Coral Community Decline at Bonaire, Southern Caribbean

AbstractWe document for the first time Miocene corals from the Siamaná and Jimol formations of the Cocinetas Basin in La Guajira Peninsula, northern Colombia. This is the first of two contributions dedicated to the description and detailed illustration of morphospecies collected during two scientific expeditions (2011, 2014) to the remote region. Here we report coral morphospecies attributed to the families Acroporidae, Agathiphylliidae, Astrocoeniidae, Caryophylliidae, Diploastraeidae, Merulinidae, and Montastraeidae. Eighteen species belonging to these seven families, included in nine genera, are described. Fifteen species are assigned to established taxa, while three remain in open nomenclature. Of the species identified, onlyMontastraea cavernosa(Linnaeus, 1767) exists today. The coral taxa described are typical of the Oligocene–Miocene transition and were important components of shallow-water reefs in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico region during this period. The occurrence ofAgathiphylliaspp.,Antiguastrea, andDiploastreaspp. confirms the presence of these genera in the Miocene of the Southern Caribbean. Coral assemblages suggest that the La Guajira coral community thrived in calm and shallow waters.

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Patterns of coral community structure of subtropical reefs in the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve, Eastern Australia

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps111067 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 111 ◽

pp. 67-76

Author(s):

VJ Harriott ◽

SDA Smith ◽

PL Harrison

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Marine Reserve ◽

Coral Community ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Subtropical Reefs

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Special Paper 354: Petrologic and structural history of Tobago, West Indies: a fragment of the accreted Mesozoic oceanic arc of the southern Caribbean

10.1130/0-8137-2354-x ◽

2001 ◽

Keyword(s):

West Indies ◽

Southern Caribbean ◽

Structural History ◽

Special Paper ◽

History Of

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Coverage Increases of Porites astreoides in Grenada Determined by Shifts in Size-Frequency Distribution

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13070288 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 288

Author(s):

Ryan G. Eagleson ◽

John S. Lumsden ◽

Lorenzo Álvarez-Filip ◽

Christophe M. Herbinger ◽

Ryan A. Horricks

Keyword(s):

Coral Community ◽

Scleractinian Corals ◽

Area Measurement ◽

Coralline Algae ◽

Measurement Tool ◽

Size Frequency Distribution ◽

Point Count ◽

Porites Astreoides ◽

The Mean ◽

The Caribbean

Despite coral community collapse, the mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) is a species currently experiencing success throughout the Caribbean. The inshore reefs of Grenada were selected to study the influence of benthic factors on the abundance, size, and coverage of P. astreoides colonies. Surveys of reef communities along established 30 m transects were conducted at eight sites in 2014 and 2017 using a 0.5 m² quadrat. Coral Point Count was used to annotate the images, estimating the coverage of scleractinian corals, sponges, algae, and benthic substrates. Coverage, size, and abundance of P. astreoides colonies were quantified using the area measurement tool in ImageJ standardized against the quadrats. There were significant differences in benthic community assemblages between islands, selected sites, and between years. From 2014 to 2017 there was a significant decrease in the mean abundance of P. astreoides colonies and significant increases in mean colony size and coverage. The presence of P. astreoides colonies was significantly correlated with: rubble (−), sand (−); pavement (+); macroalgae (−); coralline algae (+); sponges (varying response); gorgonians (−); massive corals (+); and branching corals (−). P. astreoides follows similar recruitment patterns as other scleractinian corals. Observed changes in P. astreoides populations appear to indicate a recovery event following a disturbance, potentially tropical storm Chantal in 2013.

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