Coral reefs worldwide are losing their species diversity and ecosystem function under threats from global warming and anthropogenic activities.In this study,we investigated the diversity and current state of scleracti...Coral reefs worldwide are losing their species diversity and ecosystem function under threats from global warming and anthropogenic activities.In this study,we investigated the diversity and current state of scleractinian corals surrounding the Qizhou Archipelago.A total of 87 species of scleractinian corals,belonging to 29 genera and 12 families,were found across ten survey sites.The family Merulinidae exhibited the highest species richness(39 species and 12 genera),followed by Acroporidae(15 species and 3genera).The living coral coverage was 16.9%±10.3%(mean±SD)and ranged from 4.6%to 35.1%,which varied significantly.Massive corals such as Porites lutea,Porites lobata,Montipora nodosa,and Favites abdita were dominant species.The recruitment rate of coral larvae was(1.20±0.97)ind/m^(2)(mean±SD).In addition,we constructed an ecological vulnerability assessment system and evaluated the ecological vulnerability of scleractinian corals surrounding the Qizhou Archipelago.The results showed that scleractinian corals at Gouluanpaoshi(GLPS)and Duifan(DF)were highly vulnerable,whereas those on other islands had low to medium vulnerability.In general,the scleractinian corals surrounding the Qizhou Archipelago show low to medium levels of ecological vulnerability.Identifying severely afflicted areas and developing effective methods to manage coral reefs in these regions are crucial.展开更多
基金funded by the Scientific Research Foundation of Third Institute of Oceanography,Ministry of Natural Resources(Nos.2022024 and 2020006)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42106143)。
文摘Coral reefs worldwide are losing their species diversity and ecosystem function under threats from global warming and anthropogenic activities.In this study,we investigated the diversity and current state of scleractinian corals surrounding the Qizhou Archipelago.A total of 87 species of scleractinian corals,belonging to 29 genera and 12 families,were found across ten survey sites.The family Merulinidae exhibited the highest species richness(39 species and 12 genera),followed by Acroporidae(15 species and 3genera).The living coral coverage was 16.9%±10.3%(mean±SD)and ranged from 4.6%to 35.1%,which varied significantly.Massive corals such as Porites lutea,Porites lobata,Montipora nodosa,and Favites abdita were dominant species.The recruitment rate of coral larvae was(1.20±0.97)ind/m^(2)(mean±SD).In addition,we constructed an ecological vulnerability assessment system and evaluated the ecological vulnerability of scleractinian corals surrounding the Qizhou Archipelago.The results showed that scleractinian corals at Gouluanpaoshi(GLPS)and Duifan(DF)were highly vulnerable,whereas those on other islands had low to medium vulnerability.In general,the scleractinian corals surrounding the Qizhou Archipelago show low to medium levels of ecological vulnerability.Identifying severely afflicted areas and developing effective methods to manage coral reefs in these regions are crucial.
