Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

How Many Damaged Corals in Red Sea Reef Systems? A Quantitative Survey

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1991

Publication Title

Hydrobiologia

Keywords

Red Sea, Corals, Damage, Algal overgrowth, Conservation

ISSN

0018-8158

Volume

216/217

Issue/No.

1

First Page

249

Last Page

256

Abstract

Quantitative coral damage assessment by means of line transects was performed in several northern Red Sea coral reef sites in Israel (Eilat) and Egypt (Hurghada area). Reefs with high and low visitor frequency were compared. For both reef systems, breakage was found to be the most common damage category, being significantly higher on highly frequented reefs. Also, all observed damage (breakage, tissue loss, algal overgrowth) was most frequent within the first ten meters depth. A significant difference in the amount of corals overgrown by algae was found on the reefs near Hurghada as compared to all other reefs. Algal overgrowth was correlated with the occurrence of tissue loss and breakage, being considered as a consequence of pollution or the former damage types. In all cases of damage, Acropora was the most frequently affected genus, while Millepora dichotoma was the most affected species.

Comments

©1991 Kluwer Academic Publishers

ORCID ID

0000-0002-6003-9324

ResearcherID

F-8807-2011

DOI

10.1007/BF00026471

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