Zoantharian abundance in coral reef benthic communities at Terengganu Islands, Malaysia
Introduction
Zooxanthellate zoantharians (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) are an order of globally distributed marine organisms. The most common genera are Zoanthus and Palythoa, which are found in shallow tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans (Reimer et al., 2008, Reimer et al., 2015, Cruz et al., 2016). Quantitative studies of the distribution of Zoanthus and Palythoa mostly focused on shallow warm temperate and subtropical coral reefs and rocky shores of the Caribbean (Sebens, 1982, Karlson, 1988, Belford and Phillip, 2012), Brazil (Cruz et al., 2016), and Japan (Irei et al., 2011). However, despite being an important part of many coral reef ecosystems, only limited studies have been performed in the biodiversity rich Southeast Asia and Central Indo-Pacific (CIP) regions (Wee et al., 2015, Reimer et al., 2014, Reimer et al., 2015).
Previous studies have shown that many Zoanthus and Palythoa species survive better in shallow waters with some physical disturbances (i.e. waves and currents), such as reef crests, shallow reefs, and intertidal areas (Cooke, 1976, Belford and Phillip, 2011, Irei et al., 2011, Reimer et al., 2011). Furthermore, zoantharians have been reported to be dominant in physically harsh and degraded environments where it may be hard for other benthic organisms to survive (Kumari et al., 2015, Cruz et al., 2016). This dominance is often from a single species and has been designated as the ‘zoantharian zone’ (Karlson, 1983, Cruz et al., 2014, Kumari et al., 2015). Even though coral reef resilience and degradation research has been long established (e.g. Colgan, 1987, Diaz-Pulido et al., 2009, Golbuu, 2007, van Woesik, 2011), there have only been limited studies examining the role of zoantharians in this process (e.g. Yang et al., 2013; Cruz et al., 2014), and more research is needed to fully understand the role they play in coral reef ecosystems.
Malaysia is located at the edge of the Coral Triangle (Hoeksema, 2007, Veron et al., 2009, Tan and Heron, 2011). Monitoring of coral reefs in this region is common due to their value in the eco-tourism industry (Hyde et al., 2013; Mohamad and Nik, 2014; Waheed et al., 2015). Recently, Wee et al. (2015) quantitatively documented the presence of large numbers of zoantharians in shallow Malaysian reefs. However, no research has yet shown how increases in zoantharian abundance affect the composition of reef benthos
In this study, the distribution and abundance of Zoanthus and Palythoa spp. were surveyed from 2013 to 2014 at two islands in Malaysia: Pulau Redang and Pulau Bidong in Terengganu State. Reefs surrounding the two islands have experienced notably different levels of human impacts. Pulau Redang is a tourist destination due to its diverse coral reefs and turtle nesting sites, while Pulau Bidong has been uninhabited since the departure of Vietnamese refugees in the late 1980s (Fisher et al., 2008, Grismer et al., 2014). Previous studies (Reimer et al., 2015, Wee et al., 2015) have documented zoantharians on the reefs of both islands, especially in shallow waters (<6 m). Here, in order to determine the extent of zoantharian cover (abundance), we surveyed reefs around both islands for two years (2013 and 2014) at selected reef sites utilizing the Coral Video Transect method (Safuan et al., 2015).
Section snippets
Survey sites
This study was carried out at two islands, Pulau Redang and Pulau Bidong (Fig. 1). Surveys were conducted approximately one year apart, in July 2013 and September 2014. A total of nine survey sites were visited in 2013 survey on the islands, with six located on Pulau Redang, and three on Pulau Bidong (Supplement 1). The number of sites in 2014 survey was reduced to only six due to logistical restraints, with four located on Pulau Redang, and two on Pulau Bidong. Additionally, the site at Pasir
Zoantharian cover
Zoantharian cover greatly varied among the surveyed sites (Table 1), from almost completely absent (0%) to covering more than two-thirds the substrate of the reef (>70%). In 2013, the highest recorded zoantharian cover was at Pulau Karah (72.50 ± 12.66%) followed by Pulau Lima (34.43 ± 23.55%). Zoantharians were the dominant benthic cover at both of these sites. Zoantharians were also present at Pulau Paku (18.69 ± 14.82%), Ekor Tebu (8.85 ± 9.90%), and Terumbu Kili (6.19 ± 6.38%). Low
Discussion
For the first time in Malaysia, we surveyed zoantharian abundance in shallow coral reefs over time. Zoantharian coverage varied widely from almost completely absent to dominant and covering more than two-thirds of the reef (Table 1). At some ‘low coverage’ (<5%) sites, zoantharians were either present with patchy distributions or not present. This may be because zoantharians at low abundance are commonly found growing in hard-to-reach crevices, which makes them relatively cryptic (Reimer
Acknowledgements
This research was conducted in collaboration with the Department of Marine Park Malaysia (DMPM) and Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). All equipment was provided by INOS and DMPM, including funding [grant number VOT T66904] for charter boats for the surveys. Specimen collection and surveys of zoantharians within marine parks adhered to rules and regulations set out by DMPM, and were sanctioned officially by the institute. Special thanks to
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Reef fish assemblages associated to new mat-forming zoantharian communities in the Canary Islands
2022, Marine Environmental ResearchAbundance and distribution pattern of Zoantharians (Cnidaria: Zoanthidea) in intertidal zone of Hormuz Island, the Persian Gulf
2020, Regional Studies in Marine ScienceCitation Excerpt :The community structure and distribution on rocky shores are influenced by a complex interaction between biological interplays and physical restrictions (Little et al., 2010), among which competition for space is the most important biological parameter (Suchanek and Green, 1981; Tanner, 1997). The zoantharians’ coverage has been found to be inversely correlated with the hard corals and algae (Wee et al., 2017), which is in line with some other studies suggesting that zoantharians can prevail over hard corals and become dominant in degraded shallow waters (Cruz et al., 2014; Kumari et al., 2015). Considering the fact that zoantharians have important chemical and bioactive compounds (Behenna et al., 2008), they have been studied globally, especially pertaining to their identification and phylogeny (Sinniger et al., 2005; Philipp and Fautin, 2009; Aguilar and Reimer, 2010; Reimer et al., 2011), reproductive patterns (Ryland, 2000; Ono et al., 2005; Shiroma and Reimer, 2010), disturbance and monopolization of a spatial resource (Karlson, 1983), growth and survivorship of clonal fragments (Karlson, 1988) and their distribution pattern (Reimer et al., 2008; Irei et al., 2011; Kumari et al., 2015; Rabelo et al., 2015).
Effects of tourism-derived sewage on coral reefs: Isotopic assessments identify effective bioindicators
2019, Marine Pollution BulletinCitation Excerpt :Phase shifts driven by low resilience (Scheffer et al., 2001) and anthropogenic nutrient sources have the potential to reduce coral reef resilience (Coles et al., 2018; Teichberg et al., 2018). Assuming zoanthid barrens are a degraded ecosystem state (Amato et al., 2016; Cruz et al., 2016; Wee et al., 2017), the correlations presented here implicate sewage as a potential contributor in the reduced resilience of coral reef ecosystems in Pulau Redang. However, it is important to note that degradation and coral loss is likely caused by the combined stress from physical damage from tourists, boat-use, and sewage nutrient enrichment.