Spatial variation in coral reef fish and benthic communities in the central Saudi Arabian Red Sea

PeerJ

article

Maha T. Khalil¹  Jessica Bouwmeester¹  Michael L. Berumen¹ 

[1] Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology;Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University

关键词: Inshore-offshore gradients;    Coral cover;    Diversity;    Fish biomass;    Saudi Arabia;    Red Sea;    Trophic structure;    Community assemblages;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.3410

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Local-scale ecological information is critical as a sound basis for spatial management and conservation and as support for ongoing research in relatively unstudied areas. We conducted visual surveys of fish and benthic communities on nine reefs (3–24 km from shore) in the Thuwal area of the central Saudi Arabian Red Sea. Fish biomass increased with increasing distance from shore, but was generally low compared to reefs experiencing minimal human influence around the world. All reefs had a herbivore-dominated trophic structure and few top predators, such as sharks, jacks, or large groupers. Coral cover was considerably lower on inshore reefs, likely due to a 2010 bleaching event. Community analyses showed inshore reefs to be characterized by turf algae, slower-growing corals, lower herbivore diversity, and highly abundant turf-farming damselfishes. Offshore reefs had more planktivorous fishes, a more diverse herbivore assemblage, and faster-growing corals. All reefs appear to be impacted by overfishing, and inshore reefs seem more vulnerable to thermal bleaching. The study provides a description of the spatial variation in biomass and community structure in the central Saudi Arabian Red Sea and provides a basis for spatial prioritization and subsequent marine protected area design in Thuwal.

【 授权许可】

CC BY