Coral communities of the Gneering Shoals and Mudjimba Island, south-eastern Queensland

1995 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
SA Banks ◽  
VJ Harriott
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Rocky Reef ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Physical Attributes ◽  
Community Types

The Gneering Shoals and Mudjimba Island are coastal rocky-reef communities approximately 250 km south of the Great Barrier Reef. Ten sites from 700 m to 12 km offshore were investigated with the use of video-transects to determine percentage cover of benthic organisms. The marine benthic communities were dominated by hard corals, soft corals and turf algae. Three community types were identified: (1) offshore communities, (2) island-associated communities, and (3) a nearshore algae-dominated community. Inshore sites were dominated by flat encrusting hard corals, whereas offshore sites were dominated by foliose and plating hard corals, particularly Acropora solitaryensis and Turbinaria spp. There was a notable scarcity of branching species, particularly from the Family Acroporidae. Seventy-seven species of scleractinian coral, representing 30 genera in 11 families, have been recorded from the Gneering Shoals region. The Gneering Shoals had low coral species richness relative to the southern Great Barrier Reef (244 species) and Flinders Reef, 50 km to the south-east (118 species). Possible explanations for the relatively low coral species richness in the Gneering Shoals region include the physical attributes of the site and the hypothesized failure of the East Australian Current to be a major influence on the region.

Ecological and conservation significance of the subtidal rocky reef communities of northern New South Wales, Australia

1999 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki J. Harriott ◽  
Simon A. Banks ◽  
Roland L. Mau ◽  
Darren Richardson ◽  
Lisa G. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Rocky Reef ◽  
Ecological Significance ◽  
Cook Island ◽  
Reef Communities ◽  
A Chain

The subtropical rocky reefs of Cook Island, Julian Rocks and the South West Rocks area form part of a chain of islands and reefs with significant coral cover from the Queensland border (28˚S) to the southern extent of extensive coral communities in coastal Australia (31˚S). Benthic communities at 18 subtidal sites at the three localities were surveyed quantitatively by video-transects, and coral species lists were compiled. Twenty-eight coral species previously unrecorded for these localities were identified, increasing the species richness of hermatypic corals reported for the northern NSW region (excluding the Solitary Islands) from 14 to 43. Coral species richness declined with latitude. Benthic communities were generally dominated by turfing and macroalgal species, with Pyura, sponges, and barnacles locally abundant. Scleractinian coral cover ranged from 0% to 42.6% per site, with highest coral cover at the most southern site. Julian Rocks is a designated Aquatic Reserve, and Marine Parks have been suggested for all three localities. Selection of Marine Protected Areas requires information on their ecological significance. These surveys report the first quantitative information on the shallow- water, rocky-reef communities in the region, which is a vital step in assessing their ecological significance.

scholarly journals Cross-Shelf Variation Among Juvenile and Adult Coral Assemblages on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle J. Jonker ◽  
Angus A. Thompson ◽  
Patricia Menéndez ◽  
Kate Osborne
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Outer Shelf ◽  
Lower Latitude ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Hard Coral ◽  
Coral Abundance ◽  
The Status ◽  
Community Types

Coral reefs are under increasing pressure from a variety of stressors, highlighting the need for information about the status of coral reef communities including the distribution, abundance and composition of juvenile and adult coral assemblages. This information is currently limited for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and is necessary for understanding the impacts of disturbances and the system’s potential for recovery. This study reports juvenile and adult hard coral abundance and composition from 122 reefs on the GBR during a period of limited acute disturbance. The data represent baseline observations for juvenile hard coral assemblages spanning the longitudinal cross-shelf gradient of the GBR and 12 degrees of latitude and augment reported distribution of adult coral assemblages over the same scale with inclusion of additional reefs. Juvenile and adult coral assemblages reflected broad differences imposed by the gradient of environmental conditions across the GBR. The mean density of juvenile hard corals was lower in the inshore reefs (5.51 m2) than at either the mid-shelf (11.8 m2) or outer shelf reefs (11.2 m2). The composition of juvenile and adult coral assemblages covaried overall, although there were different relationships between these two life stages across the continental shelf and among community types. Dissimilarity between juvenile and adult coral assemblages was greater on inshore and outer shelf reefs than on reefs in the mid-shelf, although, there were differences in community types both within these shelf positions and those that spanned mid- and outer shelf reefs. Dissimilarity was greatest for Inshore branching Acropora and high for Southern Acropora communities, although very high coral cover and very low juvenile densities at these reefs precluded interpretation beyond the clear competitive dominance of Acropora on those reefs. Dissimilarity was also high between juvenile and adult coral assemblages of Turbid inshore communities suggesting water quality pressures, along with synergistic effects of other stressors, pose ongoing selective pressures beyond the juvenile stage. Conversely, relatively low dissimilarity between juvenile and adult coral assemblages on mid-shelf and lower latitude outer shelf reefs suggests pressures beyond those influencing settlement and early post-settlement survival were having less influence on the composition of adult coral assemblages.

