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A wide variety of fishing methods is used to harvest coral-reef fishes worldwide, with increasing concerns regarding long-term sustainability. As such, there is a need to determine the degree to which specific fishing methods influence coral-reef fish resources. In 2004 the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands instituted restrictions on use of gill, drag, and surround nets, limiting use to special exemption for annual fiestas. Historical creel survey data and data from net-use exemptions were reviewed and underwater visual census surveys conducted in southern Saipan Lagoon to assess changes in abundance and biomass from 2004 to 2011. Generalized linear modeling results showed numerical increases in four reef fish families, including Labridae, Scaridae, Mullidae, and the primary target of exempted net-fishing events, Lethrinidae. In addition, mean increases in total reef fish biomass were observed from 2004 to 2011. Positive changes in abundance and biomass of certain coral-reef fish families suggest that decreased fishing mortality via gear restrictions on use of nets can be a useful tool toward the goal of reef fish sustainability in coral-reef ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed the first survey of terrestrial gastropods on Dåno' (Cocos Island). Dåno' is a 0.33 km2 uninhabited atoll island located 2.5 km southwest of Guam, the largest island in the Mariana archipelago, western Micronesia. In 4 days of examining vegetation, soil and leaf litter, we found 14 species of mollusks arrayed in 12 genera and 11 taxonomic families. The fauna is a subset of that found on Guam. Five species are native to the Mariana Islands, two of which are endemic to the archipelago and the remaining seven are likely introduced there, perhaps prehistorically. Ground-inhabiting species found only as abundant worn shells in soil suggest relatively recent turnover of these forms, perhaps from seawater inundation of the low-lying island during typhoons. There was no evidence of Mariana endemic snails in the family Partulidae, recently afforded legal protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. However, neither did we encounter the invasive flatworm Platydemus manokwari De Beauchamp, currently decimating partulids elsewhere in the Marianas. Hence, we suggest that if further surveys confirm the predator's absence, Dåno' might serve as a novel sanctuary for transplanted populations of Guam's most endangered snails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study analyzes limited English proficient (LEP) Chuukese patients' perspectives on dual-role interpreters in Guam and Chuuk. Methods included ethnographic observations of encounters with health care workers (HCWs) and 225 female Chuukese patients seeking reproductive healthcare in community health clinics: 126 women in Guam and 99 women in Chuuk. Ethnographic observations were supplemented by semi-structured interviews with 26 HCWs, and life history interviews with 15 Chuukese transnational migrant women. Notes from interview transcripts and observations were analyzed using critical interpretive and grounded theory. Findings demonstrated that Chuukese LEP patients need and at times want interpreters in order to understand their healthcare visits. In the absence of professional interpreters, ad-hoc interpreters (family interpreters and employees of the clinic) are an important resource. However, social and cultural concerns with community confidentiality influenced patient trust of staff interpreters. This lack of trust can limit access to health care overall, as some patients may avoid seeking care to prevent their confidential health information being disclosed. These complexities in interpretation must be considered in order for clinics to provide optimal care for the communities they serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of breast cancer care among Medicare beneficiaries in the US territories--where federal spending for health care is lower than in the continental US--is unknown. We compared female Medicare beneficiaries who were residents of the US territories and had surgical treatment for breast cancer in 2008-14 to those in the continental US in terms of receipt of recommended breast cancer care (diagnostic needle biopsy and adjuvant radiation therapy [RT] following breast-conserving surgery) and the timeliness (time from needle biopsy to surgery and from surgery to adjuvant RT) of that care. Residents of the US territories were less likely to receive recommended care (24 percent lower odds of receiving diagnostic needle biopsy and 34 percent lower odds of receiving adjuvant RT) and to receive timely care (45 percent lower odds of receiving surgery and 82 percent lower odds of receiving adjuvant RT, both within three months). Further research is needed to identify barriers to the provision of adequate and timely breast cancer care in this unique population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries