Abstract:
Reef monitoring programs can utilize simple effective techniques to collect
abundance and distribution data which can be used to monitor long-term effects
of human-environment interactions on reef benthos. Line and point intercept
and quadrate methods were used to collect data at 2 sites located on the northeastern
coast of Trinidad, West Indies, in the southern Caribbean. The diversity and
abundance of reef-building corals were assessed annually from 2006-2008 for
three intertidal reef flat areas at Toco Bay. Horizontal zones were divided
into upper, intermediate and lower intertidal from the shore and were assessed
at Toco Bay. An additional fourth zone was surveyed at Salybia Bay. Annual live
cnidarian abundance along four randomly selected transects at Toco Bay averaged
55.6% (2006-2008); Zoanthid sp. comprised 40% abundance and the hydrocoral Millepora
alcicornis and the scleractinian corals, Siderastrea radians and
Porites porites the remaining 13.3%. Live abundance at Salybia Bay was
9.4% and included only P. porites (4.4%) and Z. sociatus. Quadrate
data collected at both sites showed cnidarian abundance at Toco Bay (n = 11)
and Salybia Bay (n = 15) to be 47.9% (8.7% scleractinian and 39.2% zoanthids)
and 10.3% (4.5% scleractinian and 5.8% zoanthids), respectively. Coral species
diversity at Toco Bay (Simpson’s index, D = 0.68) was higher than at Salybia
Bay throughout the inner reef flat. This study provides the first quantitative
coral abundance and distribution data effectively using rapid reef-monitoring
assessment methods for Trinidad and provided a quick and simple way to estimate
coral and benthic coverage in both intertidal reef systems.
S. Belford and D. Phillip, 2011. Rapid Assessment of a Coral Reef Community in a Marginal Habitat in the Southern Caribbean: A Simple Way to Know What’s out There. Asian Journal of Biological Sciences, 4: 520-531.
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