Species richness and community structure of reef-building corals on the nearshore Great Barrier Reef

Coral Reefs ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. DeVantier ◽  
G. De’ath ◽  
E. Turak ◽  
T. J. Done ◽  
K. E. Fabricius
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Barrier Reef

Plankton of the central Great Barrier Reef: abundance, production and trophodynamic roles

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 1173-1187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu.I. Sorokin ◽  
P.Yu. Sorokin
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Phytoplankton Biomass ◽  
Trophic Status ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Pelagic Ecosystem ◽  
Estuarine Area ◽  
Mesozooplankton Biomass ◽  
Zooplankton Density ◽  
Plankton Production

The abundance, composition and metabolic activity of plankton were assessed in the Tribulation zone of the central Great Barrier Reef (16°–17°S). Wet phytoplankton biomass ranged in shallow reef waters from 30 to 70 mg m−3, and from 60 to 270 mg m−3in the deep lagoon and in the estuarine areas which are dominated by pico- and nano-algae. Wet bacterioplankton biomass varied from 70 to 290 mg m−3. Wet meroplankton biomass was less than 10 mg m−3. Wet daytime mesozooplankton biomass ranged from 100 to 300 mg m−3in the deep lagoon. In the estuarine area, it reached 400 to 1300 mg m−3and in the shallow inner lagoon of the Low Isles ring reef it varied from 10 to 30 mg m−3. Zooplankton density increased at night and was 3 to 5 fold greater in the deep lagoon, for about 2 orders of magnitude greater over the reef shallows and up to 3 orders of magnitude greater in mangrove habitats, due to the emergence of demersal components from the benthos. The biomass of zooplankton hidden in the benthic substrates during the day reached 10 to 40 g m−2. Pelagic primary production in the deep lagoon varied between 0.2 and 0.5 g C m−2 d−1. A calculation of the energy balance suggests that the basic energy source for heterotrophic plankton production in the deep lagoon is the organic matter exported from surrounding reef benthic communities and from mangroves. The trophic status of coral reef pelagic ecosystem might range from mesotrophic to eutrophic.

scholarly journals Effects of Cyclone 'Joy' on nearshore coral communities of the Great Barrier Reef

1995 ◽  
Vol 128 ◽  
pp. 261-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Van Woesik ◽  
LM De Vantier ◽  
JS Glazebrook
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Coral Communities

scholarly journals High survival following bleaching highlights the resilience of a highly disturbed region of the Great Barrier Reef

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathie A Page ◽  
Christine Giuliano ◽  
Line K Bay ◽  
Carly J Randall
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Heat Exposure ◽  
High Survival ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Recovery Potential ◽  
Coral Communities ◽  
Degree Heating Weeks ◽  
High Turbidity ◽  
Exposure Metrics

Natural bleaching events provide an opportunity to examine how local scale environmental variation influences bleaching severity and recovery. During the 2020 marine heatwave, we documented widespread and severe coral bleaching (75 – 98% of coral cover) throughout the Keppel Islands in the Southern inshore Great Barrier Reef. Acropora, Pocillopora and Porites were the most severely affected genera, while Montipora was comparatively less susceptible. Site-specific heat-exposure metrics were not correlated with Acropora bleaching severity, but recovery was faster at sites that experienced lower heat exposure. Despite severe bleaching and exposure to accumulated heat that often results in coral mortality (degree heating weeks ~ 4 – 8), cover remained stable. Approximately 94% of fate-tracked Acropora millepora colonies survived, perhaps owing to reduced irradiance stress from high turbidity, heterotrophic feeding, and large tidal flows that can increase mass transfer. Severe bleaching followed by rapid recovery, and the continuing dominance of Acropora populations in the Keppel Islands is indicative of high resilience. These coral communities have survived an 0.8 °C increase in average temperatures over the last 150 years. However, recovery following the 2020 bleaching was driven by the easing of thermal stress, which may challenge their recovery potential under further warming.

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