represent a fundamental resource linking social and ecological systems. Yet, unsustainable fishing regimes prevail across many tropical regions as a result of growing consumer demand and market expansion. Using the extensive reef-fish trade between Chuuk and Guam (Micronesia) as a case study, we examined 12 years of commercial reef-fish export data to capture both inter-annual and intra-annual trends. Reef-fish exports from Chuuk increased steadily between 2003 and 2010 fueled by increasing demand on Guam, but declined sharply from 2010 to 2014 as export costs grew and profit margins were reduced. Intra-annual examinations furthered that low winds and new moon periods were the strongest drivers of daily exports during the initial years of the study, but the governmental disbursement of food-stamp allowances on Guam became the strongest driver in later years when profit margins were lower. Seasonal cycles were also influential, as exports within each year peaked during the Catholic lent season. In sum, the Chuuk-Guam reef-fish trade industry became increasingly dependent on opportunistic demand from Guam, while environmental regimes evolved to become secondary drivers of export volume. The ability to meet foreign demand may suggest a sustainable fishery in Chuuk, however, mounting evidence suggests that consistent supply to international markets masks growing, unsustainable harvesting regimes. Dwindling profits may lead to instability in Guam’s fresh reef-fish trade industry, and also suggested uncertain futures for Chuuk fishers, Guam retailers, and a society dependent on healthy protein. We last compared the sequential expansion of Guam’s reef-fish acquisition footprint across the Indo-Pacific with expansions reported for the Hong Kong live reef food fish trade industry, highlighting the growing impacts of population centers on small-scale coral-reef fisheries as markets globalize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used roadside surveys to examine abundance trends and spatial patterns for 11 terrestrial bird species from 1991 to 2010 on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Relative abundances of the White-throated Ground-Dove, Mariana Fruit-Dove, Collared Kingfisher, Micronesian Starling, and Micronesian Myzomela all increased during the study period. Abundances of the Golden White-eye and Rufous Fantail followed a curvilinear trend that increased during the first half of the survey period (1991 - 2000) and decreased in the second half (2001 - 2010). Abundances of the remaining species ( Island Collared-Dove, Bridled White-eye, Nightingale Reed-Warbler, and Eurasian Tree Sparrow) showed no significant trends. The most numerous species (over 40 individuals detected per survey), in decreasing order of abundance, were the Bridled Whiteeye, Rufous Fantail, Golden White-eye, Micronesian Starling, and Micronesian Myzomela. The total abundance of birds increased on average by 0.27 birds per year, per survey station, island-wide. Three stations out of 47 (6.4%) recorded a significant loss of total birds over the time period, and bird numbers increased significantly at only one station (2.1%). Stations at which we detected declines were clustered in the northern, less-populated, region of Saipan. We explored the relationship between typhoon frequency/severity and bird abundance to explain trend patterns but found no significant correlation. We suggest ways to improve roadside surveys as a management tool to aid in detecting avian declines that are of conservation concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how the idea of climate change travels to the islands of Micronesia and how discourses are translated in radically different ways in local life-worlds. Building on long-term fieldwork in Chuuk, the paper first conceptualizes climate change as a 'travelling idea' which takes its departure to the islandscape of Oceania in 'Western' island conceptions of 'insularity' and feed the 'vulnerability trajectories' that turned the islands into the world's canary for the impact of climate change. It secondly examines why the issue of climate change remains a non-topic or a secondary aspect to many of the islanders, who are simultaneously put at the frontline in the global campaign against global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River systems in tropical islands play a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem function of surrounding oceans by delivering land-derived materials. Researches on tropical river systems frequently focused on continents and peninsulas, while little research has been conducted in tropical islands. In the present study, we conducted field surveys in a Pacific volcanic island, Pohnpei, Micronesia, and determined the substance composition of river waters (major ions, trace metals, nutrients, etc.) to quantify terrestrial material loading and biogeochemical influence on the surrounding oceans. In Pohnpei, total dissolved solutes were observed to be 71.4 mg/L; the NH 4 +, NO 3 −, PO 4 −, and