Marine heatwaves associated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events are a primary driver of mass coral bleaching, threatening reef ecosystems globally. This study documents a severe mass bleaching event in December 2024 on the reefs of Yenbuba, Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, Indonesia, following the 2024 ENSO, and assesses subsequent changes within one year. Using standardized Underwater Visual Census methods, we found that > 70% of colonies of the dominant coral Pachyseris speciosa exhibited severe bleaching during the thermal stress peak. Follow-up surveys in November 2025 revealed substantial recovery, with < 20% of P. speciosa colonies showing bleaching signs and widespread repigmentation observed on the reef slope at ~ 20-30 m depth. This rapid recovery, documented through paired quantitative surveys and photographic evidence, highlights that the most pronounced rapid recovery among the taxa assessed occurred in this dominant coral species following acute thermal stress. However, causal mechanisms remain uncertain, and recovery was not universal across all taxa. Our findings emphasize the importance of identifying and protecting potential resilience hotspots like Raja Ampat through targeted conservation strategies in the face of climate change, while acknowledging the need for longer-term monitoring and mechanistic studies.

A single male dragonet (32.3 mm standard length) (Callionymidae), collected from Saparua Island, the Moluccas Islands, Indonesia, is identified as Callionymus zythros Fricke, 2000. This specimen is the west‑ ernmost record of the species, which was previously known only from two localities, Wongat Island, Madang, Papua New Guinea and Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia.

The introduction of marine ecosystems to school children, especially those in junior high school (SMP), plays an important role in environmental education. The aim of this service is to provide knowledge to Dian Harapan Middle School students regarding marine ecosystems and the various organisms that live in them. This community service activity at Dian Harapan Middle School will be held on Thursday, April 4 2024. This activity was attended by 149 students from classes 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A, and 9B. This service activity is carried out through several stages, namely licensing in the form of coordination with the school, preparation in the form of making presentation materials, implementation in the form of providing material about marine ecosystems, quizzes, introduction to biota samples and tools for measuring environmental parameters, evaluation in the form of pre-test and post-test answers. test and closing by holding a group photo session. Middle School students at Dian Harapan School are getting to know and know more about marine ecosystems, so it is important to preserve natural resources in the sea.

Syngnathidae are a charismatic family of teleost fishes, represented by seahorses, seadragons, and pipefishes. Syngnathidae are mainly composed of marine species, but about 30 species of pipefishes inhabit freshwater insular environments of the Indo-Pacific realm. Recent research has shown that some freshwater pipefish species are amphidromous and exhibit high intraspecific divergences across their distribution range, like Microphis brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) distributed from Sri Lanka to French Polynesia and Microphis retzii (Bleeker, 1856) distributed from Taiwan to Indonesia. In this study, we used the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) partial gene of 91 specimens of M. brachyurus and 30 specimens of M. retzii from localities representative of their respective distribution area to improve knowledge on the population structure of these two widespread species. Genetic species delimitation and phylogeographic analyses were combined to explore spatial patterns of genetic diversity across the distribution ranges of the two species. We have highlighted deep genetic structuring within the two species and relate these results to various biotic and abiotic factors. For M. brachyurus, the population in Polynesia is distinct from those in the West Pacific, suggesting its distinctiveness and recognition as an evolutionary significant unit (ESU). For M. retzii, three lineages are delimited in its range distribution, suggesting the existence of two distinct species in Southeast Asia (Bali/Java/Lombok and China/Taiwan). Pipefish species are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures (inherent to Syngnathidae and insular environments). The present results, revising species delimitation and geographic distribution, will help implement effective conservation and management measures.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has the potential to revolutionize conservation planning by providing spatially and taxonomically comprehensive data on biodiversity and ecosystem conditions, but its utility to inform the design of protected areas remains untested. Here, we quantify whether and how identifying conservation priority areas within coral reef ecosystems differs when biodiversity information is collected via eDNA analyses or traditional visual census records. We focus on 147 coral reefs in Indonesia’s hyper-diverse Wallacea region and show large discrepancies in the allocation and spatial design of conservation priority areas when coral reef species were surveyed with underwater visual techniques (fishes, corals, and algae) or eDNA metabarcoding (eukaryotes and metazoans). Specifically, incidental protection occurred for 55% of eDNA species when targets were set for species detected by visual surveys and 71% vice versa. This finding is supported by generally low overlap in detection between visual census and eDNA methods at species level, with more overlap at higher taxonomic ranks. Incomplete taxonomic reference databases for the highly diverse Wallacea reefs, and the complementary detection of species by the two methods, underscore the current need to combine different biodiversity data sources to maximize species representation in conservation planning.

