2014

Volume 2014
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1. Brown, D.P. & M. Capone. 2014. Fishes of War in the Pacific National Historic Park. Micronesica. 2014-01: 1-28. Date Revised/Accepted: 15 January 2014.
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Fishes of War in the Pacific National Historic Park

Brown, D.P. & M. Capone.

The nearshore marine waters of Guam are known to be rich in coral reef fishes. These marine fish are a vital resource to the indigenous people of Oceania. They provide nutrition, economic gain, and cultural ties to their heritage. Using both standard belt transects (quantitative data) and the roving diver technique (qualitative data), the fishes of War in the Pacific National Historic Park (WAPA) were surveyed. Thirty-eight transects were completed at depths from 7.2–21 m. From these data 182 species in 30 families were documented. Only 24 fish exceeded 25 cm, representing just 0.45% of observed fish. Fish diversity (number of species/transect) varied from 10–36 species in Asan Beach to 18–43 in Agat Bay. The most commonly encountered fish species on transect were Pomacentrus vaiuli and Chrysiptera traceyi which were found on 36 and 33 of the 38 transects, respectively. These species, along with several other Pomacentrids, represented 50-70% of the individuals found on transect. Using the roving diver methodology, 41 dives were completed from 1–62 m. This method identified a total of 318 species, 136 species and 18 families that were not represented in the belt transects. Because of its geographic location, Guam is expected to have very high fish diversity, yet 51% of fish species found present in the WAPA were from just 5 families. While this study found many new species that were not previously recorded for this area, it also documented a disturbing trend of poor species diversity along belt transects (as compared to other reef sites in the Pacific). Fish at WAPA were small—only 0.15% of fish on belt transects were larger than 25 cm, there were few apex predators, and there was very low fish biomass. These marine resources should be monitored closely in the future and fisheries management guidelines should be implemented to ensure the continued presence of fish on these reefs.
Micronesica 2014-01: 1-28, 2014.
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2. Lobban, C.S. 2014. Editorial: Celebrating 50 years of publication. Micronesica. 2014-02: 1-2. Date Revised/Accepted: 03 June 2014.
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Editorial: Celebrating 50 years of publication

Lobban, C.S.

Micronesica was founded by Ben Stone to fill a need for a regional peer-reviewed journal in the natural sciences. At the time it was limited to the sciences of anthropology, botany, and zoology, but has since expanded to include agriculture as well as the occasional geology or chemistry paper. The first issue was published in September 1964 and included a diversity of papers such as “Social effects of Typhoon Ophelia (1960) on Ulithi,” a monograph on a flowering plant family, “The Cyperaceae of Micronesia,” and a description of a new species of fish from Guam. These papers remain important today, and one of my pleasures in editing Micronesica for the past twenty-five years was in knowing that the journal makes a lasting contribution to science in the region. The list of new taxa alone ensures that these volumes will be cited far into the future.
The scope of the journal has shifted over the decades: at first there was a greater diversity of anthropological papers, but when ISLA A Journal of Pacific Studies was founded, Micronesica focused on the more biological anthropology papers such as physical anthropology, vernacular names of organisms, traditional fishing methods. Subsequently, ISLA died and Micronesica once again took on a broader scope, recently publishing a series of papers on Chamorro latte archaeology and architecture (vol. 42). Micronesica also has a long track record of publishing papers from conferences.
Although primarily a peer-reviewed scientific journal, Micronesica serves not only specialists in the respective fields but also a diverse audience including resource managers, teachers, agricultural extension agents, and naturalists. Some articles are very accessible to a wide audience and others are communications to other specialists or necessarily-detailed material that is important to have in the scientific record.
Another very satisfying feature of Micronesica is that it provides a place where visiting scientists can publish the results of their expeditions to Micronesia, and thus return the knowledge to the region from which it came, while at the same time having their work accessible globally through libraries and on-line searches. Articles have come from France, Israel, and Italy as well as from all around the Pacific nations. This goal was also helped by the fact that we did not limit page length or require page charges; these were significant factors in the days of print publication, and allowed us to include monographic works such as the Monnniots’ study of tunicates (vol. 29) and several parts of the Insects of Micronesia.
As the College of Guam (founded 1952) has grown into the University of Guam, and as its mission has become more regional in both the educational goals and the research of the scientists here, the need to publish regional studies has become even more evident than in 1964. We added agriculture in the early 1990's because university scientists doing applied studies with a regional focus needed a peer-reviewed journal to publish their work.
While the 20th Century was breathing its last days, Micronesica went online with a web presence including full-text pdfs. Last year we made the commitment to an online-only, continuous publishing model, thanks in part to changes made in the publication requirements for new taxa in zoology and botany, and the existence of distributed archives that could guarantee the longevity of electronic publications. Eliminating print editions has greatly reduced costs and adminstrative time, and funding has long been an issue for the journal; but it has also meant giving up the exchange program that took our print copies to libraries in far-flung parts of the world and brought us some valuable journal subscriptions in return. Continuous publishing has greatly shortened the time from receipt of a manuscript to publication, and this is an advantage to authors.
Looking back over 25 years of editorship – half the life of the journal! – I feel very satisfied with having sustained the work that Stone started and that Lu Eldredge, Chuck Birkeland, Roy Tsuda and Bob Richmond continued before me. Thankfully, my Deans steadfastly supported my effort with release time, even when financial and sometimes clerical support from the university for the journal were hard to get. At the same time I feel a sense of relief to be able to pass the torch to new hands at last. There were times when I got far behind in processing manuscripts, but even then no one was willing to take over. I am glad that G. Curt Fiedler stepped up, and confident that he will be able to infuse new energy into the quintagenarian. Micronesica has a long and illustrious track record, and still has a vital role to fill in the Pacific Islands.
It is sobering to reflect that when I took on Micronesica in 1989, desktop computers were barely taking over from typewriters as a mechanism for writing papers, and illustrations were pen- and-ink, Letraset lettered, or photos printed in dark rooms and laboriously arranged into plates with cutters and tape. Now everything is digital and we are all our own secretaries and graphic artists. The World Wide Web (aka – the internet) also arrived – communication became lightning-fast. Meanwhile the study of biodiversity, to which Micronesica has contributed substantially in the Western Pacific, has come back into vogue, climate change has been recognized as a major aspect of anthropogenic change to terrestrial and marine environments and biodiversity, and invasive species have become a major threat especially to terrestrial biota. Micronesica is still relevant and important to the region, as scientists continue to document the changes taking place here.

