Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2011, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (2): 10-17.doi: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2011.02.010cstr: 32234.14.j.issn.1009-5470.2011.02.010

• Coral Reefs • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatial variations of stony coral cover on the reef slope of Yongxing Island,   Xisha Islands

SHI Qi, YAN Hong-qiang, ZHANG Hui-ling, ZHAO Mei-xia   

  1. CAS key Laboratory of Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, CAS, Guangzhou 510301, China
  • Received:2010-03-29 Revised:2010-05-20 Online:2011-05-06 Published:2011-05-04
  • About author:施祺(1971—), 男, 湖南省茶陵县人, 副研究员, 博士, 主要从事珊瑚礁地质与环境研究。E-mail: shiqi@scsio.ac.cn
  • Supported by:

    海洋公益性行业科研专项(200705026); 国家自然科学基金项目(40830852、41025007、40906043); 国家重点基础研究发展计划项目(2007CB815905); ?中国科学院知识创新工程重要方向项目(KZCX2-YW-318)

Abstract:

A method of successive image quadrat has characteristics of high spatial resolution, comparing with a conventional method of line intercept transect. This study investigated stony coral covers of five transects perpendicular to the coastline and two transects parallel to the coastline over the reef slope of Yongxing Island, one of the Xisha Islands, in July 2008 using the successive image quadrat method. The results reveal an evident spatial difference of cover rate of the reef slope, which was distributed widely with high cover rates along the transects over the northern, northwestern, and eastern slopes and scattered rarely with low cover rates along the transects over the western and southwestern slopes. Along the transects over the northern, northwestern, and eastern slopes corals reduced obviously along the slopes, showing relatively high abundance with high cover rate in the areas of upper slopes over 30?50 m and shallower than 5?6 m and less abundance with low cover rate in the areas of lower slope below 50 m and deeper than 6 m. Moreover, coral bleaching caused by Acanthaster planci and coral black disease caused by Terpios hoshinota were found along the transects of the northern and northwestern slopes, which reduced the coral cover rates by a certain amount. The decline of coral cover and formation of spatial variation pattern on Yongxing Island are related primarily to the increasing human impact and the excessive exploitation of the reef.

Key words: coral cover, stony coral, bleaching, black disease, Yongxing Island