Field measurements of a massive Porites coral at Goolboodi (Orpheus Island), Great Barrier Reef

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-94818-w

. 2021 Aug 19;11(1):15334.

doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-94818-w.

Field measurements of a massive Porites coral at Goolboodi (Orpheus Island), Great Barrier Reef

Adam Smith ^{1

2}, Nathan Cook ^{3

4

5}, Kailash Cook ^{3

5}, Rachelle Brown ^{3

4}, Richard Woodgett ³, John Veron ⁶, Vicki Saylor ⁷

Affiliations

¹ Reef Ecologic, 14 Cleveland Terrace, North Ward, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia. adam.smith@reefecologic.org.
² James Cook University, 1 James Cook Dr, Douglas, QLD, 4811, Australia. adam.smith@reefecologic.org.
³ Reef Ecologic, 14 Cleveland Terrace, North Ward, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia.
⁴ James Cook University, 1 James Cook Dr, Douglas, QLD, 4811, Australia.
⁵ Reef Check Australia, 1/377 Montague Rd, West End, QLD, 4101, Australia.
⁶ Coral Reef Research, P.O. Box 129, Millaa Millaa, QLD, 4886, Australia.
⁷ Manbarra Aboriginal Corporation, 168 Pinnacle Drive, Condon, QLD, 4815, Australia.

PMID: 34413333
PMCID: PMC8376919
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94818-w

Field measurements of a massive Porites coral at Goolboodi (Orpheus Island), Great Barrier Reef

Adam Smith et al. Sci Rep. 2021.

. 2021 Aug 19;11(1):15334.

doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-94818-w.

Authors

Adam Smith ^{1

2}, Nathan Cook ^{3

4

5}, Kailash Cook ^{3

5}, Rachelle Brown ^{3

4}, Richard Woodgett ³, John Veron ⁶, Vicki Saylor ⁷

Affiliations

¹ Reef Ecologic, 14 Cleveland Terrace, North Ward, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia. adam.smith@reefecologic.org.
² James Cook University, 1 James Cook Dr, Douglas, QLD, 4811, Australia. adam.smith@reefecologic.org.
³ Reef Ecologic, 14 Cleveland Terrace, North Ward, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia.
⁴ James Cook University, 1 James Cook Dr, Douglas, QLD, 4811, Australia.
⁵ Reef Check Australia, 1/377 Montague Rd, West End, QLD, 4101, Australia.
⁶ Coral Reef Research, P.O. Box 129, Millaa Millaa, QLD, 4886, Australia.
⁷ Manbarra Aboriginal Corporation, 168 Pinnacle Drive, Condon, QLD, 4815, Australia.

PMID: 34413333
PMCID: PMC8376919
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94818-w

Abstract

An exceptionally large coral Porites sp. has been identified and measured at Goolboodi (Orpheus Island), Great Barrier Reef (GBR). This coral was measured in March 2021 during citizen science research of coral reefs in the Palm Islands group. We conducted a literature review and consulted scientists to compare the size, age and health of the Porites with others in the GBR and internationally. This is the largest diameter Porites coral measured by scientists and the sixth highest coral measured in the GBR. The health of the Porites was assessed as very good with over 70% live coral cover and minor percentages of sponge, live coral rock and macroalgae. An estimated age of 421-438 years was calculated based on linear growth models. Manbarra Traditional Owners were consulted and suggested that the Porites be named Muga dhambi (big coral) to communicate traditional knowledge, language and culture to indigenous, tourists, scientists and students.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Map of the location of the Porites at Goolboodi (Orpheus) Island. Map created using QGIS 3.10 software using Google Maps plugin.

Figure 2

Figure 2

The front of the Porites sp. bommie noting the summary of measurements.

Figure 3

Figure 3

Detail of the sub-habitats and competitive interactions Porites sp. and boring sponge Cliona viridis (left) and live coral Porites sp. and Montipora sp. (right) along interspecific contact zones.

Figure 4

Figure 4

Detail of Reef Health Impact Survey (RHIS) of Porites.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Veron, J. E. N. Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific (Angus & Robertson, 1986).
1. Veron, J. E. N. Corals of the World vol 1–3 (Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2000).
1. Darke, W. Growth and growth form of the massive coral, Porites 161 (James Cook University, 1991).
1. Coward G, et al. A new record for a massive Porites colony at Tau Island, American Samoa. Sci. Rep. 2020 doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-77776-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Scoffin T, Stoddart D, Rosen B. The nature and significance of atolls. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. Biol. Sci. 1978;284:99–122. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1978.0055. - DOI

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[1] Veron, J. E. N. Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific (Angus & Robertson, 1986).

[2] Veron, J. E. N. Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific (Angus & Robertson, 1986).

[3] Veron, J. E. N. Corals of the World vol 1–3 (Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2000).

[4] Veron, J. E. N. Corals of the World vol 1–3 (Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2000).

[5] Darke, W. Growth and growth form of the massive coral, Porites 161 (James Cook University, 1991).

[6] Darke, W. Growth and growth form of the massive coral, Porites 161 (James Cook University, 1991).

[7] Coward G, et al. A new record for a massive Porites colony at Tau Island, American Samoa. Sci. Rep. 2020 doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-77776-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[8] Coward G, et al. A new record for a massive Porites colony at Tau Island, American Samoa. Sci. Rep. 2020 doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-77776-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[9] Scoffin T, Stoddart D, Rosen B. The nature and significance of atolls. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. Biol. Sci. 1978;284:99–122. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1978.0055. - DOI

[10] Scoffin T, Stoddart D, Rosen B. The nature and significance of atolls. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. Biol. Sci. 1978;284:99–122. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1978.0055. - DOI

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Field measurements of a massive Porites coral at Goolboodi (Orpheus Island), Great Barrier Reef

Affiliations

Field measurements of a massive Porites coral at Goolboodi (Orpheus Island), Great Barrier Reef

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources