Thamasak Yeemin

Ramkhamhaeng University | RU · Faculty of Science

The Phang-Nga Bay Ocean Accounts project highlights Thailand's efforts to integrate environmental, economic, and spatial data to manage its rich coastal and marine ecosystems. These knowledge products present key insights and methodologies for applying the Ocean Accounts Framework to solid waste impacts, the ocean economy, and spatial management in...

Black band disease (BBD) is one of the oldest recognized diseases of scleractinian corals. This disease is little known on the variation of progression rates across relatively small spatial scales and how local variations in the environment can impact prevalence and spread. The purpose of this study was to explore the progression of BBD on genus Mo...

Coastal and marine ecosystems play a major role in the global carbon cycle. Connected marine and coastal ecosystems are commonly observed in the Western Gulf of Thailand. Little is known about the blue carbon potential of these interconnected ecosystems and seascapes. This study aims to quantify blue carbon stocks in the interconnected seagrass-cor...

Islands, critical environments for marine biodiversity, have endorsed several classical ecological theories. However, most studies on marine communities in islands are restricted to oceanic settings; whether premises of island biogeography apply to coastal islands is still unknown. In the Gulf of Thailand (GoT), coral reefs occur in nearshore coast...

Microplastics travel along food chain, bio-accumulates in organisms, and interferes with natural feeding habits of marine organisms, yet effect of microplastics on marine invertebrates such as corals are poorly known. Here we first review microplastics with focus on sources and formation in Thailand. Then we studied the feeding behavior of two spec...

Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems. Diverse microbes are associated with corals, including zooxanthellae, protists, prokaryotes, and viruses. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of the culturable fungi associated with scleractinian corals in the Gulf of Thailand. Ribosomal DNA sequence analysis and morpho...

Coral reefs in the Central Indo-Pacific region comprise some of the most diverse and yet threatened marine habitats. While reef monitoring has grown throughout the region in recent years, studies of coral reef benthic cover remain limited in spatial and temporal scales. Here, we analysed 24,365 reef surveys performed over 37 years at 1972 sites thr...

Marine Plastics Abatement Volume 1 provides comprehensive knowledge of plastic pollutions in marine ecosystems and their implications on human health, especially from the contamination of micro and nano-plastic particles by which the levels of plastic pollutions in marine, aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric systems are described. In addition to e...

The brown macroalgal genus Lobophora plays important ecological roles in many marine ecosystems. This group has received much attention over the past decade, and a considerable number of new species have been identified globally. However, our knowledge of the genus diversity and ecology along south-east Asian coasts are still limited. Given the gro...

A new natural product, 1-(6-methylsalicyloyl)glycerol (1) was isolated from the culture extract of the stony coral-derived Micromonospora sp. C029. The structure of 1 was determined by extensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. The absolute configuration was determined to be S by comparison of specific rotation with synthetic (R)- and...

Understanding coral biology is crucial for coral reef management under the crisis of global change. This chapter provides updated knowledge on several important aspects of coral biology and existential threats to the sustainable growth of coral reefs from basic biology, including reproduction, development, and recruitment on the hard bottom to the...

Coral reefs are critically important to the economic development of most tropical countries. However, they have faced multi-stressors from natural and anthropogenic disturbances, particularly from coastal development, tourism, overfishing, and coral bleaching. Consequently, the loss of vulnerable species from coral communities is occurring at an ac...

Being one of the older marine organisms, corals have existed on this planet for more than several hundreds of millions of years and serve as an important component in global marine ecosystems. Coral reefs provide services covering a variety of social and economic aspects affecting the life and welfare of millions of people in the Western Pacific Re...

Coral reefs are important ecosystems, especially in regions like the Western and South-Western Pacific, where they play vital roles in food provision, resource production and coastal protection. They are, however, under severe pressure from human and climate change. The importance of reefs is recognised globally, and substantial research efforts ar...

This research aims to screen and find appropriate culture media conditions for oleaginous marine fungi. In the experiment, the marine fungi were isolated from marine organisms that were collected from Mu Koh Yao and Mu Koh Samaesarn using the tissue transplanting method and screened by Sudan Black B staining and extracting lipids from fungi using c...

Two new marine actinobacteria, designated as J2-1 T and J2-2 T , were isolated from a coral, Favites pentagona , collected from Rayong Province, Thailand. The taxonomic positions of the two strains were identified based on polyphasic taxonomy. Based on morphological characteristics and chemotaxonomy, strains J2-1 T and J2-2 T were identified as mem...

. Shallow reef flats are in an extreme environment with high temperatures, light intensity, and sedimentation load, making some sensitive corals vulnerable to several threats such as ocean warming, human activities, pollution, and diseases. Coral disease has been an essential issue regarding coral health as it could promote the deterioration of cor...

Microplastics have been found to adhere onseaweeds, which serve as a route for microplastic transfer into the marine food web and human consumption. Because there is a lack of understanding about microplastics in edible seaweeds, this study focused onthe occurrence of microplastics in two edible seaweeds from Thai aquaculture. The edible red seawee...

