Abstract
We determined the spatial pattern of hard coral damage due to corallivory and bioerosion by the sea urchin Diadema setosum Leske in Hong Kong waters. Coral damage was common at the northeastern sites, with 23.7 - 90.3% colonies being either collapsed or severely damaged with >25% tissue loss. Many genera of corals were impacted by the sea urchin but the damage was most obvious for the structure forming genus Platygyra. The percentage of severely damaged and collapsed coral had significant positive correlation with the abundance of D. setosum, which ranged from 0.01 to 5.2 individuals per coral head or 0.1 - 21.1 individuals m-2 across the study sites. Remedial management actions such as sea urchin removal are urgently needed to save these fringing coral communities.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 783-788 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
Volume | 85 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 30 Aug 2014 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- Oceanography
- Aquatic Science
- Pollution
User-Defined Keywords
- Bioerosion
- Coral
- Diadema
- Platygyra
- Predation
- Sea urchin