Sublittoral seaweed communities on natural and artificial substrata in a high-latitude coral community in South Africa

Sedimentation is an important factor that influences the composition of coral communities. The high-latitude, marginal coral community in the central reef complex at Sodwana Bay, South Africa, is subjected to sedimentation at the reef–sediment interface. A lens of bioclastic sediment surrounds the sandstone reefs in the area and acts as a scouring and smothering agent. This affects the composition of the subcommunity on the reef margin at the reef–sediment interface. The interface was studied on two reefs in the complex and their subcommunities did not differ. Alcyoniidae and Scleractinia (34.4% and 34.4% cover, respectively) are the dominant taxa in the reef–sediment subcommunity, which includes genera such as Sinularia, Lobophytum, Sarcophyton, Montipora, Favia and Astreopora (in decreasing order of abundance). Sediment-tolerant species are prevalent, the Alcyoniidae being the most prominent and tolerant by virtue of their morphology. Corals in this environment are generally flat and fairly rigid colonies of Lobophytum and Sinularia spp. (14% and 10% cover, respectively), some with lobes to channel the movement of surge-driven sediment, or are erect, soft and pliable forms such as Sarcophyton spp. (10% cover) that easily shed sediment. Their dominance in this constantly disturbed environment may also be attributable to the low mortality, slow growth and overall persistence of the Alcyoniidae described in the literature.

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Observations on the Behaviour and the Character of an Acanthaster planci (L.) Aggregation in a High Latitude Coral Community in South Africa

Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.4314/wiojms.v5i1.28502 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

L Celliers ◽

M H Schleyer

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

High Latitude ◽

Coral Community ◽

Acanthaster Planci

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Environmental Variation and How its Spatial Structure Influences the Cross-Shelf Distribution of High-Latitude Coral Communities in South Africa

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d11040057 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 57 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sean N. Porter ◽

Michael H. Schleyer

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Continental Shelf ◽

High Latitude ◽

Environmental Variables ◽

Environmental Gradients ◽

High Tide ◽

Environmental Variation ◽

Shelf Edge ◽

Spatial Differences ◽

Coral Communities

Coral communities display spatial patterns. These patterns can manifest along a coastline as well as across the continental shelf due to ecological interactions and environmental gradients. Several abiotic surrogates for environmental variables are hypothesised to structure high-latitude coral communities in South Africa along and across its narrow shelf and were investigated using a correlative approach that considered spatial autocorrelation. Surveys of sessile communities were conducted on 17 reefs and related to depth, distance to high tide, distance to the continental shelf edge and to submarine canyons. All four environmental variables were found to correlate significantly with community composition, even after the effects of space were removed. The environmental variables accounted for 13% of the variation in communities; 77% of this variation was spatially structured. Spatially structured environmental variation unrelated to the environmental variables accounted for 39% of the community variation. The Northern Reef Complex appears to be less affected by oceanic factors and may undergo less temperature variability than the Central and Southern Complexes; the first is mentioned because it had the lowest canyon effect and was furthest from the continental shelf, whilst the latter complexes had the highest canyon effects and were closest to the shelf edge. These characteristics may be responsible for the spatial differences in the coral communities.

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Coverage, Diversity, and Functionality of a High-Latitude Coral Community (Tatsukushi, Shikoku Island, Japan)

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0054330 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. e54330 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Vianney Denis ◽

Takuma Mezaki ◽

Kouki Tanaka ◽

Chao-Yang Kuo ◽

Stéphane De Palmas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Latitude ◽

Coral Community

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Long-term community changes on a high-latitude coral reef in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, South Africa

Marine Pollution Bulletin ◽

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.11.011 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 493-502 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Michael H. Schleyer ◽

Alke Kruger ◽

Louis Celliers

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Coral Reef ◽

High Latitude ◽

Community Changes

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Stranger Things: Organismal Traits of Two Octocorals Associated With Singular Symbiodiniaceae in a High-Latitude Coral Community From Northern Taiwan

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2020.606601 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Tsai-Hsuan Tony Hsu ◽

Lilian Carlu ◽

Yunli Eric Hsieh ◽

Tzu-Yu Angel Lai ◽

Ching-Wei Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

High Latitude ◽

Coral Community ◽

Symbiotic Relationship ◽

Ecological Strategies ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Coral Communities ◽

Definition Of ◽

The Individual ◽

Northern Taiwan

Scrutinizing the traits of octocorals that could affect their physiological performance becomes increasingly important as several of these species are observed to become dominant on reefs pressured by the Anthropocene. In the present study, we compare the organismal traits of two branching octocorals Litophyton sp. and Stereonephthya sp. commonly populating in sympatry the high-latitude coral communities of northern Taiwan. Using 13 traits, we describe and compare performance traits in these two symbiotic species that we discuss in light of the association they maintain with their algal partners. Litophyton sp. and Stereonephthya sp. hosted Durusdinium and Gerakladium, respectively. Both genera represent singular associations, with the latter further establishing the first solid report of Gerakladium in octocorals. Traits distinguished two groups explained by the two partnerships considered. Litophyton sp. associated with Durusdinium had significantly higher organic matter, chlorophyll (chl) a, total lipid and lower chl c/chl a ratio than Stereonephthya sp. associated with Gerakladium. The δ15N in the host and algae, as well as δ13C in the host were also higher in Litophyton species. Although no significant difference was observed in the δ13C of the algae, Litophyton sp. presented a significantly higher variance for this trait and for chl a content than Stereonephthya species. Altogether, the traits examined suggested contrasting performances among the two octocorals. Both octocoral species clearly deviate from an autotrophic diet. Litophyton sp. appears to complement its heterotrophic diet with photosynthetically acquired energy, while Stereonephthya sp. tends to be more specialized and benefits relatively little from its symbiotic relationship. Our study calls for greater consideration of the individual variation in octocoral physiology and in the definition of their ecological strategies.

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