Underwater pinnacles are necessary marine resources because they have a complex structure, serving as a suitable habitat for various marine organisms. However, the underwater pinnacle has been experienced with heavy fishing pressure, resulting in the accumulation of derelict fishing gear (DFG). Almost all derelict fishing gear has been recognized a...

Coral reefs are recognized as essential ecosystems that harbor thousands of species, providing food and livelihoods for people who live near coastal areas in Thailand. Nowadays, coral reefs were degraded by several factors, especially from climate change and local anthropogenic stressors. Samui Islands are a popular tourism destination. Consequentl...

Microplastic contamination in the environment is a global problem, as evidenced by the increasing amount of research worldwide. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the microplastic distribution in Bandon Bay, one of the most important maricultural areas of Thailand. Water and sediment samples from the Tapi-Phumduang River syste...

Zoonosis-based epidemics are inevitable unless we revisit our relationship with the natural world, protect habitats and regulate wildlife trade, including live animals and non-sustenance products. To prevent future zoonoses, governments must establish effective legislation addressing wildlife trade, protection of habitats and reduction of the wildl...

Coral reefs provide various types of ecosystem services. However, rapid and intensive marine and coastal development without proper management cause adverse effects on coral reef ecosystems. The process of enhancing marine ecotourism through assessing potential sites and zoning arrangement is an effective strategy for reducing pressure on main dive...

Coral reefs in the Gulf of Thailand have experienced severe coral bleaching events and anthropogenic disturbances during the last two decades. This study assessed the resilience potential of coral communities at Ko Losin offshore reef sites and Mu Ko Chumphon nearshore coral reefs, in the south of Thailand, by conducting field surveys on the live c...

Without drastic efforts to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate globalized stressors, tropical coral reefs are in jeopardy. Strategic conservation and management requires identification of the environmental and socioeconomic factors driving the persistence of scleractinian coral assemblages—the foundation species of coral reef ecosystems. Here, we...

Small-scale fisheries often exist among other activities, such as large-scale fisheries, urban development, tourism industry, and transportation that may be competing for resources and/or for space. To a varying degree, and depending on the practices, all of these activities affect the health of ecosystems and contribute to degradation of the envir...

There were two severe coral bleaching events at Ko Khang Khao, the inner Gulf of Thailand, occurred during the prolonged period of the elevated sea surface temperature (SST) in 2010 and low salinity as well as turbidity due to heavy flooding in 2011. The bleaching index (BI) and mortality index (MI) are calculated to compare the susceptibilities of...

In this study, we assess coral health by detecting the severity of coral diseases and compromised health states on massive Porites. Field surveys are conducted at twenty-two sites covering the eastern, inner and western Gulf of Thailand as well as the Andaman Sea during 2010–2015. A total of nine coral diseases and signs of compromised health are o...

The ecology of the family Pinnidae was studied by sampling three pinnid species from 36 sampling sites across four different microhabitats in the Gulf of Thailand. The species spatial distributions were mostly uniform, with some populations having random distributions. Species abundances differed between sandy and coral habitats according to non-me...

Ligophorus satunensis n. sp. was collected from the bluetail mullet, Crenimugil buchanani (Bleeker, 1853), caught off Satun, Thailand, representing the first report of the Ligophorus species in Thailand. The new species is most similar to Ligophorus fenestrum Soo & Lim, 2012 in its fenestrated dorsal hamuli, a ventral bar with a long, bifurcated an...

Given predicted increases in urbanization in tropical and subtropical regions, understanding the processes shaping urban coral reefs may be essential for anticipating future conservation challenges. We used a case study approach to identify unifying patterns of urban coral reefs and clarify the effects of urbanization on hard coral assemblages. Dat...

Helminths of marine fish are highly diverse, impact food safety and can reflect an environmental change. Some helminths have been recognized as biological markers for coastal ecosystem evaluation. Recently, the coastal area near Tarutao Island, Satun province, southern Thailand, has been reported to be impacted by an ecological change. However, inf...

Corals evolved by establishing symbiotic relationships with various microorganisms (the zooxanthellae, filamentous algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses), forming the ‘coral holobiont’. Among them, the endolithic community is the least studied. Its main function was considered to be translocation of photo-assimilates to the cor...

Mass bleaching and subsequent mortality of scleractinian corals in response to elevated seawater temperatures has been considered as one of the most impacts of global climate change. Three extensive coral bleaching events in the Andaman Sea were reported, in the years 1991, 1995 and 2010. Studies on survival of coral colonies, coral recruitment and...

Global attention on issues affecting fisheries sustainability, particularly those related to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, has recently heightened. As one of the world’s top seafood producers, Thailand is under immense pressure to illustrate commitment to address these issues. A new Royal Ordinance on Fisheries (2015) emerged...

Mass bleaching and subsequent mortality of scleractinian corals in response to elevated seawater temperatures has been considered as one of the most impacts of global climate change. Three extensive coral bleaching events in the Andaman Sea were reported, in the years 1991, 1995 and 2010. Studies on survival of coral colonies, coral recruitment and...

The South China Sea in the Central Indo-Pacific is a large semi-enclosed marine region that supports an extraordinary diversity of coral reef organisms (including stony corals), which varies spatially across the region. While one-third of the world’s reef corals are known to face heightened extinction risk from global climate and local impacts, pro...

