. crocea: 0.028 indv/m2, and in
Manado were T. squamosa: 0.021 indv/m2, T. maxima: 0.0005 indv/m2, T. crocea: 0.0085 indv/m2
and T. gigas: 0.002 indv/m2. These results showed that the density of giant clams in both places
were found to be lower than other places in Indonesia and abroad. Based from the shell
measurements on both locations, only T. crocea were suspected have reached its hermaphrodite
phase, while T. gigas and most of T. squamosa and T. maxima were about to reached male gonad
maturity phase. The most dominant substrate for the giant clam were the Dead Coral Algae (DCA)
and the coral covered.