New Scales to Guide the Assessment of Hard Coral Cover and Diversity in the Philippines

The Philippine Journal of Fisheries ◽

10.31398/tpjf/27.2.2020-0008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 121-126

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Coral Reefs ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Rapid Identification ◽

The Philippines ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Hard Coral Cover ◽

Assessment Scales

Coral reefs supply vital ecosystem services to the Philippines. Safeguarding these services requires the rapid identification of reefs that provide most services, and identification is best made by measuring hard coral cover and diversity and using updated and locally relevant assessment scales on these measurements. The use of these assessment scales has advantages and is recommended to update and improve Philippine laws.

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Influence of social, management and enforcement factors on the long-term ecological effects of marine sanctuaries

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892903000407 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 388-407 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

S.F. Walmsley ◽

A.T. White

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Fish Species ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Community Support ◽

The Philippines ◽

Ecological Effects ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Ecological Variables ◽

Management Measures ◽

Hard Coral Cover

Marine sanctuaries are increasingly being promoted as tools for conservation and fisheries management. This study investigates the effects of protection over 19 years on substrate composition and fish communities in four marine sanctuaries and corresponding non-sanctuary areas in the Philippines and examines the importance of community support, management measures and enforcement of regulations on these ecological effects. Between 1981 and 2000, substrate cover variables were measured using line transects with scuba and snorkel surveys, and fish censuses (identification to family level) were conducted using scuba within a 500 m2 area. Semi-structured interviews collected data on community support for the sanctuaries, and observations and interviews established management and enforcement aspects of the sanctuaries. Over time, all sanctuaries showed improvements, or maintenance of, ecological variables compared with pre-enforcement times, with maintenance of hard coral cover and average increases of 8.3% in fish species richness and 54.9% in fish abundance. In comparison, non-sanctuary areas showed maintenance of the status quo or declines in ecological variables. However hard coral cover, fish abundances and fish species richness showed significant declines as well as increases in sanctuary areas. Community, management and enforcement factors were significantly related to positive ecological trends in sanctuary areas; management and enforcement were related to a wider variety of ecological factors than community score. Community support was significantly related to an increase in hard coral cover in deep areas. Enforcement of regulations was significantly related to an increase in abundance of fishery target fish species in sanctuary areas, and simple management measures were significantly related to an increase in abundance of large predators. Supportive communities that voluntarily implemented sanctuary regulations, improved enforcement, and small discrete cohesive communities may have facilitated the process of building this community support. Well-enforced sanctuaries that showed an increase in abundance of target species may have contributed to the maintenance of fish yields in adjacent non-sanctuary areas. The effects of sanctuary implementation varied on a case-by-case basis, influenced by environmental, biological, physical and human factors. However, a combination of community support, management measures and enforcement of regulations contributed towards positive ecological trends in sanctuary areas.

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KONDISI TERUMBU KARANG PADA KAWASAN WISATA PANTAI MALALAYANG KOTA MANADO PROVINSI SULAWESI UTARA DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN METODE UNDERWATER PHOTO TRANSECT

JURNAL PESISIR DAN LAUT TROPIS ◽

10.35800/jplt.9.1.2021.33575 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 44

Author(s):

Devidson Daud ◽

Joshian N. W. Schaduw ◽

Chatrien Luzianna Sinjal ◽

Janny D Kusen ◽

Erli Y Kaligis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Coral Reefs ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Computer Software ◽

Digital Camera ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Software Technology ◽

Technological Developments ◽

Moderate Condition ◽

Hard Coral Cover

Coral reefs are coastal ecosystems with the highest level of diversity with around one million species worldwide. Corals are invertebrates belonging to the Phylum Coelenterate (hollow animals) or Cnidaria. The Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) method is a method that utilizes technological developments, both digital camera technology and computer software technology. Capturing data in the field in the form of underwater photos carried out by shooting using a Canon G-16 camera equipped with a waterproof protector (housing). In this study it can be seen that the percentage of hard corals at point 1 is in the medium category, point 2 is in the medium category, and point 3 is in the bad category with the percentage of hard coral cover as follows: point 1 (one) 29.75%, point 2 (two) 31.16%, and point 3 (three) 24.26%, of the three points can represent the overall condition of the coral reefs in Malalayang Beach which is in moderate condition with a percentage of 28.39%.Keywords: Malalayang Beach, Coral Reef, UPT, CPCe

