Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-21T13:51:21.509Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Species composition and distribution of Alcyonacea (Octocorallia) in the northern Persian Gulf

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2021

Shemshad Shahbazi Open the ORCID record for Shemshad Shahbazi [Opens in a new window] ,
Nasrin Sakhaei Open the ORCID record for Nasrin Sakhaei [Opens in a new window] ,
Hossein Zolgharnein  and
Catherine S. McFadden
Shemshad Shahbazi
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Biology, Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, Khorramshahr, Iran
Nasrin Sakhaei*
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Biology, Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, Khorramshahr, Iran
Hossein Zolgharnein
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Biology, Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, Khorramshahr, Iran
Catherine S. McFadden
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Nasrin Sakhaei, E-mail: sakhaei@kmsu.ac.ir
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Studies concerning octocoral species from the Persian Gulf coral reefs are few. This study documents the diversity and abundance of octocoral communities from three islands in the north Persian Gulf, namely, Larak Island, Hengam Island and Qeshm Island. Belt transects were used to survey the octocoral communities at these islands. We used a rapid ecological assessment technique (REA) to assess the status and abundance of octocorals. Also, K Independent sample analysis was conducted on abundance and Shannon Diversity index data to determine if octocoral abundance and species diversity varied between islands. A total of 22 morphospecies, belonging to seven alcyonacean families, including Plexauridae, Ellisellidae, Alcyoniidae, Nephtheidae, Briareidae, Acanthogorgiidae and Subergorgiidae, were identified in this study. Statistical analysis indicated octocoral abundance and diversity at Larak Island reefs were higher than those around Hengam and Qeshm islands. The primary data presented in this study could serve as the baseline data for long-term biomonitoring programmes to estimate the status of octocorals in the Persian Gulf.

Keywords

Biodiversitycoral reefsecologygorgonianssoft coral communities
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 101 , Issue 3 , May 2021 , pp. 535 - 543
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Augustin, L, Barbante, C, Barnes, PRF, Barnola, JM, Bigler, M, Castellano, E, Cattani, O, Chappellaz, J, DahlJensen, D and Delmonte, B (2004) Eight glacial cycles from an Antarctic ice core. Nature 429, 623–628.Google ScholarPubMed
Bauman, AG, Feary, DA, Heron, SF, Pratchett, MS and Burt, JA (2013) Multiple environmental factors influence the spatial distribution and structure of reef communities in the northeastern Arabian Peninsula. Marine Pollution Bulletin 72, 302–312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bayer, FM (1961) The shallow-water Octocorallia of the West Indian region. Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands 12, 1–373.Google Scholar
Bayer, FM (1981) Key to the genera of Octocorallia exclusive of Pennatulacea (Coelenterata: Anthozoa), with diagnosis of new taxa. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 94, 902–947.Google Scholar
Bayer, FM and Grasshoff, M (1994) The genus group taxa of the family Ellisellidae, with clarification of the genera established by JE Gray (Cnidaria; Octocorallia). Senckenbergiana Biologica 74, 21–45.Google Scholar
Benayahu, Y (1985) Faunistic composition and patterns in the distribution of soft corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) along the coral reefs of Sinai Peninsula. Proceedings of the 5th International Coral Reef Congress 6, 255–260.Google Scholar
Benayahu, Y (1990) Xeniidae (Cnidaria: Octocorallia)from the Red Sea with description of a new species. Zoologische Mededelingen 64, 113–120.Google Scholar
Benayahu, Y (2002) Soft corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) of the southern Ryukyu Archipelago: the families Tubiporidae, Clavulariidae. Alcyoniidae and Briareidae Galaxea. Journal of the Japanese Reef Society 4, 11–32.Google Scholar
Bilewitch, JP, Ekins, M, Hooper, J and Degnan, SM (2014) Molecular and morphological systematics of the Ellisellidae (Coelenterata: Octocorallia): parallel evolution in a globally distributed family of octocorals. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 73, 106–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cairns, SD (2007) Studies on western Atlantic Octocorallia (Gorgonacea: Ellisellidae). Part 7: The genera Riisea Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860 and Nicella Gray, 1870. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 120, 1–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clarke, KR (1993) Non-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure. Australian Journal of Ecology 18, 117–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clarke, K and Green, R (1988) Statistical design and analysis for a'biological effects’ study. Marine Ecology Progress Series 46, 213–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coles, SL (2003) Coral species diversity and environmental factors in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman: a comparison to the Indo-Pacific region. Atoll Research Bulletin 507, 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coles, SL and Fadlallah, YH (1991) Reef coral survival and mortality at low temperatures in the Arabian Gulf: new species-specific lower temperature limits. Coral Reefs 9, 231–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darvishi, M, Moradinasab, M, Hosseini, SJ, Mohammadnia, R, Aminikhoei, Z, Nasri, S and Nabipour, I (2018) Molecular identification of shallow water zoanthids in the coast of Bushehr – Persian Gulf. Iranian South Medical Journal 21, 147–161.Google Scholar
