Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2010 May;60(5):759-64. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.11.017. Epub 2010 Jan 13.
The current state of health of the coral reefs in the northern Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea), notably the Eilat reefs, is under debate regarding both their exact condition and the causes of degradation. A dearth of earlier data and unequivocal reliable indices are the major problems hinder a clear understanding of the reef state. Our research objective was to examine coral-algal dynamics as a potential cause and an indication of reef degradation. The community structure of stony corals and algae along the northern Gulf of Aqaba reveal non-seasonal turf algae dominancy in the shallow Eilat reefs (up to 72%), while the proximate Aqaba reefs present negligible turf cover (<6%). We believe that turf dominancy can indicate degradation in these reefs, based on the reduction in essential reef components followed by proliferation of perennial turf algae. Our findings provide further evidence for the severe state of the Eilat coral reefs.
目前，有关北亚喀巴湾（红海）的珊瑚礁，特别是埃拉特礁的健康状况，存在争议，争议的焦点包括其确切状况和退化原因。早期数据的缺乏以及明确可靠的指标是阻碍人们清楚了解珊瑚礁状况的主要问题。我们的研究目的是研究珊瑚-藻类动态作为珊瑚礁退化的潜在原因和指示物。北亚喀巴湾的石珊瑚和藻类群落结构表明，在埃拉特浅礁（高达 72%）中存在非季节性的藻坪优势，而近岸的亚喀巴礁的藻坪覆盖率可以忽略不计（<6%）。我们认为，根据基本珊瑚组成部分的减少和多年生藻坪的过度繁殖，藻坪优势可以指示这些珊瑚礁的退化。我们的研究结果进一步证明了埃拉特珊瑚礁的严重状况。