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The change of coral cover in Ujong Pancu waters, Peukan Bada Sub-District, Aceh Besar

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/869/1/012051 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 869 (1) ◽

pp. 012051

Author(s):

M Ulfah ◽

M Muliari ◽

F Azzahara ◽

N M Razi ◽

M R Fazillah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Coral Reefs ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Ecological Functions ◽

Coral Genus ◽

The Earth ◽

Coral Reef Ecosystems ◽

Hard Coral Cover

Abstract Coral reef ecosystems are one of the most productive ecosystems on the earth, with large ecological functions. The disruption of coral reef ecosystems has a significant impact on the surrounding biota. This study aims to determine the condition of coral reefs for the last three years in Ujong Pancu waters, Peukan Bada sub-district, Aceh Besar district. This study uses data in 2017, 2018, and 2019 with three observation locations: Lhok Keeutapang, Lhok Mata Ie, and Tuan Island. The method used is Point Intercept Transect (PIT) with a transect length of 20 m with four repetitions. The results showed that the percentage of hard coral cover in the Ujong Pancu waters decreased from the good category (50.31%) in 2017 to moderate (47.81%) in 2019. The percentage with the highest coral cover was at the Lhok Keutapang location at 72, 81% in 2018, while the lowest coral cover at the Tuan Island location was 15.94% in 2017. The composition of the coral genus found also decreased from 12 coral genera (2017) to 9 coral genera (2019).

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Kondisi terumbu karang dan makro invertebrata di Perairan Ujong Pancu, Kecamatan Peukan Bada, Aceh Besar

DEPIK ◽

10.13170/depik.1.1.2278 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Samsul Bahri ◽

Edi Rudi ◽

Irma Dewiyanti

Keyword(s):

Coral Reefs ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Good Condition ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Visual Census ◽

Hard Coral Cover ◽

Diadema Setosum

Abstract. The aimof this study was to evaluate the condition of coral reefs and macro invertebrates at Ujong Pancu, Aceh Besar District The study was carried out from April to May 152012. Coral coverage was observed by using Point Intercept Trancect method and Visual census technique for macro invertebrates. There was 50% of hard coral coverage recorded in three observation locations. The predominant genus was Acropora with a percentage of more than 50% at all locations. The abundance of macro invertebrateswas ranged from 3.75 to 7.75 ind/transect. The most abundant macro invertebrates was Diadema setosum with percentage of more than 40% at each location. The diversity index (H’) of coral reefs and macro invertebrates were ranged from 0.74 - 1.36 and 0.98 – 1.5, respectively. In general, the condition of coral reefs and macro invertebrates in Ujong Pancu was in good condition. Keywords: Coral reefs; Macro invertebrates; Ujong Pancu. Abstrak. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kondisi terumbu karang dan makro invertebrata di Ujong Pancu. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada bulan April hingga Mei 2012. Tutupan karang diamati dengan menggunakan Metode Point Intercept Transect (PIT) dan makro invertebrata diamati dengan menggunakan metode TeknikVisual Sensus. Hasil penelitian ditemukan bahwa lebih dari 50% tutupan karang keras pada ketiga stasiun pengamatan. Genus yang paling mendominasi pada ketiga stasiun adalah Acropora dengan persentase lebih dari 20% pada setiap stasiun pengamatan. Kelimpahan makro avertebrata berkisar antara 3,75 hingga 7,75 ind/transek. Kelimpahan makro invertebrata terbesar adalah Diadema setosum dengan persentase lebih dari 40% pada setiap stasiun pengamatan. Indeks keanekaragaman (H’) karang dan makro investebrata berkisar antara 0,74 - 1.36 dan 0,98 – 1,5 secara berurutan. Secara umum berdasarkan indeks yang digunakan, kondisi terumbu karang dan makro invertebrata di Ujong Pancu tergolong baik.Kata kunci : Terumbu Karang; Makro avertebrata; Ujong Pancu.

