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Spatial variation in the benthic community composition of coral reefs in the Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia: updated baselines and limited benthic community shifts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 December 2019

Joseph Marlow ,
Abdul Haris ,
Jamal Jompa ,
Shinta Werorilangi ,
Tracey Bates ,
Holly Bennett  and
James J. Bell Open the ORCID record for James J. Bell [Opens in a new window]
Joseph Marlow
Affiliation:
Victoria University of Wellington, School of Biological Sciences, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, CambridgeCB3 0ET, UK
Abdul Haris
Affiliation:
Research and Development Centre on Marine, Coastal and Small Islands, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia
Jamal Jompa
Affiliation:
Research and Development Centre on Marine, Coastal and Small Islands, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia
Shinta Werorilangi
Affiliation:
Research and Development Centre on Marine, Coastal and Small Islands, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia
Tracey Bates
Affiliation:
Victoria University of Wellington, School of Biological Sciences, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, Charles Fergusson Building, 34–38 Bowen St, Pipitea, Wellington6011, New Zealand
Holly Bennett
Affiliation:
Victoria University of Wellington, School of Biological Sciences, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand Cawthron Institute, 98 Halifax St East, The Wood, Nelson, 7010, New Zealand
James J. Bell*
Affiliation:
Victoria University of Wellington, School of Biological Sciences, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand
*
Author for correspondence: James Bell, E-mail: james.bell@vuw.ac.nz
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Abstract

Coral reefs have experienced extensive degradation across the world over the last 50 years as a result of a variety of stressors operating at a range of spatial and temporal scales. In order to assess whether declines are continuing, or if reefs are recovering, detailed baseline information is required from across wide spatial scales. Unfortunately, for some regions this information is not readily available, making future reef trajectories difficult to determine. Here we characterized the current benthic community state for coral reefs in the Wakatobi region of Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse marine regions in the world. We surveyed 10 reef sites (5, 10 and 15 m depth) to explore spatial variation in coral reef benthic communities and provide a detailed baseline. Previous data (2002–2011) were available for coral, sponges, algae and soft coral at six of our study sites. Using this information, we determined if any changes had occurred in dominance of these benthic groups. We found that benthic assemblage composition differed significantly over relatively small spatial scales (2–10 km) and hard coral cover was highly variable, ranging from 7–48% (average 19.5% ± 1.5 SE). While coral cover appears to have declined at all sites where data were available since 2002, we found little evidence for widespread increases in other benthic groups or regime shifts. Our study provides a comprehensive baseline dataset for the region that can be used in the future to determine rates of change in benthic communities.

Keywords

Baselinebenthic communitycoral reefmonitoringWakatobi Marine National Park
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 100 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 37 - 44
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2019

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