Elevated seawater temperatures in the summer months of 2010 were associated with widespread coral mortality in Thailand. A large number of corals at Mu Ko Surin died following the bleaching event. Understanding of the recruitment of corals would improve our ability to predict the potential for coral recovery from the impacts of bleaching events, as...

The South China Sea in the Central Indo-Pacific is a large marine region that spans an area of more than 3 million km2 bounded by the coastlines of ten Asian nation states and contains numerous small islands. Although it abuts the western border of the Coral Triangle, the designated centre of maximum marine biodiversity, the South China Sea has rec...

A status on environmental contamination of the coral reefs on the islands of Samui and Katen of the western part of the Gulf of Thailand was investigated with a preliminarily analysis of bottom sediment samples. Coral reef bed sediments were characterized as relatively uncontaminated by human activities in terms of selected metals and PCBs. Potenti...

Chronic disturbances of coral reefs are usually caused by a complex combination of several stresses that are increasingly driving coral reef degradation on both a regional and global scale. This study is aimed at assessing the long-term changes of coral communities (2004-2010) by integrated investigation on sedimentation rates, coral community stru...

A severe coral reef bleaching event occurred in late summer 2010 in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. The present study aims to quantitatively examine coral bleaching at 11 sites, namely, Ko Lan, Ko Sak Island and Ko Khrok in the Inner Gulf of Thailand, Laem Sed and Ao Tong Tanode on Ko Samui, Ko Mud Sum and Ko Taen, in the Western Gulf of...

Elevated seawater temperatures in summer months of 2010 were associated with widespread coral bleaching in the Andaman Sea. The present study examines the impact of coral bleaching and recovery potential of coral reefs at Mu Koh Surin National Park, Thailand. The percentages of dead corals following the bleaching event for all ten study sites were...

Coral reefs in the Gulf of Thailand suffered from severe bleaching in the summer of 2010. Coral taxa were affected with various levels of intensity, eventually causing high mortality among many coral species, such as Acropora spp. Surveys at three sites at Kut Island in the eastern part of the Gulf of Thailand revealed that, before the 2010 bleachi...

During two surveys of the mushroom coral fauna of Koh Tao, a total of 20 species was recorded. The first survey (June 2010) was during a coral bleaching event caused by elevated seawater temperatures. Bleaching in mushroom corals appeared to be depth-dependent at the deepest sites with less bleaching occurring below 20 m depth. Some fungiid species...

The impact of elevated water temperatures in May-August 2010 on coral assemblages at Kut Island, in the eastern Gulf of Thailand was assessed by quantifying the changes of live coral cover before and after the 2010 bleaching phenomenon at three study sites. The coral mortality as a result of the bleaching varied significantly among the three study...

We examined the survival of juvenile coral colonies following the 2010 coral bleaching event at eight study sites in the Similan Islands, the Andaman Sea. Density of juvenile corals differed significantly between time, location and major genera. The lowest bleaching impact on juvenile coral colonies was recorded at Christmas Point Rock, a deep stud...

Restoration of coastal reefs in the South China Sea started in the 1990s in response to widespread de­ gradation of reef habitats. A wide variety of restoration techniques is practiced including coral transplantation, substrate modification, and non-coral species stock enhancement. Interesting lessons are derived from these ex­ periences. Protectio...

This paper documents the conditions of selected coral communities in the Gulf of Thailand with an insight into the degree of resistance and resilience to coral bleaching and localized anthropogenic disturbances. Live coral coverage at the study sites ranged from 5.2% at Koh Samui to 64.3% at Koh Lan. The most dominant coral species was Porites lute...

areas were previously included; zx The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused localized coral reef damage in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Post-tsunami assessments indicate there was severe localised damage in a few areas, and minimal damage on most reefs. Recovery from the tsunami is expected to take 5–10 years for most affected reefs, and 20 years...

The degradation and deterioration of coral reefs in Thailand has continued for several decades due to pressures from fishery and tourism activities and, more recently, from bleaching. Several institutions and organizations, from both the government and the private sector, have been involved in programs to restore degraded coral reefs. The objective...

Sexual reproduction of a marine sponge, Petrosia sp. was studied at Khang Khao Island and Nok Island, the inner Gulf of Thailand during December 1997- April 2001. Its reproductive biology was examined by monthly sampling of marked individuals for histological analysis in the laboratory. This sponge was a viviparous hermaphrodite. Gamete development...

Changes in the fringing coral reef community of a small island (Ko Nok) at Pattaya Bay, Gulf of Thailand, were examined at the beginning and at the end of a 3-year period using 7m×7m permanent quadrats for benthic organisms, and visual census along 100m transects for fish. The coral community was dominated by Porites lutea in terms of colony number...

Introduction Recruitment is an important factor controlling the population dynamics of corals and plays a major role in promoting the recovery of degraded coral reefs and maintaining healthy coral populations (Babcock and Mundy 1996, Fox 2004, Salinas-de-León et al. 2011). Patterns of scleractinian coral recruitment are determined by several factor...