Biogeographic variation in coral species diversity on coral reefs in three regions of Indonesia

Abstract

. This paper assesses variation in coral species diversity within the Indonesian archipelago, and the influence of regional species pools, geomorphology and anthropogenic pollution on coral species diversity and occurrence. We obtained transects from 33 sites on 14 reefs in three regions of Indonesia: Ambon (Moluccas), South Sulawesi and the Java Sea. We determined the within‐site species richness by using species‐sampling curves. Cluster analysis and multi‐dimensional scaling showed that land‐based pollution was the primary determinant of coral species diversity and species occurrence on reefs. Relatively unaffected reference sites in eastern Indonesia were approximately 20% more diverse than Java Sea reference sites. Rare species formed a higher proportion of the coral fauna on eastern Indonesian sites, and eastern Indonesian apparent endemic species contributed approximately 25% of the total species pool sampled. Between‐site variation in species occurrence was lower on Java Sea reefs than on eastern Indonesian reefs. A larger species pool in eastern Indonesia than in the Java Sea probably accounted for most of the difference in within‐site species diversity between eastern Indonesian and Java Sea reference sites. High fishing intensity in the Java Sea, including destructive fishing practices, may have also contributed to reduced within‐site species diversity on Java Sea reference reefs. Despite the fact that the Java Sea was exposed during Pleistocene lowstands, and was recolonized by marine organisms only within the last 10 000 years, coral species diversity and assemblage composition on the Java Sea reefs was largely similar to open ocean reefs in eastern Indonesia.

Contrasting Responses in the Niches of Two Coral Reef Herbivores Along a Gradient of Habitat Disturbance in the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia

“…Our results agree with previous studies in the Spermonde Archipelago (Edinger et al, 1998(Edinger et al, , 2000Sawall et al, 2012;Plass-Johnson et al, 2015a, 2016a, where the three sites closer to shore were characterized by low coral cover, higher rubble and higher abundances of turf algae. Cross-shelf variation in these benthic components are related to isotopic metrics of the parrotfish, Chlorurus bleekeri.…”

Spatio-Temporal Patterns in Coral Reef Communities of the Spermonde Archipelago, 2012–2014, I: Comprehensive Reef Monitoring of Water and Benthic Indicators Reflect Changes in Reef Health

“…Finally, offshore islands (>27 km) are rarely exposed to high levels of terrestrial effluents from the mainland. Benthic communities, sponges, and corals have shown strong on-to-offshore patterns in diversity (Edinger et al, 2000a;Cleary et al, 2005;Becking et al, 2006;de Voogd et al, 2006). Local island human populations rely heavily on nearby coral reefs (Ferse et al, 2014).…”

Evaluation of Coremap Phase 2 in the Eastern Indonesia Based on the Changes in Coral Coverage

“…Unfortunately, they are vulnerable to human-induced stress. Degradation of coral reefs in Indonesia is mainly caused by sedimentation, land-based pollution (such as industrialization and domestic waste disposal), coral mining, physical damage, overfishing and the use of destructive fishing practices, such as explosives and poison fishing (Ongkosongo and Sukarno, 1986;Erdmann, 1995;Cesar, 1996;Edinger et al, 1998;Edinger et al, 2000). Therefore, coral reefs need to be effectively managed in an integrated manner.…”