Fluorescence is a widespread phenomenon found in animals, bacteria, fungi, and plants. In marine environments fluorescence has been proposed to play a role in physiological and behavioral responses. Many fluorescent proteins and other molecules have been described in jellyfish, corals, and fish. Here we describe fluorescence in marine species, which we observed and photographed during night dives in the Banda Sea, Indonesia, and in the Red Sea, Egypt. Among various phyla we found fluorescence in sponges, molluscs, tunicates, and fish. Our study extends the knowledge on how many different organisms fluoresce in marine environments. We describe the occurrence of fluorescence in 27 species, in which fluorescence has not been described yet in peer-reviewed literature. It especially extends the knowledge beyond Scleractinia, the so far best described taxon regarding diversity in fluorescent proteins.

Insular biodiversity hotspots of Southeast Asia are remarkable for their biodiverse faunas. With a marine larval phase lasting up to several months, the freshwater fish subfamily Sicydiinae has colonized most islands of these hotspots. However, Sicydiinae diversity is still poorly understood in Southeast Asia. With the objective of estimating intraspecific genetic diversity and inferring past demography, we conducted the molecular inventory of Sicydiinae species in Sundaland and Wallacea using 652 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene, species delimitation methods, and Bayesian Skyline plot reconstructions. In total, 24 Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units are delimited among the 603 sequences belonging to 27 species and 5 genera. Two cases of discordance between morphology and mitochondrial sequence are observed, suggesting ongoing speciation and/or introgression in 2 genera. Multiple new occurrences are reported, either for a single biodiversity hotspot or both, some of which correspond to observations of a few individuals far from the range distribution of their conspecifics. Among the 10 species or species groups whose intraspecific diversity was examined, high levels of genetic diversity and past population expansion are revealed by Tajima’s D tests and Bayesian Skyline Plot reconstructions. Together, these results indicate that long-distance dispersal is common and suggest that most endemic species originated through founder events followed by population expansion. Patterns of sexual dimorphism and males’ coloration among diverging species pairs seem to point to sexual selection as an important mechanism contributing to speciation in the Sicydiinae of Sundaland and Wallacea.

Reef fish utilisation due to high demand has increased to over exploited in the Republic of Indonesia’s Fisheries Management Area (FMA-RI) 714. Lutjanus gibbus is one of the target reef fish species that is commonly fished because it’s high commercial value. This study aimed to analyse the diversity of genetic, variation of population characters and connectivity of L.gibbus in the conservation areas and fishing areas in Ambalau, Banda dan Kei in FMA-RI 714 using DNA barcoding. The reconstruction of phylogenetic trees from three populations of L. gibbus has shown the close genetic supported by the acquisition of small genetic distances with a range from 0.000 to 0.0164. The highest genetic diversity (Hd) ranges from 0.9 to 1.0 and the nucleotide diversity ranges from (π) 0.00325-0.00921, indicate the population of Ambalau Island, Banda and Kei has a high genetic diversity. Analysis of Fixation index (Fst) ranges from -0.20370 to -0.06965, the negative value indicates that the three population did not experience genetic differentiation due to gene flow. This causes close relationships between populations, so that due gene variation between population becomes low and mixing occurs population. L.gibbus connectivity shows the presence of gene flow in all three of these population. ABSTRAK Akibat tingginya permintaan maka tingkat pemanfaatan ikan karang menjadi over exploited di WPP-NRI 714. Lutjanus gibbus merupakan salah satu jenis ikan karang target yang umumnya ditangkap karena memiliki nilai komersial yang tinggi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisa keragaman genetik, struktur populasi serta konektivitas populasi L.gibbus pada daerah konservasi dan daerah penangkapan di Ambalau, Banda dan Kei pada WPP-NRI 714 dengan menggunakan DNA barcoding. Hasil penelitian melalui rekonstruksi pohon filogenetik dari tiga populasi L. gibbus menunjukkan adanya kedekatan genetik yang didukung dengan perolehan jarak genetik yang kecil dengan kisaran nilai antara 0.000-0.0164. Nilai keragaman haplotipe (Hd) berkisar antara 0.9-1.0 dan keragaman nukleotida (π) berkisar antara 0.00325-0.00921, menunjukkan bahwa populasi Ambalau, Banda dan Kei memiliki keragaman genetik yang tinggi. Hasil analisis Fixation index (Fst) berkisar antara -0.20370 hingga -0.06965, nilai negatif tersebut mengindikasikan bahwa antar ketiga populasi tidak mengalami diferensiasi genetik karena adanya aliran gen. Hal ini menyebabkan kekerabatan antar populasi dekat sehingga variasi gen antar populasi rendah dan terjadinya percampuran antar populasi. Konektivitas L.gibbus pada seluruh populasi menunjukkan bahwa adanya aliran genetik pada ketiga populasi. Kata Kunci: Lutjanus gibbus, konektivitas populasi, analisa filogenetik, WPP-NRI 714, DNA barcoding