English, S, Wilkinson, C and Baker, V (1994) Survey Manual for Tropical Marine Resource. ASEAN-Australia Marine Science Project: Living Coastal Resource. Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science. 368 pp.Google Scholar
Fabricius, K and Alderslade, P (2001) Soft Corals and Sea Fans: A Comprehensive Guide to the Tropical Shallow Water Genera of the Central-West Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science.Google Scholar
Fabricius, K and De'ath, G (2001) Environmental factors associated with the spatial distribution of crustose coralline algae on the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 19, 303–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fabricius, K, Alderslade, P, Williams, G, Colin, P and Golbuu, Y (2007) Octocorallia in Palau, Micronesia: effects of biogeography and coastal influences on local and regional biodiversity. In Kayanne H, Omori M, Fabricius K, Verheij E, Colin P, Golbuu Y and Yurihira H (eds), Coral Reefs of Palau. Palau: Palau International Coral Reef Centre, pp. 79–92.Google Scholar
Gohar, HAF (1948) A description and some biological studies of a new alcyonarian species Clavularia hamra. Publications of the Marine Biological Station, Ghardaqa (Red Sea) 6, 3–33.Google Scholar
Grasshoff, M (2000) The gorgonians of the Sinai Coast and the Strait of Gubal, Red Sea (Coelanterata, Ostocorallia). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 224, 1–125.Google Scholar
Hansson, M, Hoffmann, G, Hutterli, MA, Huybrechts, P, Isaksson, E, Johnsen, S, Jouzel, J, Kaczmarska, M, Karlin, T and Kaufmann, P (2006) One-to-one coupling of glacial climate variability in Greenland and Antarctica. Nature 444, 195–198.Google Scholar
Hiles, IL (1899) The Gorgonacea Collected by Dr Willey. Zoological Results Based on Material from New Britain, New Guinea, Loyalty Islands and Elsewhere Collected During the Years 1895, 1896 and 1897, by Arthur Willey, part 2. Cambridge, pp. 195–206.Google Scholar
Hoegh-Guldberg, O (2011) Coral reef ecosystems and anthropogenic climate change. Regional Environmental Change 11, 215–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hutcheson, K (1970) A test for comparing Shannon–Wiener diversity indices. Journal of Theoretical Biology 29, 151–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IPCC (2007) Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kavousi, J, Seyfabadi, J, Rezai, H and Fenner, D (2011) Coral reefs and communities of Qeshm Island, the Persian Gulf. Zoological Studies 50, 276–283.Google Scholar
Kavousi, J, Tavakoli-Kolour, P, Mohammadizadeh, M, Bahrami, A and Barkhordari, A (2014) Mass coral bleaching in the northern Persian Gulf, 2012. Scientia Marina 78, 397–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koupaei, AN, Mostafavi, PG, Mehrabadi, JF and Fatemi, SMR (2014) Molecular diversity of coral reef-associated zoanthids off Qeshm Island, northern Persian Gulf. International Aquatic Research 6, 64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koupaei, AN, Mostafavi, PG, Mehrabadi, JF, Fatemi, SMR and Dehghani, H (2016) Diversity of shallow water zoantharians in Hengam and Larak Islands, in the Persian Gulf. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 96, 1145–1155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumar, Y, Raghunathan, JS, Raghuraman, R, Sreeraj, CR and Venkataraman, K (2014) Gorgonians (Octocorallia) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India.Google Scholar
Lasker, HR and Coffroth, MA (1983) Octocoral distributions at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. Marine Ecology Progress Series 13, 21–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lopez-Gonzalez, PJ (2006) A new gorgonian genus from deep-sea Antarctic waters (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea, Plexauridae). Helgoland Marine Research 60, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McFadden, CS, van Ofwegen, LP, Beckman, EJ, Benayahu, Y and Alderslade, P (2009) Molecular systematics of the speciose Indo-Pacific soft coral genus, Sinularia (Anthozoa: Octocorallia). Invertebrate Biology 128, 303–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohammadizadeh, M, Tavakoli-Kolour, P and Rezai, H (2013) Coral reefs and community around Larak Island (Persian Gulf). Caspian Journal of Applied Science Research 4, 85–92.Google Scholar
