Dr. Ir. A.R. (Arthur) Bos
Research Associate
- arthurrbos (at) yahoo.com
- Phone
- +20 2 2615 2903 (Egypt)
- Fax
- +20 2 2615 4227
Present address
Biology Department, The American University in Cairo, P.O. Box 74, New Cairo 11835, Egypt.
Research interests
Population ecology of invertebrates;Ecology and species diversity of reef fish;
Functioning of Marine Protected Areas;
Environmental parameters affecting larval and juvenile fish populations;
Seagrass ecology and habitat restoration.
Current projects
Population ecology of Asteroidea
The crown-of-thorns sea star Acanthaster planci feeds on coral polyps and is a threat to coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific when occurring in high densities (Bos 2010). During those so-called “outbreaks”, this sea star may destroy entire reefs. I have studied population ecology and infestation strategies of the crown-of-thorns sea star in the Philippines since several years and have contributed to the explanation of outbreaks.
Left) Crown-of-thorns sea star Acanthaster planci eating coral; Middle) Corallimorpharian polyp attacks a crown-of-thorns sea star; Right) Paracorynactis hoplites.
As the crown-of-thorns is a spiny and poisonous animal, it has only few natural enemies. In 2007, I observed a crown-of-thorns being consumed by a solitary relatively large polyp. This unique and remarkable observation was published in Coral Reefs (Bos et al. 2008) and triggered several follow-up studies. The polyp, which belongs to the Corallimorpharia (Anthozoa) and had formerly been added to the genus of Pseudocorynactis, was still an unknown species. The collection of Naturalis and preliminary studies of Dr. Koos den Hartog, a Corallimorpharia expert who worked many years for Naturalis, allowed the description of the polyp Paracorynactis hoplites (Ocaña et al. 2010). Since then, I have studied biological and ecological aspects of P. hoplites.
Several Indo-Pacific asteroids are subject to intensive collection for the ornamental trade and some populations are under severe pressure. Sea stars are commonly dried and sold as souvenir to tourists or manufactured into bathroom decorations for foreign markets. Little is known however, about the ecological effects of collection and I have studied population dynamics of the commonly targeted sea stars, such as Archaster typicus, Linckia laevigata and Protoreaster nodosus. Furthermore, as collaborator with SeaLifeBase, I have made ecological information and underwater photographs of Echinoderms publically available.
Left) Souvenir baskets with dyed sea stars; Middle) Storage room with thousands of dried blue linckia's, Linckia laevigata, in the Philippines; Right) Archaster typicus decorating photo albums in a bookstore in Germany.
Reef fish and marine biodiversity
The Philippine seas, located in the center of the coral triangle, have an unusually high biodiversity. At one island in the Davao Gulf, I have recorded and photographed more than 850 fish species and this number is still increasing. Several of these species are first records for the Philippines or remain to be named. To make new information available, I collaborate with FishBase.
Fish are an important source of protein for millions of people in coastal areas in the Philippines. With a continuously growing population, natural resources have become overexploited and fishing pressure has dramatically increased. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) provide a solution by excluding certain areas from fishing and allowing fish to grow and reproduce. After several years of protection, MPAs usually become units with increased fish biomass and high biodiversity. Furthermore, MPAs export fish and larvae to adjacent areas (spillover effect) which supports small-scale fisheries. I have supported the establishment of a range of MPAs and studied their fish density, biomass, and species diversity.
Fish catches represent the status of fish populations and therefore I have initiated studies on fish markets in the Philippines. Landed fish have become smaller over the years and a shift from typical target families to other fish families has been observed.
Left) Juvenile fish sold on a small plate; Middle) MPAs support high fish biomass; Right) Chaetodon punctatofasciatus (Chaetodontidae) measured at a local fish market.
