Waheed Zarinah, van Mil Harald G J, Syed Hussein Muhammad Ali, Jumin Robecca, Golam Ahad Bobita, Hoeksema Bert W
Department of Marine Zoology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
PLoS One. 2015 Dec 31;10(12):e0146006. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146006. eCollection 2015.
The coral reefs at the northernmost tip of Sabah, Borneo will be established under a marine protected area: the Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) by the end of 2015. This area is a passage where the Sulu Sea meets the South China Sea and it is situated at the border of the area of maximum marine biodiversity, the Coral Triangle. The TMP includes fringing and patch reefs established on a relatively shallow sea floor. Surveys were carried out to examine features of the coral reefs in terms of scleractinian species richness, and benthic reef assemblages following the Reef Check substrate categories, with emphasis on hard coral cover. Variation in scleractinian diversity was based on the species composition of coral families Fungiidae (n = 39), Agariciidae (n = 30) and Euphylliidae (n = 15). The number of coral species was highest at reefs with a larger depth gradient i.e. at the periphery of the study area and in the deep South Banggi Channel. Average live hard coral cover across the sites was 49%. Only 7% of the examined reefs had > 75% hard coral cover, while the majority of the reef sites were rated fair (51%) and good (38%). Sites with low coral cover and high rubble fragments are evidence of blast fishing, although the observed damage appeared old. Depth was a dominant factor in influencing the coral species composition and benthic reef communities in the TMP. Besides filling in the information gaps regarding species richness and benthic cover for reef areas that were previously without any data, the results of this study together with information that is already available on the coral reefs of TMP will be used to make informed decisions on zoning plans for conservation priorities in the proposed park.
婆罗洲沙巴最北端的珊瑚礁将于2015年底在一个海洋保护区——敦穆斯塔法公园（TMP）内建成。该区域是苏禄海与中国南海交汇的通道，位于海洋生物多样性最高的区域——珊瑚三角区的边界。TMP包括在相对较浅海床上形成的边缘礁和斑块礁。开展了调查，以根据石珊瑚物种丰富度以及按照珊瑚礁检查基质类别划分的底栖礁组合来研究珊瑚礁的特征，重点是硬珊瑚覆盖率。石珊瑚多样性的变化基于珊瑚科类——菌珊瑚科（n = 39）、鹿角珊瑚科（n = 30）和真叶珊瑚科（n = 15）的物种组成。珊瑚物种数量在深度梯度较大的礁区最高，即在研究区域的外围和南邦吉海峡深处。各站点的平均活硬珊瑚覆盖率为49%。在所检查的珊瑚礁中，只有7%的硬珊瑚覆盖率超过75%，而大多数珊瑚礁站点被评为中等（51%）和好（38%）。珊瑚覆盖率低且碎石碎片多的站点是爆破捕鱼的证据，不过观察到的破坏似乎是很久以前造成的。深度是影响TMP中珊瑚物种组成和底栖礁群落的主要因素。除了填补此前没有任何数据的礁区物种丰富度和底栖覆盖方面的信息空白外，本研究结果连同TMP珊瑚礁已有的信息将用于就拟建公园保护重点的分区规划做出明智决策。
