[Coral-List] Size-structure patterns of juvenile hard corals in the Maldives

[Ulisse Cardini]

Dear Coral Listers,

I'm writing to draw your attention to a paper recently published in the 
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. We 
hope it will be a useful piece of information for everybody who is 
working on coral recruitment as one of the main factors driving reef 
resilience and recovery:

Ulisse Cardini, Mariachiara Chiantore, Roberta Lasagna, Carla Morri and 
Carlo Nike Bianchi (2012). Size-structure patterns of juvenile hard 
corals in the Maldives. /Journal of the Marine Biological Association of 
the United Kingdom/, 92, pp 1335-1339 doi:10.1017/S0025315411001561 Link 
to the article <http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0025315411001561>

Abstract: "In April 2006 and May 2007 abundance data of small coral 
colonies were collected in the central atolls of the Maldives (N 3°35.9 
-- 4°26.6 E 72°47.3 -- 73°57.5) in order to evaluate variability in hard 
coral recruitment and post-settlement success. Visual quadrats were 
randomly placed in two reef typologies (oceanic reef and lagoonal reef) 
at three different depths. Colonies were conventionally defined as 
'recruits' when smaller than 5 cm in diameter, whereas the term 
'juveniles' was reserved for colonies ranging between 5 and 15 cm. Clear 
differences in the relative importance of the two size-classes across 
the three different depths and the two reef typologies were found. A 
size-structure index (SsI%), based on abundance data, was calculated in 
order to evaluate the percentage of 'recruits' out of the total juvenile 
hard corals. SsI% values differed between reef typologies and according 
to depth zones with a higher percentage of 'recruits' found in shallow 
oceanic reefs. Physical and ecological differences between the two reef 
typologies according to depth are presumed to cause different success in 
the settlement of new colonies and their survival during growth. Coupled 
with the usual estimates of hard coral cover, SsI% may represent a 
useful tool for monitoring, and be effective for the quick assessment of 
coral reef recovery after disturbances."

Regards,

Ulisse Cardini on behalf of the authors

-- 
Ulisse Cardini
PhD candidate

Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT)
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Tel. +49(0)421/238 00-138
Fax +49(0)421/238 00-30
www.zmt-bremen.de/en/Page1947.html
ulisse.cardini at zmt-bremen.de

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