Publications
Peer-reviewed publications
Bos, A.R. (in press). Fishes (Gobiidae and Labridae) associated with the mushroom coral Heliofungia actiniformis (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) in the Philippines. Coral Reefs DOI 10.1007/s00338-011-0834-3 first online
Bos, A.R., G.S. Gumanao & B. Mueller, 2011. Feeding biology and symbiotic relationships of the corallimorpharian Paracorynactis hoplites (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 59(2): 245-250
Mueller, B., A.R. Bos, G. Graf & G.S. Gumanao, 2011. Size-specific locomotion rate and movement pattern of four common Indo-Pacific sea stars (Echinodermata; Asteroidea). Aquatic Biology 12(2): 157-164
Bos, A.R., 2011. Clownfishes Amphiprion clarkii and A. sandaracinos (Pomacentridae) coexist in the sea anemone Stichodactyla mertensii. Coral Reefs 30(2): 369
Bos, A.R., G.S. Gumanao, M.M. van Katwijk, B. Mueller, M.M. Saceda & R.P. Tejada, 2011. Ontogenetic habitat shift, population growth, and burrowing behavior of the Indo-Pacific beach star, Archaster typicus (Echinodermata; Asteroidea). Marine Biology 158(3): 639–648
Bos, A.R., 2010 Crown-of-thorns outbreak in the Tubbataha Reefs UNESCO World Heritage Site. Zoological Studies 49(1): 124
Katwijk, M.M. van, A.R. Bos, D.C.R. Hermus & W. Suyckerbuyk, 2010. Sediment modification by seagrass beds: muddification and sandification induced by plant cover and environmental conditions. Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 89(2): 175–181
Katwijk, M.M. van, A.R. Bos, P. Kennis & R. de Vries, 2010. Vulnerability to eutrophication of a semi-annual life history: A lesson learnt from an extinct eelgrass (Zostera marina) population. Biological Conservation 143: 248–254
Ocaña, O., J.C. den Hartog, A. Brito & A.R. Bos, 2010. On Pseudocorynactis species and another related genus from the Indo-Pacific (Anthozoa: Corallimorphidae). Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias XXI (3-4): 9–34
Bos, A.R., 2009. Photographic Calendar for the year 2010 - “Marine Biodiversity in the Philippines”. 24pp. 
Katwijk, M.M. van, A.R. Bos, V.N. de Jonge, L.S.A.M. Hanssen, D.C.R. Hermus & D.J. de Jong, 2009. Guidelines for seagrass restoration: importance of habitat selection and donor population, spreading of risks, and ecosystem engineering effects. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58(2): 179–188
Bos, A.R., J.C.E. Alipoyo, L.T. Cardona, G.S. Gumanao & F.N. Salac, 2008. Population structure of common Indo-Pacific sea stars in the Davao Gulf. UPV Journal of Natural Sciences 13: 11–24
Bos, A.R., G.S. Gumanao, J.C.E. Alipoyo & L.T. Cardona, 2008. Population dynamics, reproduction and growth of the Indo-Pacific horned sea star, Protoreaster nodosos (Echinodermata; Asteroidea). Marine Biology 156: 55–63
Bos, A.R., G.S. Gumanao & F.N. Salac, 2008. A newly discovered predator of the crown-of-thorns starfish. Coral Reefs 27(3): 581
Bos, A.R., T.J. Bouma, G.L.J. de Kort & M.M. van Katwijk, 2007. Ecosystem engineering by annual intertidal seagrass beds: Sediment accretion and modification. Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 74: 344–348
Bos, A.R. & M.M. van Katwijk, 2007. Planting density, hydrodynamic exposure and mussel beds affect survival of transplanted intertidal eelgrass. Marine Ecology Progress Series 336: 121–129
Bos, A.R., C. Kapasa & P.A.M. van Zwieten, 2006. Update on the bathymetry of Lake Mweru with notes on water level fluctuations. African Journal of Aquatic Science 31(1): 145–150
Bos, A.R. & R. Thiel, 2006. Influence of salinity on the migration of post-larval and juvenile European flounder (Pleuronectes flesus L.) in a gradient experiment. Journal of Fish Biology 68(5): 1411–1420
