Fuad A. Al-Horani

University of Jordan | UJ · Department of Marine Biology

Introduction: Climate change, and the increase in sea surface temperature, is exacerbating ocean deoxygenation because of the inherent property of seawater to sequester less dissolved gas, such as oxygen, at warmer temperatures. While most coral reef studies focus on the effects of thermal stress and ocean acidification, few studies acknowledge the...

Coral reefs in the northern Red Sea experience strong seasonality. This affects reef carbon (C) cycling, but ecosystem-wide quantification of C fluxes in such reefs is limited. This study quantified seasonal reef community C fluxes with incubations. Resulting data were then incorporated into seasonal linear inverse models (LIM). For spring, additio...

The present study aimed to evaluate the implementation of Lipid Peroxidation (LPO) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) as an early warning tool for monitoring coral health status and assessing the ecological situation of corals in relation to global and local environmental change in the Gulf of Aqaba. To reach our objectives, we have developed a novel...

Research indicates the importance of interaction between seagrass meadows and the adjacent coral reefs through the associated ecosystem services (ES). Mapping of seagrass and coral reefs is crucial to the understanding, identification, valuation, and conservation of ES. And while such mapping was performed in substantial detail for many countries a...

Coral deterioration is often linked with coastal pollution. This aimed to study biochemical stress responses in the common coral Stylophora pistillata collected and/or planted in coastal sites subject to pollution and sites without pollution in the Gulf of Aqaba. DNA damage and lipid peroxidation were analyzed to measure stress in corals. High DNA...

The global continued decline in coral reefs is intensifying the need to understand the response of corals to local environmental stressors. Coral-associated bacterial communities have been suggested to have a swift response to environmental pollutants. This study aims to determine the variation in the bacterial communities associated with the mucus...

The purpose of this study was to assess the health of stony coral Porites sp. based on the presence of bacterial pathogens, specifically Vibrio coralliilyticus, in the Gulf of Aqaba, and to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on Porites sp. Porites sp. specimens were collected from the Marine Science Station (MSS) and a public beach (Yama...

A total of 185,026 fish individuals representing 101 shallow-water species belonging to 38 families were counted in the present survey. The most abundant species during this surveys was Atherinomorus lacunosus-robust silverside with (RA=42.7%), followed by Diplodus noct-Red Sea bream (RA=13.5%), Neopomacentrus miryae- Miry's demoiselle (RA=10.2%),...

Coral-associated microbial communities contribute to a wide variety of useful roles regarding the their host, and therefore, the arrangement of the general microbiome network can emphatically impact coral wellbeing and survival. Various pollution sources can interfere and disrupt the microbial relationship with corals. Here, we adopted the bacteria...

Jellyfish blooms might be driven by the alterations in seawater temperature (SWT) associated with climate change. The physiological responses of jellyfish to changing SWT, however, are poorly understood. Therefore, we asked the question: how do sudden changes (±6 °C) in SWT affect the physiological performance of the jellyfish Cassiopea sp.? We mea...

The northern Red Sea experiences strong annual differences in environmental conditions due to its relative high-latitude location for coral reefs. This allows the study of regulatory effects by key environmental parameters (i.e., temperature, inorganic nutrient, and organic matter concentrations) on reef primary production and dinitrogen (N 2) fixa...

Incubated branches of coral Stylophora pistil-lata in five sites along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba were investigated to determine trace elements composition and mineral phase in their skeleton using Energy Disperse X-rays (EDX) and X-ray Dif-fraction (XRD), respectively. The mineral phase was identified as aragonite. Six trace elements...

The high biodiversity of coral reefs results in complex trophic webs where energy and nutrients are transferred between species through a multitude of pathways. Here, we hypothesize that reef sponges convert the dissolved organic matter (DOM) released by benthic primary producers (e.g. corals) into particulate detritus that is transferred to sponge...

Crude oil (from oil terminal) and raw phosphate (from phosphate port) pollution are responsible for the lowered health conditions of coral reefs at their vicinity in the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Both in situ incubations and ex situ laboratory exposure experiments were used to study the effects of those pollutants on corals, by using mo...

Summary Corals and macroalgae release large quantities of dissolved organic matter (DOM), one of the largest sources of organic matter produced on coral reefs. By rapidly taking up DOM and transforming it into particulate detritus, coral reef sponges are proposed to play a key role in transferring the energy and nutrients in DOM to higher trophic l...

Community structure of coral reef fishes in relation to habitat and depth in the northern Gulf of Aqaba/Jordan were studied by visual census method. Changes of the fish community structures between summer and winter were determined. A total of 27882 fish individuals representing 65 species and 16 families were recorded. Fifty five and fifty eight s...

Valutazione del grado di tossicità di sedimenti inquinati da fosfati di un porto minerario nel SE della Giordania mediante il metodo della perossidazione lipidica

Many polychaetes are commensals or parasitic symbionts of metazoan hosts that provide them with shelter and food. The genus Polydorella currently contains six species of polydorid polychaetes, of these five are described as inconspicuous epibionts (sized <2 mm) of Indo-Pacific sponges. Potential functional benefits generated by polydorid-sponge ass...

