Reef foraminifera as bioindicators of coral reef health in southern South China Sea

Abstract

Pulau Tioman is a famous tourist island off Peninsular Malaysia with beautiful coral reefs. This study aims to assess the health of the coral reefs surrounding Pulau Tioman based on the application of the Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring Index (FI). Ten sampling sites around Pulau Tioman were studied with a total of 30 samples. Eight orders, 41 families, 80 genera, and 161 species of benthic foraminifera were identified. The agglutinated type of foraminifera constituted 2–8% of the total assemblages. Calcareous hyaline and porcelaneous groups represented 79% and 19% of the total assemblages, respectively. Symbiont-bearing taxa were the most common foraminifera. The results indicate that most of the sampling sites are conducive for coral reef growth with good recoverability from future stress to the ecosystem. However, several areas with higher coastal development and tourism have reduced water and sediment quality. Therefore, the limit on the number of visitors and tourists should be revised to enable coral growth and health. The FI values in this study showed a positive correlation with good water qualities and a negative correlation with organic matter enrichment. The FI is a good measure to assess the health of a coral reef and can be applied to other reef ecosystems around Malaysia.

Sub-surface foraminifera distribution and preservation in short core samples from the Strait of Malacca

“…With 26 major rivers draining into the straits, the depositional environment along the straits is mostly alluvial deposits with sandy patches in a few areas (Thia-Eng et al, 2000). The distribution of foraminifera from marginal environments along the Strait of Malacca has environment and has been commonly used in marine monitoring (Frontalini & Coccioni, 2011;Dimiza et al, 2016;A'ziz et al, 2021).…”

Benthic foraminifera as environmental indicators in the lagoon and mangrove environments of Langkawi, Malaysia

“…The sensitivity shown by selected taxa has proven useful in determining the source of pollution (e.g., chemical or organic) 13 . In addition, the development of several indices, such as the Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring Index and Foraminifera Stress Index, has allowed the comparison of monitored environments between regions 14,15,16,17,18,19 . Furthermore, foraminiferal tests are readily preserved in fossil records and can be used to examine environmental changes over time.…”

Identification of coral reef cover and invertebrate diversity in Pahawang Island Lampung Indonesia

“…There are 85,707 km 2 of coral reefs spread throughout the Indonesian archipelago subverting 14% of the world's existing coral reefs 10 . Lampung is one of the provinces in Indonesia that provides the charm of the beauty of coral reefs as a tourist destination 11 . The large number of small islands surrounding the Lampung province has caused Lampung's status to become coastal and coastal ecotourism.…”

“…Most of the corals have experienced bleaching which suggests that the corals are not in healthy condition. Species diversity shows that eleven (11) species reside in the Pahawang Island coral reef. The Shanon-Wiener diversity index value (H') 1.87 is categorized at the medium level.…”