Categories
vol-31RECOVERY PROBABILITIES OF CORAL REEF
COMMUNITIES AFTER ACANTHASTER PLANCI
INFESTATION: A CASE STUDY AT SHABROR
UMM GAM’AR, HURGHADA, RED SEA, EGYPT
MOHAMMED S.A. AMMAR
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Suez, P.O. Box 182, Egypt
Keywords: Coral Reefs, Acanthaster planci, outbreak, recovery, Hurghada, Red Sea
ABSTRACT
Recovery patterns of coral reef benthic communities were estimated by linear
extrapolation after Acanthaster planci outbreak of 1998 at Shabror Umm Gam’ar,
Hurghada of the Egyptian Red Sea. The significance of using linear extrapolation was
tested in a range of ten sites by comparison with the actual average yearly recovery rates. A
total of 15 permanent transects, each is 10m long, were monitored at 10m and 12m depths
in both Shabror Umm Gam’ar and the ten selected sites. The recovery rate estimated by
linear extrapolation did not significantly differ from the recovery rate of stony corals in the
ten selected sites. Moreover, an error of +7.69% to +17.5% increase in the extrapolated
recovery rate exists and should be considered while handling the extrapolated recovery
patterns of coral reef benthic communities. Stony corals were characterized by having an
extrapolated slow recovery time of 64.9 years in spite of the fast recovery rate (0.67 %
cover/year) and this is virtually due to the large cover required for restoration as a result of
the large devastation by Acanthaster planci. In contrast, soft corals were characterized by
having both fast recovery time (RT) and recovery rate (RR) as they are not preferred preys
by the COTs. The correlation coefficient is negative between recovery time (RT) and
recovery rate (RR), strong between RT and cover required for complete recovery CR, and
weak between CR and RR. Diversity had an estimated fast recovery time (RT) of 4.3 years
indicating that, the space cleared by Acanthaster planci improves the diversity faster than
improving the percent cover.