A size-based, histological analysis of the reproductive life history of the blacktip grouper, Epinephelus fasciatus (Forsskål 1775), was conducted in Indonesia to evaluate the error rate associated with macroscopic reproductive analysis. Histological results indicated that E. fasciatus was protogynous with female L50 at 13.4 cm total length (LT) and a size at sexual transition of 22.0 cm LT. The weight-length relationship for the species was W = 0.011 L3.13. Overall sex ratios were significantly female biased, operational sex ratios were significantly male biased, and sex ratios of mature individuals varied predictably with length from female to male dominance as size increased. No significant relationship between length and batch fecundity was found. The population has a spawning period from February to August. Overall, 54.4% of macroscopic evaluations were incorrect compared to histological results. Of the errors, 14.8% were a failure to detect ovotestes, 12.7% were classifying non-gonadal tissue as ovary or testis, 12.2% were misclassifying sex, and 12.7% were misclassifying maturity status. However, the largest source of error (47.7%) was from misclassifying both sex and maturity status. Of these, 92.9% were macroscopically classified as immature females, but were histologically confirmed to be mature males. Compared to histological results, the only accurate macroscopic results were the absence of a sex-based difference in weight-length relationship and spawning seasonality estimated by a gonadosomatic index (February-June). The use of macroscopic methods to estimate reproductive life-history parameters for sex-changing reefes fish may introduce significant inaccuracies and misinterpretations. Of the parameters estimated by histological methods, size at maturity, size-specific sex ratios, and spawning seasonality have the greatest potential to inform local fishery management policy.

Rhinolepadichthys geminus, one of three recently described species in the genus Rhinolepadichthys (previously known as Lepadichthys lineatus complex), is characterized by several distinct diagnostic morphological and color features, including a pair of yellow stripes on the body ventral midline. However, one of three specimens recently collected from the Alor Islands, Indonesia, possessed a yellow circular line, instead of a pair of yellow stripes, indicating that the latter were not an invariable feature. Morphological and molecular evidence confirmed the identity of the specimen and intraspecific significance of the color variation.

Freshwater habitats in Indo-Pacific tropical islands are mainly inhabited by amphidromous fish, which display a marine larval phase while the rest of their life cycle takes place in rivers. Gobiiformes are the most diversified fish component in these ecosystems. In this study, we focused on the status of the widespread Stenogobius genus (Gobioidei). This genus is distributed from the Indian Ocean to French Polynesia. Recently, a first revision of Stenogobius was undertaken leading to the redescription of S. genivittatus (Valenciennes, 1837) and the placement of 12 species names as synonyms of this species. This paper focuses on the status of nine Stenogobius species supposedly present in Indonesia, a country well known as one of the freshwater hotspots of biodiversity. The present study is based on 95 specimens, and includes morphomeristic data and partial mito-chondrial COI sequences. Our results show that, at least four species occur in Indonesia, including the wide-spread species S. genivittat

A new species of freshwater pipefish, Microphis arrakisae sp. nov., is described from the West Indonesian Islands (Java, Bali and Lombok). This species is morphologically very close to Microphis retzii (Bleeker, 1856), which is found in the eastern Indonesian Islands (Sulawesi, Ceram, Ambon and Papua). However, it can be distinguished by its in vivo coloration. Furthermore, genetic analysis of the partial COI gene (barcoding) indicates that it represents a distinct genetic lineage in the Indonesian region.

Two specimens (290.2 and 309.5 mm in standard length) of the longnosed stargazer, Ichthyscopus lebeck (Bloch et Schneider, 1801), were recently collected from Jakarta Bay, Jakarta, Indonesia. Described more than two centuries ago, I. lebeck has hitherto been documented exclusively from the Northern Hemisphere, encompassing the Arabian Sea, southern coastal India, the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea, and Singapore. The present paper documents the first record of the species in the Southern Hemisphere. Detailed descriptions of these specimens are provided, contributing valuable insights into the characteristics of I. lebeck in the newly reported locality.

