14 April 2022

April 2022 Field Day Sampling - Backreef Acropora and Pocillopora

Danielle, Alex, and Lauren returned to the Mahana site (17°29’12.5”S 149°53’16.1”W) for monthly sampling. Following the Field Sampling Protocol, we collected 40 ~5 inch Acropora pulchra fragments from the five patches located on the site. Additionally, 10 4-5 inch fragments of Pocillopora were collected and brought back to Gump Station as well for same day processing. For all sampling locations, a close up photo with the tag was taken. Additionally, a bleaching score photo was taken at each sampling location. If a tag was not found, we sampled from the same colony that the tag should have been located on.

Same Day Processing

After collecting the samples, Danielle and I followed the Same Day Sample Processing Protocol to prepare samples for histological analysis, molecular and physiological downstream processing.

Bleaching Score Photos

All bleaching score photos were downloaded off of the Putnam Lab Canon G7X camera number 2 and uploaded to Pocillopora_Sampling_Colony_Photos and Acropora_Sampling_Colony_Photos for the April 2022 timepoint.

Data

All timepoint and tracking data sheets for the April 2022 timepoint for both Pocillopora and Acropora were updated.

Heatwave

Danielle started the fourteenth day of the heatwave period and the beginning of the decline for the corals to to experience a diel fluctuation in the heated treatement of 29.2 °C to 29.9 °C. Through our heatwave analyses, the climatological data shows that in Mo’orea at our site in the backreef, temperatures above 29.6 °C longer than a five day period is considered a heatwave.

Daily measurements

Danielle recorded bleaching score and survivorship for the fragments and colonies and completed a daily measurements of light, temperature, salinity and pH. She also cleaned the tanks.

Bleaching score processing

Following Emma Strands Bleaching Score Protocol Emma, Hollie, Kristen, and Danielle have started processing the daily colony photos to track when the ambient and hot colonies start to differ in bleaching score. They have been updating the Photographic Bleaching Script often to make these comparisons and consult on moving forward.

It appears that the bleaching score in the colonies experiencing the heat stress have continued to decline. We see a significant difference in the interaction between treatment and day.

Data tracking

All daily measurements, bleaching score, and survivorship tracking for the colonies and fragments can be found on the Heatwave Google Drive and Gametogenesis GitHub.