Assessing Coral Reef Health in the North Ari Atoll (Maldives) Using the FoRAM Index

Tropical marine ecosystems are richly diverse, but are experiencing growing pressure from coastal development and tourism. Assessing the status of coral reef communities along gradients of human pressure is necessary to predict recovery capacity of reefs exposed to acute events such as mass bleachin...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Micropaleontology
Main Authors: Pisapia, Chiara, Hallock, Pamela, Spezzaferri, Silvia
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Digital Commons @ University of South Florida 2017
Subjects:
bioindicators
domestic pollution
foraminifera
indian ocean
Life Sciences
Indian
Ari
Ocean acidification
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/900
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marmicro.2017.06.001
Description
Summary:Tropical marine ecosystems are richly diverse, but are experiencing growing pressure from coastal development and tourism. Assessing the status of coral reef communities along gradients of human pressure is necessary to predict recovery capacity of reefs exposed to acute events such as mass bleaching or storm destruction. Islands in the central Maldives Archipelago, which experience three different management regimes (four for each category: local community, uninhabited, and resort islands), were sampled during the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)-REGENERATE Cruise in 2015. Assessments were carried out using the FoRAM Index (FI), based on relative abundances of larger foraminiferal shells in reef sediments. Overall, FI values (> 5) indicate that water quality currently should support active accretion by reef-building corals and larger benthic foraminifers. The highest median FI values (5.9) were recorded from sites associated with the uninhabited islands. Slightly, but significantly lower medians were recorded at sites near community and resort islands (FI = 5.3 and 5.1, respectively) that host permanent human settlement, indicating possible local deterioration of water quality by disposal of domestic wastes. Note that the FI was designed to assess suitability of local water quality and not to assess responses to regional to global changes associated with temperature stress or ocean acidification.

Similar Items