Northern Red Sea coral reefs experience pronounced seasonal variations in environmental factors such as water temperature, light intensity, and nutrient availability. This allows studying related effects on primary production by different functional groups. The present study therefore quantified primary production of all dominant benthic primary pr...

Shallow warm-water and deep-sea cold-water corals engineer the coral reef framework and fertilize reef communities by releasing coral mucus, a source of reef dissolved organic matter (DOM). By transforming DOM into particulate detritus, sponges play a key role in transferring the energy and nutrients in DOM to higher trophic levels on Caribbean ree...

Coral skeletal morphology provides identifying characters forspecies determination.The corallite is the building unit of the coral skeleton andcomposed of a wall with septa surrounding a central cavity.Skeleton formation occurs by three distinct processes:calcification,biomineralization and skeletogenesis.Calcification in scleractinian corals occur...

N2 fixation by coral reef benthic substrates may support primary productivity on oligotrophic coral reefs. However, little is known regarding the influence of environmental parameters on coral reef benthic N2 fixation. This study quantified N2 fixation and photosynthesis in 3 common reef framework substrates: turf algae, coral rock, and the abundan...

Two of the largest crude oil-polluted areas in the world are the semi-enclosed Mediterranean and Red Seas, but the effect of chronic pollution remains incompletely understood on a large scale. We compared the influence of environmental and geographical constraints and anthropogenic forces (hydrocarbon input) on bacterial communities in eight geogra...

This report is based on the data collected by the participant scientists, in addition to the published and unpublished data, the results and analysis of the surveys, and research and monitoring programmes and various activities carried out by the staff of the Faculty of Marine Sciences, researchers of the Marine Science Station, and researchers fro...

Human stresses on coral reefs have increased to levels threatening their existence on a global scale. In the Gulf of Aqaba, many coastal coral reefs have been damaged by human activities, while many others are threatened. To mitigate such negative impacts, we have constructed a state-of-the-art artificial reef and deployed it in the Gulf of Aqaba i...

During the past decade, the coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba have suffered from continued deterioration as a result of coastal human activities. For restoration of damaged coral reefs, it is important to have continuous supply of corals without causing impairment to the natural reef environment. In the present study, suspended and bottom based cora...

Many reef-building corals photoacclimate by increasing levels of chlorophyll per microalgal cell with depth, but mechanisms of photoacclimation in coral reef sea anemones remain poorly understood. We determined variation in ambient irradiance and patterns of abundance, microhabitat use, chlorophyll and microalgal cell concentrations in clownfish se...

Many stony coral-dwelling fishes exhibit adaptations to deal with hypoxia among the branches of their hosts; however, no information exists on the respiratory ecophysiology of obligate fish associates of non-coral organisms such as sea anemones and sponges. This study investigated metabolic and behavioral interactions between two-band anemonefish (...

The concentrations of six heavy metals were studied in five living coral species and their fossil counterparts collected along the Jordanian Coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. The study aimed at investigating the validity of using coral skeletons as bioindicators for environmental pollution by heavy metals in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. The skeletal sampl...

Crude petroleum-oil is a complex mixture of hydrophobic components like n-alkanes, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes. Microorganisms are known to attack and degrade a specific component as compared with other components of oil. This study aimed at investigating the biodegradation potential of 20 bacterial consortia that were previously isolated fro...

The spatial distribution and community struc-ture of the fishes were studied at different depths and sites along the Jordanian coast in seagrass habitat. A total of 37,034 fishes were counted representing 132 species belonging to 35 families observed during visual census in three sites (average of 4741.6 fish per transect). Out of the 132 species e...

A new species of sponge-associated pontoniine shrimp from the northeastern Red Sea is described and illustrated. The new species is closely related to Periclimenaeus rhodope, but can be easily distinguished from the latter by the dense spinulation of the second pereiopod chelae. The new species is placed in the Periclimenaeus robustus species group...

The distribution and abundance of seagrass communities have been investigated from from three sites along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. The results showed that the seagrass Halophila stipulacea has the widest distribution in all sites. However, the species Halodule uninervis and Halophila ovalis were less abundant and were found at the...

In the Gulf of Aqaba, the slow, unidirectional surface inflow of oligotrophic waters from the Red Sea may limit the dispersal of planktotrophic larvae, thus favouring brooded over planktonic development. A site at the northern end of the Gulf was used to examine recruitment by wood borers of the family Teredinidae (Bivalvia) with brooded or plankto...

In an effort to develop active bacterial consortia that could be used in bioremediation of crude oil and/or hydrocarbons from contaminated systems, 34 bacterial isolates were isolated from contaminated soil at the Jordanian Oil Refinery in Zarqa. Bacterial isolates were tested individually and as consortia for their potential ability for the degrad...