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STATUS TERUMBU KARANG DAN IKAN KARANG DI GILI MATRA, NUSA TENGGARA BARAT

ECOTROPHIC Jurnal Ilmu Lingkungan (Journal of Environmental Science) ◽

10.24843/ejes.2020.v14.i01.p02 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 14

Author(s):

Eghbert Elvan Ampou ◽

Suciadi Catur Nugroho ◽

Nuryani Widagti

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Coral Reef ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Reef Fishes ◽

Coral Mortality ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Mortality Index ◽

Fish Group ◽

Hard Coral Cover ◽

Reef Condition

This study aims to identify the status of reef fishes and coral reefs in Gili Meno, Air, and Trawangan or Gili Matra waters. This area is part of the North Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province. Field observation was conducted on September 2011 at 11 (eleven) diving points. The video-transect method was used for observing the coral reef condition, while reef fishes abundance was observed by using visual-census method. The parameter that used to determine the condition of coral reef in study location are the percentage of live hard coral cover and index of coral mortality. In general, the result shows that percentage of live hard coral cover in each diving point ranged from 4.4% - 37.2% and the Coral Mortality Index (IMK) ranged form 0.40-0.92. The values describe that the condition of coral reef at eleven diving points vary from fair until poor condition. Current status of coral reef condition showed an insignificant increase from bad to moderate during the period 2011 -2018. There were 23 families of reef fishes from 46 genera were found during the study consisting of 16 genera of target fish groups, 5 genera of indicator fish group, and 25 genera of major fish group. The water quality is still within the limits of environmental quality standards. Keywords: Reef fish, coral reef, Mortality Index, water quality, Gili Matra

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Coral Reef Degradation Due to ‘Ship Grounding’ in Indonesia: Case Study of Ship Aground in Bangka-Belitung Waters by Mother Vessel MV Lyric Poet

Jurnal Ilmiah Perikanan dan Kelautan ◽

10.20473/jipk.v12i2.17947 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 263

Author(s):

Idris Idris ◽

Neviaty P. Zamani ◽

Suharsono Suharsono ◽

Fakhrurrozi Fakhrurrozi

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Coral Reefs ◽

Coral Species ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Live Coral ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Lyric Poet ◽

Ship Grounding

HighlightDamage to coral reefs by ship aground is twice the area of a football fieldFound four zones of damage including runoff, dune, blow and dispersalMortality of live coral and other benthic biota ranges from 75-100% in the affected locationThe form of damaged live coral growth is predominantly slow growing.Eight hard coral species were found on the IUCN-Redlist list with a vulnerable status.AbstractShip grounding on coral reefs often results in physical and biological damage, including dislodging and removal of corals from reefs, destruction of coral skeletons, erosion and removal of sediment deposits, and loss of three-dimensional complexity. Indonesia, as an archipelagic country, is very vulnerable to various pressures; for example, the case of ship grounding is a great concern of scientists, managers, divers, and sailors themselves. Most of the damage is very severe. The purpose of the research conducted is to identify the condition of the live coral cover, mapping the type and extent of coral reef damage, affected coral species, their conservation status, and to quantify the extent of the area of coral reef damage. Measuring the extent of damage to coral reef ecosystems using the fishbone method, while the level of damage and its impact was measured using the Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) and belt transect method. The event of the grounding of the MV Lyric Poet on the Bangka Waters, Bangka-Belitung Province, has caused damage to the coral reef ecosystem. There are four damage zones identified, i.e., trajectory, mound, propeller, and dispersion zone. Corals are damaged with a total area of 13.540m2; equivalent to twice that of an international football field. Diversity of hard coral found as many as 49 species included in the CITES-Appendix II. A total of eight protected species are included in the IUCN Red List with extinction-prone status.

