Changes in the composition and structure of coral communities of Mju and Moon islands, Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea

Russian Journal of Marine Biology - Tập 32 - Trang 269-275 - 2006
Yu. Ya. Latypov1
1Institute of Marine Biology, Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia

Tóm tắt

In October 2003 and January 2005, comparative observations were made on the reefs of Mju and Moon islands near the city and port of Nha Trang, which we first investigated in 1981. Appreciable changes due to anthropogenic impact have occurred on the reefs that are the nearest to the city. There was a reduction in substrate cover by reef-building corals, a substitution of dominant scleractinian species, and a decrease in the numbers and diversity of common species of corallobionts. The index of species diversity for scleractinians also decreased. The seaweeds Chnoospora and Halimeda spread into all zones of the reefs. Changes in coral communities on more distant and protected reefs were not so marked.

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