WAMSI 2 DSN 4.7 Coral Demography

• Main Authors: Babcock, Russ, Thomson, Damian, Gilmour, James
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: CSIRO 2017
• Subjects: Enderby Island
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.4225/08/5b379b2652ef4; https://data.csiro.au/collections/#collection/CIcsiro:21213v2

In April 2014 and March 2015 surveys of coral populations were undertaken at Enderby and West Lewis Islands in the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. The corals investigated in this study were Acropora millepora, Turbinaria mesenterina and massive Porites spp. (mainly P. lobata and P. lutea). For each species, population size-frequency distributions were obtained by recording the size of all colonies within a one metre distance on either side of permanent transects (60 m2). Using the permanent transect as a reference point, the locations of all colonies were recorded, and all colonies were tagged, measured and photographed. Tagged colonies were re-located and re-measured approximately one year later. A total of 737 corals were examined; 473 corals from Enderby Island and 264 from West Lewis Islands. Similar numbers of massive Porites (279), T. mesenterina (229) and A. millepora (272) colonies were tagged. Of the colonies tagged 733 corals were re-located a year later and assessed for survival, growth, partial mortality and fission.