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Great Barrier Reef Degradation, Sea Surface Temperatures, and Atmospheric CO2 Levels Collectively Exhibit a Stochastic Process with Memory

10.21203/rs.3.rs-299051/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Allan Elnar ◽

Christianlly Cena ◽

Christopher Casenas Bernido ◽

M. Victoria Carpio-Bernido

Keyword(s):

Stochastic Process ◽

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Atmospheric Co2 ◽

Sea Surface Temperatures ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Co2 Levels ◽

Hard Coral Cover

Abstract Quantifying ecological memory could be done at several levels from the rate of physiological changes in an ecosystem all the way down to responses at the genetic level. One way of unlocking the information encoded in a collective environmental memory is to examine the recorded time-series data generated by different components of an ecosystem. In this paper, we probe into the case of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) which is threatened by elevated sea surface temperatures (SST) and ocean acidification attributed to rising atmospheric CO 2 levels. Specifically, we investigate the interrelated dynamics between the degradation of the GBR, SST, and rising atmospheric CO 2 levels, by considering three datasets: (a) the mean percentage hard coral cover of the GBR from the archives of the Australian Institute of Marine Science; (b) SST close to the GBR from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and (c) the Keeling curve for atmospheric CO 2 levels measured by the Mauna Loa Observatory. We show that fluctuating observables in these datasets have the same memory behavior described by a non-Markovian stochastic process. All three datasets show a good match between empirical and analytical mean square deviation. An explicit analytical form for the corresponding probability density function is obtained which obeys a modified diffusion equation with a time dependent diffusion coefficient. This study provides a new perspective on the similarities of and interaction between the GBR’s declining hard coral cover, SST, and rising atmospheric CO2 levels by putting all three systems into one unified framework indexed by a memory parameter μ and a characteristic frequency ν . The short-time dynamics of CO2 levels and SST fall in the superdiffusive regime, while the GBR exhibits hyperballistic fluctuation in percent coral cover with the highest values for μ and ν .

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11-yr of coral community dynamics in reefs around Dahab (Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea): the collapse of urchins and rise of macroalgae and cyanobacterial mats

Coral Reefs ◽

10.1007/s00338-020-01988-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 39 (6) ◽

pp. 1605-1618

Author(s):

Miriam Reverter ◽

Matthew Jackson ◽

Nauras Daraghmeh ◽

Christian von Mach ◽

Nina Milton

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Red Sea ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Gulf Of Aqaba ◽

Benthic Fish ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Cyanobacterial Mats ◽

Invertebrate Assemblages ◽

Hard Coral Cover

AbstractCorals from the Gulf of Aqaba (northern Red Sea) are resilient to high temperatures and therefore this region is regarded as globally important for reef conservation. However, long-term dynamics of coral reef assemblages from the Gulf of Aqaba remain largely understudied. In this study, we analysed the change in benthic, fish and invertebrate assemblages of reefs around Dahab (South Sinai, Egypt) between 2009 and 2019. We also studied the individual trajectories of coral reef benthic categories, key invertebrate and fish species and their relationship. As site emerged as the main factor explaining the variability in coral reef communities, we identified three clusters of sites with similar assemblages. Both benthic, fish and invertebrate assemblages changed considerably at the three site clusters between 2009 and 2019. We found significant increases in fleshy macroalgae (~ 6 to 15%) and cyanobacterial mats (~ 6 to 12%) in all site clusters. Although not observing a significant reduction of hard coral cover, both macroalgae mat cover and cyanobacterial mat cover were significantly negatively related to hard coral cover and hard coral disease. Soft coral cover (mainly corals from the Xeniidae family) decreased significantly in two of the site clusters, their cover being negatively related to macroalgal and cyanobacterial cover. Significant declines in grazer urchins were observed at all site clusters, and a strong negative relationship was found with macroalgae and cyanobacterial mats cover, suggesting urchin decline as one of the main drivers behind algal increases. Different site clusters had different fish trajectories (butterflyfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish and predators), with only damselfish densities significantly decreasing at all sites. A significant decrease in damselfish densities was related to increases in cyanobacterial mats. These findings suggest that if macroalgae and cyanobacteria continue to increase, Dahab coral reefs could undergo degradation, and therefore, more studies are needed to elucidate the drivers behind these algal increases.

