Warner G F
Centre for Marine Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica.
Rev Biol Trop. 2005 May;53 Suppl 1:61-6.
The purpose of this study was to record the species of Antipatharia on Jamaican reefs and to carry out limited studies on densities and sizes of the common species. In addition, a cliff face created by dredging in 2002 provided the opportunity to study growth of newly settled colonies. Observations since 1998 and measurements since 2001 were made using SCUBA at depths down to 35 m. Seven species of Antipatharia were observed on steep coral reef escarpments below 25 m depth. The commonest species was the unbranched "wire coral" Stichopathes lutkeni. Other common species included the fan-shaped black corals Antipathes atlantica and A. gracilis. Frequently encountered species included commercially important A. caribbeana and a species with an unusual, scrambling growth form, A. rubusiformis. The other major commercial species in the Caribbean, Plumapathes pennacea, and a cave-dwelling species, A. umbratica, were rarely observed. Greatest black coral abundance occurred on steep slopes of hard substrata in low light intensity but exposed to the long-shore current. Combined densities of the commoner Antipatharia at 30 m deep at Rio Bueno on the north coast, ranged from 0.1 to 2.5 m(-2) (eleven 10 m x 1 m belt transects, 1-25 colonies per transect, 68 colonies in total). Forty-six of the 68 colonies were S. lutkeni, while nearby at Discovery Bay at 30-35 m, 55 out of 59 colonies were S. lutkeni. There was a significant difference between the mean length of colonies in these two populations of S. lutkeni (100 cm and 80 cm, respectively), probably relating to habitat. A third population of S. lukeni growing at 15-20 m deep on the recently dredged cliff had a much smaller mean length of 36.6 cm (n= 27). The largest individual measured 83 cm long, indicating a minimum growth rate of the unbranched corallum of 2.1 mm per day.
本研究的目的是记录牙买加珊瑚礁上的黑珊瑚目物种，并对常见物种的密度和大小进行有限的研究。此外，2002年疏浚形成的悬崖面提供了研究新定居群体生长情况的机会。自1998年以来进行了观测，自2001年以来使用水肺潜水在深度达35米处进行了测量。在深度25米以下的陡峭珊瑚礁悬崖上观察到了7种黑珊瑚目物种。最常见的物种是无分支的“铁丝珊瑚”卢氏棘花珊瑚。其他常见物种包括扇形黑珊瑚大西洋黑珊瑚和细黑珊瑚。经常遇到的物种包括具有商业重要性的加勒比黑珊瑚和一种具有不寻常的攀缘生长形态的物种，即悬垂黑珊瑚。加勒比地区另一种主要的商业物种，羽毛黑珊瑚，以及一种穴居物种，即阴黑珊瑚，很少被观察到。黑珊瑚丰度最高的区域出现在低光照强度但暴露于沿岸流的硬底质陡坡上。北海岸里约布埃诺30米深处较常见的黑珊瑚目物种的综合密度范围为0.1至2.5株/平方米（11条10米×1米的带状样带，每条样带1至25个群体，共68个群体）。68个群体中有46个是卢氏棘花珊瑚，而在附近30 - 35米深的发现湾，59个群体中有55个是卢氏棘花珊瑚。这两个卢氏棘花珊瑚种群的群体平均长度存在显著差异（分别为100厘米和80厘米），这可能与栖息地有关。在最近疏浚的悬崖上15 - 20米深处生长的第三组卢氏棘花珊瑚群体平均长度小得多，为36.6厘米（n = 27）。测量到的最大个体长83厘米，表明无分支珊瑚体的最小生长速率为每天2.1毫米。