Pallas, PS (1766) Elenchus zoophytorum sistens generum adumbrationes generaliores et specierum cognitarum succinctas descriptiones cum selectis auctorum synonymis. Hagae Comitum, 28, 1–451.Google Scholar
Pérez, CD, de Moura Neves, B, Cordeiro, RT, Williams, GC and Cairns, SD (2016) Diversity and distribution of Octocorallia. In Goffredo S and Dubinsky Z (eds), The Cnidaria: Past, Present and Future. Cham: Springer, pp. 109–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pous, S, Carton, X and Lazure, P (2004) Hydrology and circulation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman – results from the GOGP99 experiment: 1. Strait of Hormuz. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 109. https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JC002146.Google Scholar
Rezai, H (1996) Observation of some corals in shallow waters of several remote Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf. Abzeeyan Monthly Magazine 7, 4–10.Google Scholar
Rezai, H and Savari, A (2004) Observation on reef fishes in the coastal waters off some Iranian Islands in the Persian Gulf. Zoology in the Middle East 31, 67–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rezai, H, Wilson, S, Claereboudt, M and Riegl, B (2004) Coral reef status in the ROPME sea area: Arabian/Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. Status of Coral Reefs of the World 1, 155–170.Google Scholar
Rezai, H, Samimi, K, Kabiri, K, Kamrani, E, Jalili, M and Mokhtari, M (2010) Distribution and abundance of the corals around Hengam and Farurgan islands, the Persian Gulf. Journal of the Persian Gulf 1, 7–16.Google Scholar
Ricklefs, RE (2004) A comprehensive framework for global patterns in biodiversity. Ecology Letters 7, 1–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riegl, BM and Purkis, SJ (2012) Coral reefs of the Gulf: adaptation to climatic extremes in the world's hottest sea. In Riegl BM and Purkis SJ (eds), Coral Reefs of the Gulf. Cham: Springer, pp. 1–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salimi, PA, Mostafavi, PG, Chen, CA, Fatemi, SMR and Pichon, M (2018) The Scleractinia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) of Abu-Musa and Sirri Islands, Persian Gulf. Zoological Studies 57.Google ScholarPubMed
Samiei, JV, Dab, K, Ghezellou, P and Shirvani, A (2013) Some scleractinian corals (Scleractinia: Anthozoa) of Larak Island, Persian Gulf. Zootaxa 3636, 101–143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Samimi-Namin, K and van Ofwegen, L (2009) Some shallow water octocorals (Coelenterata: Anthozoa) of the Persian Gulf. Zootaxa 2058, 1–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samimi-Namin, K and van Ofwegen, L (2012) The octocoral fauna of the Gulf. In Riegl BM and Purkis SJ (eds), Coral Reefs of the Gulf. Cham: Springer, pp. 225–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seah, JZS, Yap, NWL, Tan, LT and Goh, BPL (2015) Distribution and abundance of octocoral (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea) communities at three southern islands of Singapore. Ocean Science Journal 50, 299–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shahbazi, S, Sakhaei, N, Zolgharnein, H and McFadden, CS (2019) First record of Viminella sp. (Anthozoa: Alcyonacea: Ellisellidae) in the Persian Gulf. Biodiversity Data Journal 7, e33089.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shahbazi, S, Sakhaei, N, Zolgharnein, H and McFadden, CS (2021) A molecular systematic survey of the Iranian Persian Gulf octocorals (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea). Marine Biodiversity 51, 1–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheppard, C and Sheppard, A (1991) Corals and Coral Communities of Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia. Basel: Natural History Museum. 170 pp.Google Scholar
Thomson, JA and Simpson, JJ (1909) An Account of the Alcyonarians Collected by the Royal Indian Marine Survey Ship Investigator in the Indian Ocean; with a Report on the Species of Dendronephthya by W.D. Henderson. II. The Alcyonarians of the Littoral Area. Calcutta: The Indian Museum.Google Scholar
Tixier-Durivault, A (1945) Les alcyonaires du Muséum: I. Famille des Alcyoniidae. II. Genre Sinularia. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Paris 2: 17, 1: 55–63, 2: 145–152, 3: 243–250, 4: 321–325.Google Scholar
Walther, GR, Post, E, Convey, P, Menzel, A, Parmesan, C, Beebee, TJ, Fromentin, JM, Hoegh-Guldberg, O and Bairlein, F (2002) Ecological responses to recent climate change. Nature 416, 389–395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, G and Chen, J (2011) Illustrated key to the shallow-water gorgonians and pennatulaceans of the Verde Island Passage, northern Philippines, including synopses of the taxa and a glossary of terms (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Octocorallia). In Williams, G and Gosliner, T (eds), The Coral Triangle: The 2011 Hearst Philippine Biodiversity Expedition. San Francisco, CA: California Academy of Sciences, pp. 67–128.Google Scholar
Williams, GC and Cairns, SD (2013) Biodiversity myth busters, Octocoral Research Center. Available at http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/izg/Biodiversity%20Myth%20Busters%202.html (Accessed 3 May 2020).Google Scholar