WILLIAMS: RESEARCH COMPONENTS OF THE EXPEDITION 
55 
water environment of Taal Lake, a crater lake of volcanic origin (Figs. lOE-F), was also explored 
and fish and invertebrates were collected by a subset of researchers from the shallow-water opera¬ 
tions. 
Since 1992, vaiying degrees of severity regarding coral bleaching (Fig. 2F; compare with the 
appearance of unbleached scleractinians, figs. 2B, C, E) have been observed during field operations 
by Academy researchers on the coral reefs of the Verde Island Passage region. Coral bleaching is 
here defined as the sparsity or absence of zooxanthellae in normally zooxanthellate scleractinians. 
Prior to 1995, bleaching in scleractinian corals was only occasionally encountered, the incidents of 
detection ranging fi'om rare to infrequent. By contrast, after 1995, observation of coral bleaching 
was far more frequent. Reflecting on this, the mid-1990s can be regarded as a pivotal period con¬ 
cerning changing conditions responsible for the prevalence of coral bleaching in the region. A sig¬ 
nificant variance in degree of bleaching can be seen if one compares the severe bleaching incident 
of 2010 with observations made during the Hearst expedition in 2011. A major bleaching event 
occurred in niid-2010 throughout much of the tropical Indo-west Pacific from the eastern Indian 
Ocean to the Philippines (Sundt 2010). By May through June 2011, during the Hearst expedition 
in the Verde Island Passage, bleaching was occasionally observed as isolated examples, but the 
severe conditions of the previous year and any residual effects of a mass mortality or coral damage 
were not observed. 
The Deep-Water Component 
Figures IB, 5-6 
The second marine research component explored the deep sea benthos in the vicinity of the 
Lubang Islands to the west of the Verde Island Passage region of the shallow-water component. 
This phase took place took place during an eight day period form 29 May to 5 June 2011, on board 
the government of the Philippines research ship, M/V DA-BFAR. Sampling of the biota from the 
sea bottom was conducted between 60 and 2195 meters m depth by trawl nets that included stan¬ 
dard trawls, otter trawls and bottom trawls. Fish traps were also employed, which were used at 
night and brought up on deck each morning before the day’s trawling operations commenced. Par¬ 
ticipants included a large compliment of biologists and marine resource managers from BFAR 
(Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources), University of the Philippines, National Museum of 
the Philippines, as well as the California Academy of Sciences (Departments of Ichthyology and 
Invertebrate Zoology and Geology). 
One unsuspected and unfortunate outcome of the benthic collecting during this phase was the 
prodigious amount of sunken plastic material and other un-decomposed garbage that was brought 
up from the sea floor in the majority of trawls. In some instances, the amount of plastics was far 
greater than that of the biotic material that was encountered. 
The Terrestrial Component 
Figures lA, 7-10 
It is generally accepted that the Philippine archipelago has had an extensive period of human 
occupation dating back to the late Pleistocene (Jocano 2001). Primary forests are now mostly 
restricted to higher montane regions, such as on the upper slopes of volcanic peaks. Four of these 
regions in southern Luzon were selected for field research as part of die Hearst biodiversity expe¬ 
dition: Mt. Makiling, Mt. Malarayat, Mt. Banahaw, and Mt, Isarog. 
The tenesfrial research component was conducted from 6 May to 5 June 2011 by four groups 
of researchers from the California Academy of Sciences along with colleagues from the Universi¬ 
ty of the Philippines and Pusod (a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect and enhance 