SiO 3 2- concentrations were 0.46, 3.9, 0.52, 221.7 μmol/L, respectively; and NO 2 − was lower than the detection limit (0.14 μmol/L). The trace metals concentrations of rivers in Pohnpei Island were much lower than records in tropical rivers of the world. The variation in concentration levels of major ions and nutrients among rivers was relatively limited. A similar pattern was observed in the distribution of Al and V. Trace elements, including As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, U and Zn in rivers were most enriched in Urban Area (human activity dominated region), compared with the Mixing Area (Multiple effect region) to Natural Area (natural weathering region). Exchangeable trace metals concentrations from suspended particulate matter (SPM) were lower than in dissolved state in river waters, while water-soluble, while acid-soluble metals concentrations in the sediment were much higher than in dissolved state in rivers. In our results, trace metals in Pohnpei rivers may mainly be influenced by domestic sewage and agricultural activity—these data can be used in biogeochemical models to estimate the contribution of domestic sewage. Furthermore, we have quantified the land-derived input of trace metals from tropical volcanic islands in Pacific (TVIP) into the surrounding oceans. Though the land area of TVIP only accounts for 0.1 % of global land area, the terrigenous inputs of some trace metals from TVIP account for approximately 1 %—and even more than 2 % of those in global riverine flux. Therefore, the nutrients and trace metals inputs from TVIP would be significant for the cycle of biogenic elements in the receiving ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pacific longnose parrotfish Hipposcarus longiceps (Valenciennes 1840) represents a prime fishery resource throughout much of the tropical Pacific. In this study, we sampled the species from the Guam commercial fishery market across five consecutive years to characterize reproductive and age-based demographic information imperative for informed fishery management. Compared with other parrotfishes, this species was found to be large-bodied, but has only a moderate life span of 10 + years. Hipposcarus longiceps was confirmed as a diandric protogynous hermaphrodite with highly sex-specific growth patterns and an overall mean asymptotic length of 434 mm fork length (FL). Females were estimated to reach median maturity at 329 mm FL (2.4 years) and have a median length at female-to-male sex change of 401 mm FL. Life-history trait values derived here were used to update previous models relating life history and vulnerability to overexploitation. We found that enhancement of just one species’ trait values improved model fits considerably, which strengthens the conclusion that life-history traits are a strong determinant of species’ vulnerability in the parrotfishes. This information is an imperative complement to other data sources facilitating formal stock assessment of a key fishery target.

ABSTRACT Xylographellini beetles occur mainly in lands of the Southern Hemisphere. However, the taxonomy of Australian and Oriental species is incipient. The tribe comprises four genera, of which Scolytocis Blair, 1928 and Xylographella Miyatake, 1985 were recently redescribed and reported from Australia but without descriptions of new species. Here, three new species of Xylographellini are described: Scolytocis australimontensis sp. n. from Australia, with smooth interspaces of pronotal punctures; Scolytocis insularis sp. n. from the Pohnpei Island (Caroline Islands, Micronesia), with microstriated interspaces of pronotal punctures; and Xylographella frithae sp. n. from Australia, with six raised keels in elytral declivity. Scolytocis samoensis Blair, 1928, type species of the genus, is recorded from Guam (Mariana Islands, Micronesia) and redescribed. Keys for the Scolytocis and Xylographella occurring in the Australian and Oriental regions are also provided.

This paper describes six new species of sponges in the genus Agelas from Kosrae Island, The Federated States of Micronesia. Most Agelasid sponges are known from only tropical regions. All the new Agelas species; A. fragum n. sp., A. kosrae n. sp., A. purpurea n. sp., A. bakusi n. sp., A. vansoesti n. sp. and A. incrustans n. sp. are compared with other valid species that were studied. Six new species differ from the other species by morphology, growth form, skeletal fibres, habitats and spicule size. Agelas fragum n. sp. is characterized by its tuberculate surface and primary fibres with brush-like spicules. Agelas kosrae n. sp. is differs in skeletal structure and have tertiary fibres. Agelas purpurea n. sp. is characterized by primary, secondary and tertiary fibres are all cored with spicules. Agelas bakusi n. sp. is similar to Agelas clathrodes in shape, but differs in the primary fibres. Agelas vansoesti n. sp. is characterized by having acanthostrongyles. Agelas incrustans n. sp. is distinguished by its encrusting and not cavernous interior.

