Repeated physical disturbances and the stability of sub‐tropical coral communities in Hong Kong, China

Abstract

ABSTRACT1. This paper reports on the dynamics of the coral community structure at A Ma Wan (AMW) and A Ye Wan (AYW) in Tung Ping Chau, Hong Kong, focusing on data collected before and after the summer typhoon seasons in 1997 to 1999. This period (1999) experienced the highest frequency of severe tropical cyclones to hit Hong Kong with one cyclone being the strongest to hit in the last 23 years (1984 to 2006).2. This is part of a long-term monitoring programme of subtropical coral communities that has been set up in AMW since May 1997 and AYW since May 1998 with nine fixed position 40 m long transects and 0.5 m  0.5 m permanent quadrats laid at 5 m intervals along each transect. A total of 45 scleractinian coral species from 21 genera (12 families) was recorded, with 40 species in AMW and 32 species in AYW recorded at the beginning of the study.3. Multidimensional scaling ordinations showed distinct spatial variations in the coral communities within and between sites. These variations were probably a result of the differential effects of the repeated cyclone impacts on the communities. Cyphastrea serailia, Goniopora lobata, Montipora peltiformis and Pavona decussata were the dominant species most strongly affected by cyclone impacts at AMW, experiencing a 6.2-16.2% loss of mean area cover during the study period. Some dominant species (e.g. P. decussata) in AYW also experienced a 6.5-14.3% loss of mean area cover within the same period.4. Overall, these coral community structures appeared relatively stable and resistant to repeated physical disturbances. However, they may have low resilience towards more severe disturbances in the future. Preserving the resilience of coral communities/species in Tung Ping Chau should be one of the main goals of coral conservation strategies for the island.

Structures, dynamics and stability of reef fish assemblages in non‐reefal coral communities in Hong Kong, China

“…We document here the monitoring results of the reef fish communities obtained between 1998 and 1999, which corresponded with the period of the highest frequency of storms that visited Hong Kong in the last 23 years . Results on coral monitoring are presented in Tam and Ang (2008) and are further correlated with the fish monitoring results. Results reported here represent the first detailed analysis of the spatial and temporal patterns of the reef fish dynamics in Hong Kong and one of only a few on non-reefal coral communities.…”

“…The reef fish communities of Tung Ping Chau, an island that has escaped the serious impact of marine pollution occurring in other coastal environments of Hong Kong, were selected for this study with the above objectives in mind. Two long-term study sites around the island, A Ma Wan (AMW) and A Ye Wan (AYW), were established to monitor changes in their reef fish community structure as well as their coral community structure (Tam and Ang, 2008). This ongoing fish monitoring programme started in January 1998 and is currently in its 10th year.…”

“…Results reported here represent the first detailed analysis of the spatial and temporal patterns of the reef fish dynamics in Hong Kong and one of only a few on non-reefal coral communities. These results, together with the related information on the coral communities (Tam and Ang, 2008), formed the basis for developing the conservation strategies to protect the reef fish and coral communities of Tung Ping Chau Marine Park (TPC), set up in November 2001. study site ranges from 0 to À2.95 m CD. Similar to AMW, this study site consists mainly of rocky substratum and sandy to silty bottom in shallow (0 to À1 m CD) and deeper water areas (middle, À1 to À2 m CD; and deep water, deeper than À2 m CD water depth zones), respectively (Tam and Ang, 2008).…”

“…These results, together with the related information on the coral communities (Tam and Ang, 2008), formed the basis for developing the conservation strategies to protect the reef fish and coral communities of Tung Ping Chau Marine Park (TPC), set up in November 2001. study site ranges from 0 to À2.95 m CD. Similar to AMW, this study site consists mainly of rocky substratum and sandy to silty bottom in shallow (0 to À1 m CD) and deeper water areas (middle, À1 to À2 m CD; and deep water, deeper than À2 m CD water depth zones), respectively (Tam and Ang, 2008). The coral community was found to have a distinct zonation pattern in both study sites (Tam and Ang, 2008).…”

High tolerance to temperature and salinity change should enable scleractinian coral Platygyra acuta from marginal environments to persist under future climate change

“…This massive scleractinian coral is of high ecological significance and functions as an important reef-builder that shapes the coral community structure in Hong Kong and nearby regions [40, 41]. Experimental evidences suggest that early life stages of P .…”