Katwijk, M.M. van, G.W. Geerling, R. Rasin, R. van ’t Veer, A.R. Bos, D.C.R. Hermus, M. van Wieringen, Z. Jager, A. Groeneweg, P.L.A. Erftemeijer, T. van der Heide & D.J. de Jong, 2006. Macrophytes in the western Wadden Sea: monitoring, invasion, transplantations, dynamics and European policy. Proceedings of the 11th International Scientific Wadden Sea Symposium, Esbjerg. p. 89–98
Bos, A.R., N. Dankers, A.H. Groeneweg, D.C.R. Hermus, Z. Jager, D.J. de Jong, T. Smit, J. de Vlas, M. van Wieringen & M.M. van Katwijk, 2005. Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) in the western Wadden Sea: Monitoring, habitat suitability model, transplantations and communication. VLIZ Special Publication 19: 95–109
Bos, A.R., S. Clark & S. Gore, 2003. Preliminary observations on habitat use of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) in South Caicos, Turks & Caicos Islands. Proceedings of the 54th Annual Meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. p. 230–240
Bos, A.R., 2000. Aspects of the life history of the European flounder (Pleuronectes flesus L. 1758) in the tidal River Elbe. Dissertation.de – Verlag im Internet GmbH. Berlin. 129 pp. ISBN 3-89825-082-2
Bos. A.R., 1999. Tidal transport of flounder larvae (Platichthys flesus) in the River Elbe, Germany. Archive of Fishery and Marine Research 47(1): 47–60
Bos, A.R., R. Thiel & W. Nellen, 1995. Distribution and transport mechanism of the upstream migrating flounder larvae, Pleuronectes flesus Linnaeus 1758, in the tidal River Elbe, Germany. International Council for Exploration of the Seas, ICES-CM/M:41. 10 pp.
Brock, T.C.M., A.R. Bos, S.J.H. Crum & R. Gijlstra, 1995. The model ecosystem approach in ecotoxicology as illustrated with a study on the fate and effects of an insecticide in stagnant freshwater microcosms. In: Immunochemical detection of pesticides and their metabolites in the water cycle. B. Hock & R. Niebner (Eds). pp. 167–185
Brock, T.C.M., M. van der Bogaert, A.R. Bos, S.W.F. van Breukelen, R. Reiche, J. Terwoert, R.E.M. Suykerbuyk & R.M.M. Roijackers, 1992. Fate and effects of the insecticide Dursban 4E in indoor Elodea-dominated and macrophyte-free freshwater model ecosystems: II. Secondary effects on community structure. Archive of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 23(4): 391–401
Meesters, E.H., A.R. Bos & G.J. Gast, 1992. Effects of sedimentation and lesion position on coral tissue regeneration. Proceedings of 7th International Coral Reef Symposium, Guam, 2: 681–688
Selected reports
Bos, A.R., 2011. Fish density, biomass, and species overview of the Dive Hub Marine Protected Area, Antulang, Si-it, Siaton, Negros Oriental, Philippines. 18 pp.
Bos, A.R. & G.S. Gumanao, 2010. Status of the fishery in the Davao Gulf as observed from a fish market survey. German Development Service - Philippines, Panabo. 21 pp.
Bos, A.R., 2010. New records of reef fish in the Dive Hub Sanctuary, Antulang, Negros Oriental, Philippines. Davao del Norte State College. Panabo. 3 pp.
Bos, A.R. & G.S. Gumanao, 2007. Qualitative survey of the reef fishes of Danjugan Island, Negros Occidental, Philippines. Davao del Norte State College, Panabo, 13 pp.
Cabo, A.B., A.R. Bos & S. Groenewold, 2006. Reef surveys to the effects of the oil spill in Guimaras Island, Philippines. German Development Service – DED, Manila, 24 pp.
Thiel. R. & A.R. Bos, 1998. Fischereibiologische Untersuchung verschiedener Schlenzen an der Stromelbe in Hamburg; Abschlußbericht. Zentrum für Meeres- und Klimaforschung der Hamburger Universität. 90 pp. (in German)
Bos, A.R. & H. Ticheler, 1996. A limnological update of the Bangweulu fishery, Zambia. DoF/BF/1996/Report no.26. 25 pp.
Bos, A.R., P.A.M. van Zwieten & S.N. Ngula, 1996. A limnological survey on Lake Mweru, Zambia. Report No. 27, Department of Fisheries, Nchelenge. Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Zambia. 18 pp.
Friday, February 3, 2012