The soils of southern Guam are formed from very deep; well-drained Saprolite derived from volcanic based tuff and tuff breccias. These soils suffer severe erosion as the result of rapid overland flow, wind and intensive rain events typical of southern Guam. An integrated approach to control the accelerated soil erosion was designed to include conservation tillage, crop rotation with leguminous plant, and residue management for soil surface cover. The objectives of this study are; 1) to evaluate the use of crop rotation and tillage management for increasing organic-matter content to improve the overall quality of these severely eroded soils, 2) to evaluate the effect of conservation practices on harvested yield and crop productivity of these eroded soils and, 3) to assess the effects of conservation techniques including no-tillage systems on water runoff and infiltration. This paper discusses the effect of conservation strategies and techniques on these severely eroded soils of southern Guam.

Micronesia is an island nation located north of Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean. A survey was conducted on Chuuk, which is one of the four main islands of Micronesia, from 11-25 Nov 2012. Echinoderms collected at one intertidal area as well as at 16 SCUBA diving points of 10-40 m depths in the subtidal zone were identified based on morphological characteristics. In total, 35 species from 165 individuals were identified: two crinoids, eight asteroids, four ophiuroids, seven echinoids, and 14 holothuroids. Among them, one asteroid, one ophiuroid, one echinoid, and two holothuroids were newly recorded from Micronesia.

An airborne LiDAR survey of the Nan Madol World Heritage Site and adjacent Temwen Island revealed a complex, irrigated cultivation system, the first found in the Central and Eastern Caroline Islands. This informs the goals of the sustainable conservation project, funded by the U.S. Department of State Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, that inspired the survey, and expands understanding of Nan Madol and its place in the network of Pacific island interaction and trade. Fieldwork verified the presence, across Temwen, of low, wet, cultivable areas, many of which are connected by water channels or separated by earthen berms. The berms themselves may also have been cultivated. In complexity, labor investment, and organization, the system is comparable to Nan Madol itself, the largest archaeological site in Micronesia, with structures on about 100 artificial islets built of stone and coral on a reef flat. Constructed over a millennium, Nan Madol was the seat of the Saudeleur Dynasty, which persisted from about 1200 to 1600 CE. The cultivation system appears to have been able to provide ample food for consumption, feasting, and redistribution or trade. If the landscape alteration described here proves to date to the time of the Saudeleur Dynasty, it will offer many avenues of research into the economic basis of Nan Madol’s regional dominance.

Holy Water explores the infiltration of colonization on my home island, Belau, and the impact that it has had on our relationships to each other, our health, and our indigenous ways of knowing and being. I intentionally use baptism and Western Christianity as a metaphor for colonization to highlight the effect White supremacy has had on my people, while also challenging the ways in which we take part in continuing our colonial reality. I often run into contradictions about what Western culture deems we should be and who we actually are as Palauans—birthing this story of struggle into reclamation. This piece continually addresses the subject "unko," to highlight the tensions between myself, a queer femme diasporic micronesian, and the elder men in my community who have been forced into Westernization, and therefore enforce those same values and societal norms on my expression of self. I believe in radical self love and community care. I honor my ancestors and their fight for our liberation, and carry their legacy into my own journey. The health of my community depends on our ability to think critically about where we've been, who we are, and where we want to be. Holy Water is a testament to the reclamation of our stories, our history, and our collective power. To view the original version of this poem, see the supplemental material section of this article online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores a more nuanced understanding of topological relations in the Pohnpeian language (Austronesian). The BowPed Toolkit (Bowerman Melissa and Pederson Eric 1992. Topological relations picture series. In Space stimuli kit 1.2: November 1992, 51, Nijmegen: Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. http://fieldmanuals.mpi.nl/volumes/1992/bowped/.) is employed as an elicitation tool with five Pohnpeian speakers. Evolutionary classification tree modeling is used as a discovery tool to find patterns in