Records of Marine Benthic Algae from Swains Island, American Samoa

Study Extent

Swains Island, American Samoa

Sampling

Swains Island was visited in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 as part of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center’s (PIFSC) Coral Reef Ecosystem Division’s (CRED) Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP). Algal samples were collected by hand by scuba divers at 12 permanently established monitoring sites and 1 incidental site (see Appendix) following the protocol of Preskitt et al. (2004), and immediately frozen.

Method steps

1. Prior to taxonomic examination, plastic bags of frozen algae from each station were thawed in tap water. Thawed seawater was poured carefully from the bag and replaced with 4% formalin in seawater to prevent the fragile turf algae and epiphytes from decomposing. The collections were examined using a dissecting microscope, and all epiphytes and turf were separated. The small specimens were mounted on glass slides by decalcifying with 10% hydrochloric acid, staining with aniline blue and mounting with 30% corn syrup (Karo) with phenol. Larger specimens were mounted on segments of herbarium paper; 5 specimens were also preserved in vials with 4% formalin in seawater. The small quantities of non-processed specimens from each station were consolidated into separate jars and preserved in 4% formalin in seawater. The retention of these specimens was to allow us to revisit the site collection, if needed, during our critical taxonomic reexamination of specimens, including epiphytes.

Swains Island, American Samoa