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Early trajectories of benthic coral reef communities following the 2015/16 coral bleaching event at remote Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-74077-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Anna Koester ◽

Valentina Migani ◽

Nancy Bunbury ◽

Amanda Ford ◽

Cheryl Sanchez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coral Reef ◽

Water Temperature ◽

Coral Bleaching ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Bleaching Event ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Reef Communities ◽

Remote Sites ◽

Hard Coral Cover ◽

Coral Reef Communities

Abstract Documenting post-bleaching trajectories of coral reef communities is crucial to understand their resilience to climate change. We investigated reef community changes following the 2015/16 bleaching event at Aldabra Atoll, where direct human impact is minimal. We combined benthic data collected pre- (2014) and post-bleaching (2016–2019) at 12 sites across three locations (lagoon, 2 m depth; seaward west and east, 5 and 15 m depth) with water temperature measurements. While seaward reefs experienced relative hard coral reductions of 51–62%, lagoonal coral loss was lower (− 34%), probably due to three-fold higher daily water temperature variability there. Between 2016 and 2019, hard coral cover did not change on deep reefs which remained dominated by turf algae and Halimeda, but absolute cover on shallow reefs increased annually by 1.3% (east), 2.3% (west) and 3.0% (lagoon), reaching, respectively, 54%, 68% and 93% of the pre-bleaching cover in 2019. Full recovery at the shallow seaward locations may take at least five more years, but remains uncertain for the deeper reefs. The expected increase in frequency and severity of coral bleaching events is likely to make even rapid recovery as observed in Aldabra’s lagoon too slow to prevent long-term reef degradation, even at remote sites.

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Cross-Shelf Differences in the Response of Herbivorous Fish Assemblages to Severe Environmental Disturbances

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d11020023 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 23 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Eva McClure ◽

Laura Richardson ◽

Alexia Graba-Landry ◽

Zoe Loffler ◽

Garry Russ ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fish Assemblages ◽

Coral Cover ◽

Herbivorous Fish ◽

Total Biomass ◽

Hard Coral ◽

Inner Shelf ◽

Environmental Disturbances ◽

Local Conditions ◽

Thermal Bleaching ◽

Hard Coral Cover

Cross-shelf differences in coral reef benthic and fish assemblages are common, yet it is unknown whether these assemblages respond uniformly to environmental disturbances or whether local conditions result in differential responses of assemblages at different shelf positions. Here, we compare changes in the taxonomic and functional composition, and associated traits, of herbivorous reef fish assemblages across a continental shelf, five years before and six months after two severe cyclones and a thermal bleaching event that resulted in substantial and widespread loss of live hard coral cover. Each shelf position maintained a distinct taxonomic assemblage of fishes after disturbances, but the assemblages shared fewer species among shelf positions. There was a substantial loss of species richness following disturbances within each shelf position. Total biomass of the herbivorous fish assemblage increased after disturbances on mid- and outer-shelf reefs, but not on inner-shelf reefs. Using trait-based analyses, we found there was a loss of trait richness at each shelf position, but trait specialisation and originality increased on inner-shelf reefs. This study highlights the pervasiveness of extreme environmental disturbances on ecological assemblages. Whilst distinct cross-shelf assemblages can remain following environmental disturbances, assemblages have reduced richness and are potentially more vulnerable to chronic localised stresses.

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