the data. The results show that the two prepositions in Pohnpeian, nan and ni, should be redefined in terms of topological relations as 'containment' and 'attachment' respectively. Likewise the meaning of some prepositional nouns are further revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shipwrecks have become popular attractions for recreational scuba divers. This interest has seen increased levels of visitation and has resulted in higher levels of diver impacts at these sites. Understanding the characteristics of the divers' visiting these sites, their motivations, preferences, and attitudes to management controls can assist managers in developing more effective and sustainable management strategies to mitigate diver impacts. However, until recently little was known about wreck divers. This article compiles and analyzes the findings of two recent studies of wreck divers in Australia and Micronesia, discusses their implications to shipwreck management, and makes recommendations about application of this information in management strategies aimed at balancing the protection of sites with visitation by divers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between February 2015 and 2016, samples of the Indo-Pacific goldspotted spinefoot Siganus punctatus were taken from local fish markets, feeding sites and nursery grounds on the main island of Pohnpei, Micronesia, to ascertain sexual pattern, reproductive seasonality, age, growth and mortality. Microscopic examinations of gonads identified two seasonal peaks in reproduction: February to May and September to December, with evidence of some spawning activity in most months. Ripe females were observed 4 days on either side of the new moon. Females first matured at c. 180 mm fork length ( LF) and 1 year of age, which coincides with their entry into the fishery. Ninety five per cent of individuals were less than 3 years and the oldest fish were 8 years. To examine the species vulnerability to fishing, a tag-and-recapture study was conducted over 4 months in 2015 in a locally managed marine area and at an unprotected site. Findings suggest high residency and high vulnerability to fishing at shallow-water feeding sites and restricted migration overall. The placement of marine protected areas within critical habitat appears to be an effective conservation strategy for this species, particularly when combined with gear and seasonal market restrictions during vulnerable life-history phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines regional environmental governance (REG) through the lens of human geography theory on scale. Drawing on a case study of the Micronesia Challenge, a regional conservation commitment among five Pacific islands, I advance a critical theory of REG as a scaling process and tool of politics through which regions are (re)made and mobilized in support of diverse agendas. Results highlight understudied dimensions of REG, including: motivations for scaling environmental governance to regions; the co-production of regional and global environmental governance; the mutable expression of regionality within REG; and the ways in which REG is leveraged for resource mobilization, global visibility and influence, and conservation. The potential for REG to empower subaltern groups while advancing conservation is promising, and an important area for future research. The overall contribution of this article is a more complex, politicized understanding of REG that complicates a scholarly search for its inherent characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the age-based demography of the orange-striped emperor, Lethrinus obsoletus, from commercial samples in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), spanning a 24-month market sampling period. Information on growth, life span, mortality, and reproduction was derived through analysis of sectioned sagittal otoliths and gonad material. The species had a moderate longevity of 13 years while females and males reached 50% sexual maturity at 3.8 years (22.9 cm fork length) and 2.8 years (19.9 cm fork length), respectively. Histological examination of gonads and sex-specific age frequency distributions suggest the sexual ontogeny of the species conforms to juvenile hermaphroditism, whereby sexual transition from female to male occurred prior to maturation. No annual spawning periods were identified, but the ubiquitous presence of post-ovulatory follicles in females and spermatogenic material in males coupled with a consistent lunar trend in gonadosomatic index patterns suggests the species spawns every lunar cycle throughout the year with spawning activity potentially increasing around the new moon. Ratios of natural to fishing mortality indicate a moderate level of exploitation (0.37); however, a large portion of harvested females had not reached reproductive maturity, suggesting that formal assessments of stock status are warranted to ensure the sustainable