Effect of physico-chemical factors and human impacts on coral distribution at Tobia Kebir and Sharm el Loly, Red Sea, Egypt
Using SCUBA equipment and the line intercept transect (LIT), the effect of physical factors and human impacts on coral distribution were studied in two Red Sea sites (Sharm El Loly and Tobia Kebir) throughout the period from September, 2003 to October, 2004. The percentage cover of coral species in Northern Sharm El Loly was higher than in Tobia Kebir which might be attributed to optimum temperature and better light intensity. Diving, swimming, boat anchoring and fish feeding by divers are the main human impacts decreasing the percentage cover of corals at Tobia Kebir but fishing seems to have no role due to its limited level. The lower recorded amount of dead corals at Sharm El Loly though it is highly affected by fishing boats, is due to the fact that these boats anchor on the Sharm terminal, away from the reef and go to open water through the middle of the Sharm. Massive corals, especially Porites sp., were more abundant than branching corals in Tobia Kebir as they can tolerate turbidity and less susciptible to breakage caused by trampling, diving and swimming. However, the hydrocoral Millepora dichotoma was most dominant in Sharm El Loly as it prefers high illumination. A total of eleven species of corals were recorded in Tobia Kebir, compared to thirty-five species in Sharm El Loly. Besides, the diversity values were lower at Tobia Kebir than at Sharm El Loly, especially on the reef flat and 1-5 m depth zone, due to the higher sedimentation rate in the former site.
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Contribution biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
National Institute of Oceanograhy and Fisheries (NIOF)
2006
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| Subjects: | Chemical and Pollution Studies- Monitoring, Coral reefs, Distribution, Sedimentation, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/1457 |
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