Dankulo na Si Yu'us Ma'åse. Salamat po. Thank you.

Chris Lobban Editor 1989–2014
Micronesica 2014-02: 1-2, 2014.
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3. Parker, D.M., G.H. Balazs, M.R. Rice & S.M. Tomkeiwicz. 2014. Variability in Reception Duration of Dual Satellite Tags on Sea Turtles Tracked in the Pacific Ocean. Micronesica. 2014-03: 1-8. Date Revised/Accepted: 03 June 2014.
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Variability in Reception Duration of Dual Satellite Tags on Sea Turtles Tracked in the Pacific Ocean

Parker, D.M., G.H. Balazs, M.R. Rice & S.M. Tomkeiwicz.

Variability in satellite transmitter life has often been examined in terrestrial studies, however not in a marine setting. In this study, two transmitters per turtle were attached to loggerhead turtles (N=15), green turtles (N=2) and olive ridleys (N=3) to see if mortality could be determined and to examine variability between tags. Factors examined in this paper were reception duration or how long we received tag data, the habitat area where transmissions stopped, and the differences between reception duration. The results show that variation in transmission reception between identical transmitters ranged widely. Five of our 20 pairs (25%) had significant differences in duration between the tag pairs that could not be explained with normal tag variation; Four pairs had zero days difference in duration between the tag pair. Our data verifies that multiple factors need to be examined in order to determine the final outcome of tracking due to the variability in tags.
Micronesica 2014-03: 1-8, 2014.
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Parker Et al 2014
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2014-3_parker_et_al_2014_final.pdf (4.73 MB)
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4. Kolinski, S.P., J. Cruce, D.M. Parker, G.H. Balazs & R. Clarke. 2014. Migrations and Conservation Implications of Post-Nesting Green Turtles from Gielop Island, Ulithi Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia. Micronesica. 2014-04: 1-9. Date Revised/Accepted: 07 November 2014.
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Migrations and Conservation Implications of Post-Nesting Green Turtles from Gielop Island, Ulithi Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia

Kolinski, S.P., J. Cruce, D.M. Parker, G.H. Balazs & R. Clarke.

Post-nesting migrations of thirteen green turtles tagged at Gielop Island, Ulithi, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, were tracked by satellite transmitters in 2005-2007. Eight of the turtles traveled west to the Philippines with an average distance of 2600 km. One turtle migrated nearly 6000 km through Philippines and Vietnamese waters to Malaysia, and three migrated north to Japan. Consistent site transmissions exceeding 30 days suggest turtles had reached their feeding destinations. Results of satellite tracking data indicate substantial green turtle resource connectivity between Gielop Island nesting areas and Philippine and Japan feeding habitats, in support of previous flipper tag recoveries. Satellite telemetry offers the advantage of real time monitoring of turtle movements and migration, enhancing opportunities for public education and international cooperation in resource conservation and management.
Micronesica 2014-04: 1-9, 2014.
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Kolinski Et al 2014
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kolinskietalproofv3.pdf (2.63 MB)
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5. Lofdahl, K.L.. 2014. Molecular Genetic Research on Terrestrial Plants and Animals in Micronesia over the Previous 60 Years. Micronesica. 2014-05: 1-8. Date Revised/Accepted: 22 September 2014.
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Molecular Genetic Research on Terrestrial Plants and Animals in Micronesia over the Previous 60 Years

Lofdahl, K.L..

Early genetic studies in Micronesia focused on the use of protein electrophoresis to identify species and to measure genetic diversity within and among species. With the development of DNA sequencing techniques, many terrestrial species were discovered to be distinct from species on neighboring islands that share similar morphologies. With mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequencing, and also DNA profiling (microsatellites), a number of endemic and introduced species were found to have lost genetic variation upon colonization and even to have undergone subsequent genetic bottlenecks.  Other species were shown to have wide distributions maintained by considerable gene flow among islands.  DNA sequencing and microsatellite studies have also been important in ongoing research to determine the geographic origin of agricultural pests and vertebrate invasive species.  The ability to document the amount of genetic variation present in endangered species, keystone species, and invasive species offers important insights into the potential adaptability of these species to a changing environment. Considerable research opportunities exist for future population genetic studies, including the application of more advanced genetic methods, such as detection of natural polymorphisms, genome sequencing and gene expression studies.  Such investigations could be of considerable value in conservation planning, environmental management, and sustainable resource use in Micronesia through the identification of the genetic basis of specific environmental adaptations.
Micronesica 2014-05: 1-8, 2014.
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Lofdahl 2014
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