harvest of the species in CNMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores musical instruments in colonial Micronesia in their sonic, material and historical contexts. Using archival and oral sources and museum artefacts this study investigates the movements of instruments, including the abandonment of some and the acceptance of other types within Micronesian communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The study argues for critical attention to the interplay of sound and silence within imperial enterprises in the Pacific, and it addresses the agency of musicians and listeners within a musical and material modernity. Specifically, this study also provides the first in-depth, comparative investigation of indigenous flutes from the Caroline Islands, as well as the first detailed cultural study of nose flutes from Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. Through the investigation of historical flutes and colonial-derived instruments such as the harmonica I query how we understand the movements of things in their material and aesthetic forms, and I argue for the role of musical instruments in the unfolding of Pacific pasts and presents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bleaching events are becoming more frequent and are projected to become annual in Micronesia by 2040. To prepare for this threat, the Government of Palau is reviewing its marine protected area network to increase the resilience of the reefs by integrating connectivity into the network design. To support their effort, we used high-throughput sequencing of microsatellites to create genotypes of colonies of the coral Acropora hyacinthus to characterize population genetic structure and dispersal patterns that led to the recovery of Palau's reefs from a 1998 bleaching event. We found no evidence of a founder effect or refugium where colonies may have survived to recolonize the reef. Instead, we found significant pairwise F′ values, indicating population structure and low connectivity among most of the 25 sites around Palau. We used kinship to measure genetic differences at the individual level among sites and found that differences were best explained by the degree of exposure to the ocean [ F = 3.015, Pr(> F) = 0.01], but with little of the total variation explained. A permutation test of the pairwise kinship coefficients revealed that there was self-seeding within sites. Overall, the data point to the population of A. hyacinthus in Palau recovering from a handful of surviving colonies with population growth primarily from self-seeding and little exchange among sites. This finding has significant implications for the management strategies for the reefs of Palau, and we recommend increasing the number and distribution of management areas around Palau to capture the genetic architecture and increase the chances of protecting potential refuges in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Marshall Islands, a history of extensive nuclear weapons testing and covert biomedical research, coupled with the U.S.'s ongoing military presence in the country, has severely compromised the health of the local population. Despite the U.S.'s culpability in producing ill health along with high rates of emigration from the islands to the mainland United States, the large portion of Marshallese who reside in the United States face substantial barriers to accessing health care. Drawing from ongoing field research with a Marshallese community in Arkansas, this article explores the multifaceted impediments that U.S.-based Marshall Islanders face in receiving medical treatment. Calling on an expansive and inclusive notion of neocolonialism, I argue that Marshallese structural vulnerability with regard to health and health care treatment derives from their status as neocolonial subjects and from their limited claims to health-related deservingness associated with this status. [Marshall Islanders, health care access, neocolonialism, radiation exposure, immigrant health] L̗ōmn̗ak ko rōttin̗o: Ilo M̗ajel̗, juon bwebwenato kōn kōmmālmel im nuclear baam̗ ko im ekkatak ko rōttin̗o̗ kōn wāwein an baijin ko jelōt armej, barāinwōt an to an ri tarinae ro an Amedka pād ilo aelōn̄ kein, em̗ōj an jelōt ājmour an armej ro ilo aelōn̄ kein. Men̄e alikkar bwe Amedka in ear jino nan̄inmej kein im ej un eo armej rein rej em̗m̗akūt jān āne kein āne er n̄an ioon Amedka, elōn̄ iaan ri M̗ajel̗ rein rej jelm̗ae elōn̄ apan̄ ko n̄an aer del̗o̗n̄e jikin ājmour ko. Jān ekkatak eo ej bōk jikin kiō, jerbal in ej etali kabōjrak rak kein rōlōn̄ im armej in M̗ajel̗ ro ioon Amedka in rej jelm̗ae ilo aer jibadōk lo̗k jikin taktō. Ilo an kar Amedka jibadōk juon jea eo eutiej imejān lal̗ in, ij kwal̗ok juon aō akweelel bwe apan̄ ko an armej in M̗ajel̗ ikijjeen ājmour im jikin taktō ej itok jān aer kar ri kōm̗akoko ilo an kar Amedka lelōn̄ l̗o̗k etan ilo mejān lal̗ im jān aer jab pukot jipan kein ej aer bwe kōn jōkjōk