The combined effects of climate change, marine tourism and other stressors threaten the ecological and economic sustainability of coral reefs. This study investigates dive industry stakeholder awareness of the threats to coral reefs through structured interviews with Dive Masters, company managers and marine management agencies in Vietnam, Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. Stakeholders from all locations have observed degradation of local reefs. Destructive fishing was identified as the principal threat in all regions except Australia. Most participants identified threats from climate change and marine tourism. There was a lack of awareness about ocean acidification by all participants from Maluku, Indonesia. However, ocean acidification could make coral more fragile and, therefore, vulnerable to diver-induced damage. The majority of Dive Masters across all regions provide pre-dive briefings to reduce diver impacts and participate in environmental activities to protect local reefs. Stakeholders in three regions thought there was capacity to expand the local dive industry. However, in Nha Trang Vietnam, most industry stakeholders thought they were at, or exceeded, carrying capacity, whereas marine management employees thought there was room to expand. This study highlights an opportunity to improve diver education on the vulnerability of coral to damage in acidifying oceans. This study also identifies various non-regulatory and regulatory strategies used to reduce diver impacts, emphasising the value of multi-national knowledge sharing between the dive industry and regulatory agencies for adaptive management.

Context The health of coral reefs is declining rapidly across the world because of anthropogenic impacts. In the mega-diverse Coral Triangle, the consequences of chronic overfishing and human use are worst near coastal population centres. Aims The remote islands and reefs in the centre of the Banda Sea (Indonesia) remain largely unstudied, but their distance from populated areas could provide protection from fishing. Methods We conducted the first visual census surveys of coral-reef communities at the uninhabited Lucipara group in the Banda Sea. Key results Sites showed medium to high coral cover and fish assemblages with high biomass, including abundant large predatory species. All sites exceeded the fish biomass conservation target of 1150 kg ha−1 proposed by McClanahan et al. (2015), by a factor of ~2–10. Benthic cover explained >50% of variance in fish abundance and diversity, with submassive corals, Dendrophyllia spp., and bare rock as key predictors. Conclusions Our results suggested that Lucipara’s reefs are among the healthiest in Indonesia, likely owing to their remoteness. However, this remoteness might also hamper policing against destructive fishing practices, highlighting a conservation gap. Implications Lucipara’s reef communities should be protected in a time of global coral-reef declines.

Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter Facebook Reddit LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Reprints and Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Gino Valentino Limmon, Zurnida Haulussy, Sven Robert Loupatty, Gratia Dolores Manuputty; Corals diversity at waters of Southern Ambon Island, Maluku. AIP Conference Proceedings 23 January 2023; 2588 (1): 030008. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0111963 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAIP Publishing PortfolioAIP Conference Proceedings Search Advanced Search |Citation Search

The Fisheries Management Area (FMA 714) has great potential for reef fish with high diversity. However, exploitation of reef fish, especially grouper in FMA 714 is also high to meet national and international market demand. One of the species of grouper is Cephalopholis sexmaculata from the Serranidae family. This research was conducted with the aim to determine genetic distance and phylogenetic relationships as well as genetic diversity, population structure and genetic connectivity of the C. sexmaculata in conservation areas and fishing areas in FMA 714 using DNA barcoding. Samples of C. sexmaculata were collected using a survey method with analyzes carried out including molecular analysis, phylogenetic relationships as well as genetic diversity and connectivity. The results of the research show that the C. sexmaculata population in FMA 714 has a very close relationship with the the values of genetic distance ranging from 0-10.9%. The genetic diversity obtained also shows the value of 1 which is categorized as high in each population. The connectivity formed from the population structure of this species indicates the existence of genetic exchange between the C. sexmaculatapopulation in the conservation area and the fishing area in FMA 714. ABSTRAK Wilayah Pengelolaan Perikanan (WPP 714) memiliki potensi ikan karang yang besar dengan keragaman yang tinggi. Walaupun demikian, eksploitasi ikan karang terutama ikan kerapu di WPP 714 juga cukup tinggi untuk memenuhi permintaan pasar nasional dan internasional. Salah satu jenis ikan kerapu adalah Cephalopholis sexmaculata dari famili Serranidae. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk mengetahui jarak genetik dan hubungan filogenetik serta keragaman genetik, struktur populasi dan konektivitas genetik dari spesies C. sexmaculata antara daerah konservasi dan daerah penangkapan di WPP 714 dengan menggunakan DNA barcoding. Sampel ikan C. sexmaculata diperoleh menggunakan metode survei dengan analisis yang dilakukan meliputi analisis molekuler, hubungan kekerabatan atau filogenetik serta keragaman dan konektivitas genetik. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa populasi C. sexmaculata di WPP 714 memiliki hubungan yang sangat dekat dengan jarak genetika yang diperoleh berkisar antara 0-10,9%. Nilai keragaman genetik yang diperoleh juga menunjukan angka 1 yang terkategori tinggi pada setiap populasi. Konektivitas yang terbentuk dari struktur populasi pada spesies ini menunjukan pendugaan terhadap adanya pertukaran genetik antara populasi C. sexmaculata di daerah konservasi dengan daerah penangkapan di WPP 714. Kata Kunci: WPP 714, Cephalopholis sexmaculata, penanda DNA, konektivitas, filogenetik

