Comparison of Species Diversity and Ecology of Reef-Living Invertebrates on Aldabra Atoll and at Watamu, Kenya
Extensive quantitative samples of components of the invertebrate fauna (Errant Polychaeta, Decapod and Stomatopod Crustacea, and Echinodermata) associated with intertidal and subtidal reef areas on Aldabra and at Watamu, Kenya are analysed statistically to give estimates of population sizes, species diversity, dominance and distribution. A brief description of the topography and general ecology of the reefs studied is given and the two areas are compared. Techniques for sampling reef fauna are discussed and a method of obtaining quantitative samples of the infauna of hard substrates is described. Results are given for several "habitats" (e.g. channel, subtidal coral platform, intertidal cobble ridge) and for different substrates within the same "habitat" e.g. live coral, dead coral) in order to test the validity of existing "habitat" classifications and to determine which factors may account for species diversity. In a section on the breakdown and colonization of dead coral, the action of boring organisms is considered and also their interaction with subsequent colonizers. It is concluded that, in general, hard substrates support a larger and more varied infauna than soft substrates; that biotic interactions play a very important part in determining species diversity (a measure of the importance is given in the section on colonization of coral) and that reef areas at Watamu support a greater diversity of species than similar "habitats" and substrates on Aldabra.
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Book Section biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Academic Press
1971
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| Subjects: | Species diversity, Coral reefs, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/8872 |
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