in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The moon is known to be an environmental factor that controls the reproductive cycle of fish, and fish have evolved a variety of reproduction patterns depending on the lunar phase. In this study, we examined the relationship between lunar phases and the reproductive cycle of the humbug damselfish Dascyllus aruanus inhabiting Weno Island, Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia. We divided the one-month lunar cycle into eight phases, and measured the features of moonlight (peak wavelength and intensity) and indicators of fish maturity [gonadosomatic index (GSI) and sex hormones] in relation to the eight lunar phases. In addition, we investigated the daily rhythms of sex hormones in fish ovaries during the full moon phase. The results showed that the peak wavelength of moonlight was 430 nm (blue wavelength region) regardless of the lunar phase, and that moonlight intensity was highest during a full moon at 02:00. Furthermore, the GSI and sex hormones were both higher around the full moon phase. These findings support the hypothesis that humbug damselfish spawn once a month and that this event occurs at full moon, which is the phase of the moon with the strongest intensity. Based on these findings, we predict that blue wavelength, the dominant wavelength of moonlight, is one of the environmental factors influencing the monthly spawning of D. aruanus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tree snail family Partulidae is widely distributed throughout the islands of Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia, and most of the valid species are single-island endemics. In this study, we investigated the evolutionary relationships among populations of Partula gibba, a species having an unusually large, multi-island distribution across the Mariana Archipelago. Understanding the evolutionary relationships among these multi-island populations has become imperative because all species of partulid tree snails in the Mariana Islands are rapidly disappearing, mostly due to introduced predators. Here, we analyse two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) and 16S, and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region. The results of these analyses yield several insights. (1) Populations of P. gibba on Guam, Tinian, Saipan, Sarigan and Pagan Islands form two well-supported sister clades. Very low intra-island nucleotide diversity supports other evidence that P. gibba readily self-fertilizes, which may explain why the species has colonized nine islands within the Mariana Archipelago. (2) All genetic evidence indicates that the species formally identified as P. gibba on the island of Rota is, in fact, not P. gibba, but rather a misidentified cryptic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reports a previously undocumented mass spawning aggregation and group spawning phenomena of c. 1200 individual bumphead parrotfish Bolbometopon muricatum in Palau, Micronesia. Although B. muricatum are protected in Palau, it is further recommended that management strategies should consider establishment of no-take zones at B. muricatum spawning aggregations and concomitant sleeping grounds elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, life-history traits of importance to fisheries management were estimated for the forktail rabbitfish (Siganus argenteus) based on fishery-dependent samples collected over a 2-year period in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Age-based and reproductive information was derived from analysis of sagittal otoliths and gonads. The species is short-lived, with a maximum age of 7+ years, and females reach sexual maturity at ~1.3 years (21.8-cm fork length). Age distributions and total mortality rates were similar between sexes. However, females on average reached larger asymptotic sizes, with estimates of mean asymptotic length exceeding that of males by 2 cm. Reproductive cycles, based on temporal variation in gonadosomatic index values and proportional frequency of active ovaries, demonstrated two annual activity peaks, consistent across 2 years of sampling. Peak spawning occurred from March to May-June, whereas a second, smaller peak spanned August and September. In the Mariana Islands, S. argenteus represents a short-lived species with potential for rapid population turnover; 85% of the population is under 3 years of age, whereas approximately half of all harvested individuals have reached reproductive maturity. Derived estimates of natural and fishing mortality indicate minimal concerns for the long-term fishery sustainability of this species under present levels of exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic relationship between reefs and the people who utilize them at a subsistence level is poorly understood. This paper characterizes atoll-scale patterns in shallow coral reef habitat and fish community structure, and correlates these with environmental