Mangroves are plants that live on the coast and are affected by sea tides. Mangroves play an important role in estuary areas, namely the border between seawater and fresh water because they have ecological, economic and chemical functions to support the life of organisms. Mangrove ecosystems can experience threats from both natural and human factors. Human activities that cause damage to mangroves are due to a lack of public awareness regarding the importance of mangrove ecosystems for organisms. This is the condition that occurs in the mangrove ecosystem in Waai Village, therefore, it is necessary to restore the mangrove ecosystem. Mangrove ecosystem restoration uses one of the potential media, namely BESE-Element, which is a biodegradable material. Community service is carried out in collaboration with the Pattimura University Maritime Center and Wardenburg Ecology International. The community service activities were carried out for two days, 7-8 February 2023. The result of the activity was that mangrove ecosystem restoration was carried out in semi-enclosed areas using 10 BESE-Element. The types of mangrove species planted were Sonneratia alba, Rhizophora stylosa, and Ceriops tagal. Around BESE-Elements planted seedlings and mangrove propagules as a control for mangroves in BESE-Elements. This restoration activity seems to be applicable not only in Waai Village but also in other areas that have experienced degradation of the mangrove ecosystem.

Perairan Teluk Ambon Dalam merupakan salah satu lokasi yang sedang berkembang sebagai kawasan budidaya ikan. Namun, pakan ikan sering menjadi permasalahan karena jumlah dan harga sering tergantung pada musim. Untuk itu dikembangkan pakan dan bahan baku pakan alternatif yang dianggap sejalan dengan konsep blue economy yang digalakan pemerintah untk menjawab permasalahan yang ada, yaitu menggunakan magot (larva lalat black soldier), sehingga persoalan ekonomi dan lingkungan dapat terjawab. Pemanfaatan limbah organik dan terbukanya kesempatan pakan komersil mewujudkan konsep ekonomi biru dalam usaha budidaya ikan dengan memanfaatkan pakan magot. Tujuan dilakukannya kegiatan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (PKM) ini adalah untuk mengenalkan dan melatih konsep budidaya magot serta komersialisasi produk magot sebagai pakan. Kegiatan dilakukan di Pusat Kemaritiman dan Kelautan Universitas Pattimura Ambon, dengan beberapa kegiatan dimulai dari persiapan, pelaksanaan, evaluasi, dan pelaporan. Pada tahap awal, dipersiapkan kandang magot dan berbagai bahan yang diperlukan dalam budidaya magot, termasuk pembuatan produk fermentasi untuk pakan lalat. Berdasarkan hasil evaluasi, terdapat peningkatan peningkatan pengetahuan mencapai 85,71%-100%, sedangkan peningkatan keterampilan berkisar dari 90,48%-100%. Perpaduan metode ceramah dan pelatihan secara langsung dapat memberikan hasil yang efektif karena peserta dapat mendengar, berdiskusi, dan berlatih secara langsung.

Mangrove ecosystems have potential both ecologically, economically, physically, and chemically. The abundance of this potential causes pressure from anthropogenic activities, which results in the degradation of mangrove ecosystems. Several mangrove ecosystems in the Ambon City area have experienced degradation, so restoration is necessary. The Passo State area has the potential for a dense mangrove ecosystem and can be used as a nursery area to support other ecosystems. Increasing the potential of mangrove ecosystems in the Passo State area can be done through restoration using biodegradable materials (BESE-Elements). Mangrove restoration is carried out through community service activities, a collaboration between the Maritime Center and Wardeen Burg Ecology – The Netherlands. The result of the activity is that mangrove ecosystem restoration is carried out in semi-enclosed areas using 10 BESE-Element. Each BESE-Element was planted with 10 mangrove seedlings consisting of 5 seedlings and 5 propagules. The mangrove species planted were Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Rhizophora apicutala, and Rhizophora stylosa. Around BESE-Elements planted seedlings and mangrove propagules as a control for mangroves in BESE-Elements.