A rapid assessment of Scleractinian and non-Scleractinian coral growth forms along the Saudi Arabian coast, Red Sea

Coral Reef Health Status versus Muricid Bioindicator in the Lakshadweep Archipelago – A Multivariate Approach

“…On the other hand, Pocillopora sp. was reported in other parts of the Red Sea coast (Al-Sofyani et al, 2014). Similarly, it was observed that Pocillopora verrucosa was dominantly chosen as prey by Drupella cornus in the Lakshadweep group of Islands.…”

“…were infested with Drupella cornus at Shingle Island and Vaan Island (Raj et al, 2016). Hence, it can be inferred that there is a close relationship of the Drupella populations between the Lakshadweep Archipelago and the Red Sea (Al-Sofyani et al, 2014) because of similar prey preferences (Pocillopora sp. ).…”

“…Five replicates of a 50-m long flexible underwater tape were laid on the reefs at a depth of (1) 10m on the reef slope and, (2) 3m on the reef flat, nearly parallel to the shore. Video transects were also taken for further analysis and the benthos present under the transition points were recorded using international codes (English et al, 1997;Al-Sofyani et al, 2014;Ravindran et al, 2014). In the distinct community structure of the reef habitat of Lakshadweep Islands, live coral species cover was recorded in all the selected study sites.…”

“…They are under great threat due to natural disturbances (Kumaraguru et al, 2005;Wilson et al, 2005) as well as anthropogenic disturbances (Wilson, 2010). The assessment of the biological indicators of benthic reef habitat is a key factor that helps in understanding the health status of any coral reef ecosystem (Al-Sofyani et al, 2014). The Crown-ofthorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci Linnaeus, 1758) is a major coral predator reported from various coral reef ecosystems.…”

“…Their devastating population outbreaks have posed a great threat to coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific coastal region in the last five decades (Birkeland and Lukas, 1990;Fabricius et al, 2010). Besides the Crown-of-thorns Starfish, zooxanthellae-consuming gastropods are also reported as indicators for assessing the health status of corals in the Red Sea reef ecosystem (Mohamed et al, 2012;Al-Sofyani et al, 2014). Various studies on Drupella cornus Röding 1798 from its original combination (Röding 1798) to the corallivorous capability on Scleractinian corals of various coastal environments were presented through a timeline series (Supplementary Figure 1).…”