characteristics and anthropogenic factors, critical to conservation efforts for the reefs and the people who depend on them. Hierarchical clustering analyses by site for benthic composition and fish community resulted in the same 3 major clusters: cluster 1–oceanic (close proximity to deep water) and uninhabited (low human impact); cluster 2–oceanic and inhabited (high human impact); and cluster 3–lagoonal (facing the inside of the lagoon) and inhabited (highest human impact). Distance from village, reef exposure to deep water and human population size had the greatest effect in predicting the fish and benthic community structure. Our study demonstrates a strong association between benthic and fish community structure and human use across the Ulithi Atoll (Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia) and confirms a pattern observed by local people that an ‘opportunistic’ scleractinian coral (Montipora sp.) is associated with more highly impacted reefs. Our findings suggest that small human populations (subsistence fishing) can nevertheless have considerable ecological impacts on reefs due, in part, to changes in fishing practices rather than overfishing per se, as well as larger global trends. Findings from this work can assist in building local capacity to manage reef resources across an atoll-wide scale, and illustrates the importance of anthropogenic impact even in small communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External morphology has always been the first criterion used to separate species of shrimps, especially in the freshwater genus Caridina H. Milne-Edwards, 1837, but more doubts have been expressed regarding the relevance of some of the morphological characters. We collected 27 specimens of Caridina from seven different localities during field work conducted on the island of Pohnpei (Federated States of Micronesia). After genetic verification that they all belonged to the same species, 19 morphological variables were measured and correlated with the elevation of the collecting stations using correlation analyses. We provide evidence that the length of the rostrum showed strong negative correlation with the elevation. This could be explained either by the physical stress exerted on the rostrum by the stronger water currents in the stations at a higher elevation, as a defence against predators in the lower stations, or a combination of both possibilities. The taxonomy of these shrimps is thus challenging and should not rely only on rostrum length, but on other characters such as the number of teeth on the dorsal margin of the carapace, which is not correlated with rostrum length and therefore, with the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A suite of lavas from Kosrae, Ponape and Chuuk islands, which are related to the Caroline hotspot, are characterized for Sr, Nd, Pb, Hf and He isotopic compositions and major and trace element concentrations. The observed radiogenic isotopic variability spans a relatively narrow range for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (0.703171 to 0.703491), 143 Nd/ 144 Nd (0.512923 to 0.512991), 176 Hf/ 177 Hf (0.283075 to 0.283123), 206 Pb/ 204 Pb (18.357 to 18.839), 207 Pb/ 204 Pb (15.485 to 15.546), and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb (38.211 to 38.700). The 3 He/ 4 He data, collected by vacuum crushing of olivine, vary from 7.6 to 12.8 Ra, and are 7.8 Ra and 10.4 Ra in two peridotite xenoliths from Kosrae and Ponape, respectively. The three highest 3 He/ 4 He values (12.8, 11.5 and 11.3 Ra) were obtained from Kosrae lavas, and 3 He/ 4 He exhibits positive covariation with 87 Sr/ 86 Sr. This observation, together with low 3 He/ 4 He in a single fusion measurement of crushed olivine powder from the highest 3 He/ 4 He lava, supports a magmatic origin for the highest 3 He/ 4 He value of 12.8 Ra. As the high 3 He/ 4 He mantle domain is thought to reside in the deep mantle, the discovery of moderately high 3 He/ 4 He (i.e., 3 He/ 4 He greater than the mean MORB value of 8.8 ± 2.1 Ra) in Caroline lavas complements a recent report of a seismically-resolved mantle plume conduit beneath the Caroline hotspot. Lavas with moderately elevated 3 He/ 4 He (up to 12.8 Ra) from Kosrae, as well as lavas from other high- 3 He/ 4 He localities globally, exhibit evidence for a recycled oceanic crust signature, including elevated Ti concentrations and moderately radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions. This observation suggests that primitive high- 3 He/ 4 He and recycled reservoirs are intimately associated, and mix, in the deep mantle sources of plumes. Hybrid mantle domains generated in this way serve as the melt source for lavas with elevated 3 He/ 4 He from many hotspot localities. Thus, the geochemistry of much of the mantle, including the high- 3 He/ 4 He domain, may be modified by the addition of subducted materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]