• Coral reefs are generally healthy throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with 30% to 50% live coral cover at most locations and more than 50% total on average; • Coral reefs have been damaged near urban and industrial centres from land-filling and dredging; port activities (damage by anchors, oil and wastewater discharges); sewage and other pol...

In order to assess pollutants and impact of environmental changes in the coastal region of the Jordanian Gulf of Aqaba, concentrations of six metals were traced through variations in 5 years growth bands sections of recent Porties coral skeleton. X-radiography showed annual growth band patterns extending back to the year 1925. Baseline metal concen...

The rate of calcification in the scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis was followed during the daytime using 45Ca tracer. The coral began the day with a low calcification rate, which increased over time to a maximum in the afternoon. Since the experiments were carried out under a fixed light intensity, these results suggest that an intrinsic rhy...

An 18-year (1988-2005) stable oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of two coral colonies (Porites lutea and P. lobata) from two different sites in the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) successfully records the seasonal variability in sea surface temperature (SST). The mean annual SST record from the study sites ranges between 21.18°C to 26....

The physicochemical properties of 21 marine sediment samples were investigated, collected from five different localities along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. According to the chemical parameters, sediments were categorized into three groups: carbonate (80% CaCO3), composed mainly of materials of calcareous skeletal structures; terrigenou...

This study was focused on analysis of the horizontal and vertical current components with correspondence to tide variation, heat flux, seiches and relative backscatter intensity in coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Aqaba during the summers of 2001–2004. Spectrum analysis has shown eight distinguishable peaks of the tide measurements. In additi...

The role of deep sediment in supporting nutrient budget in the Gulf of Aqaba has been investigated by estimating the flux of inorganic nitrogen, phosphate and silicate. Fluxes were calculated directly by pore water profiles and indirectly by chamber incubations carried out onboard the RV Meteor cruise. The results showed that maximum potential flux...

The spatial distribution and community structure of the family Labridae were studied at different depths and sites along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba in the seagrass and coral reef habitats. A total of 44 species of labrid fish were observed during the 187 visual census performed in seventeen sites. Out of the 44 labrid fish species enc...

The Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba was intensively surveyed during the year 2004 to assess the health of the coral reefs in Jordan. Permanent line transects were laid on the reef flat, at depths of 8 m and 15 m at eight sites, and selected benthos components were studied. It was found that the distribution of hard corals increases gradually f...

We investigated the hypothesis that sulfate reduction rather than oxygenic photosynthesis promotes calcification in a hypersaline microbial mat by increasing the ion concentration product: ICP 5 (Ca 21 ) 3 (CO ). Pore-water 22 3 calcium concentration profiles directly measured with microsensors show that calcium concentration in the photic zone dec...

In order to characterize the process of calcification in scleractinian corals, a series of laboratory experiments were conducted using radioactive isotopes. Labelled calcium, bicarbonate and glucose were used and the fates of the labelled tracers were followed in the skeleton and the tissue fractions of the coral Galaxea fascicularis. In addition,...

Single polyps of Galaxea fascicularis were fixed to glass vials with underwater epoxy resin. After regeneration into microcolonies they were used for microsensor measurements of photosynthesis and calcification under different incubating temperatures. Gross photosynthesis was found highest at temperatures of 23 and 26°C (ca. 0.022 mole O2 m -3 s –1...

Single polyps of Galaxea fascicularis were fixed to glass vials with underwater epoxy resin. After regeneration into microcolonies they were used for microsensor measurements of photosynthesis and calcification under different incubating temperatures. Gross photosynthesis was found highest at temperatures of 23 and 26°C (ca.0.022 mole O2 m-3 s-1),...

The spatial heterogeneity of photosynthesis and calcification of single polyps of the coral Galaxea fascicularis was investigated. Photosynthesis was investigated with oxygen microsensors. The highest rates of gross photosynthesis (Pg) were found on the tissue covering the septa, the tentacles, and the tissues surrounding the mouth opening of the p...

Stromatolites date back some 3.5 billion years and constitute the most common and conspicuous fossils through the Proterozoic. These organosedimentary structures decreased dramatically in diversity and abundance by the late Neoproterozoic, a phenomenon often ascribed to destructive grazing by newly evolved metazoans. We investigated the concurrent...

Sources of inorganic carbon (Ci) for photosynthesis and calcification and the mechanisms involved in their uptake in scleractinian corals were investigated in microcolonies of Galaxea fascicularis. Direct measurements of Ca²⁺, pH and O2 on the surface and inside the polyp's coelenteron were made with microsensors. Gross photosynthesis (Pg) and net...

The mechanism of calcification and its relation to photosynthesis and respiration were studied with Ca2+, pH and O2 microsensors using the scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis. Gross photosynthesis (Pg), net photosynthesis (Pn) and dark respiration (DR) were measured on the surface of the coral. Light respiration (LR) was calculated from the di...