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Jayachandran PR, Joydas TV, Borja A, Manokaran S, Franco J, Garmendia JM, Gopi J, Manikandan KP, Asharaf M, Maneja RH, Qasem AM, Alghamdi H, Lozano-Cortés D, Krishnakumar PK, Qurban MA. Unveiling the ecological status of the Arabian Gulf's marine ecosystem: Insights from benthic community analysis. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 205:116571. [PMID: 38941805 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
This study assessed the ecological health of waters within the Saudi Arabian Exclusive Economic Zone, by utilizing benthic biotic indices with a marine monitoring dataset covering the years 2013 to 2018. This comprehensive evaluation covered a vast expanse, encompassing 67 distinctive sampling locations characterized by a wide range of depth and salinity gradients. The study examined spatial fluctuations in the benthic community and assessed potential correlations with environmental variables, including salinity, depth, sediment texture, total organic carbon, and other relevant factors. The macrobenthic density varied across the study sites, with an average density of 566 ± 120 ind.m-2. The Shannon diversity index ranged from 3.21 and 5.90, with an average of 4.70 ± 0.52. Based on the average AMBI values, all the locations were categorized as either slightly disturbed or undisturbed. Additionally, the M-AMBI analysis indicated that 95.5 % sites were in good or high ecological status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paravanparambil Rajakumar Jayachandran
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, Research and Innovation, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, P. B. No. 1995, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Thadickal V Joydas
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, Research and Innovation, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, P. B. No. 1995, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Angel Borja
- AZTI; Marine Research; Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA); Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Seerangan Manokaran
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, Research and Innovation, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, P. B. No. 1995, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Javier Franco
- AZTI; Marine Research; Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA); Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Joxe Mikel Garmendia
- AZTI; Marine Research; Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA); Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Jayanath Gopi
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, Research and Innovation, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, P. B. No. 1995, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Karuppasamy P Manikandan
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, Research and Innovation, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, P. B. No. 1995, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed Asharaf
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, Research and Innovation, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, P. B. No. 1995, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rommel H Maneja
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, Research and Innovation, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, P. B. No. 1995, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali M Qasem
- Environmental Protection Department, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamed Alghamdi
- Environmental Protection Department, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia
| | - Diego Lozano-Cortés
- Environmental Protection Department, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia
| | - Periyadan K Krishnakumar
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, Research and Innovation, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, P. B. No. 1995, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
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Lin YJ, Heinle MJ, Al-Musabeh A, Gopalan J, Vasanthi TD, Panickan P, Hamade T, Pulido B, Joydas TV, Shepherd B. Coral reefs in the northeastern Saudi Arabian Red Sea are resilient to mass coral mortality events. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 197:115693. [PMID: 37890317 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
We conducted an integrated survey combining visual census and baited remote underwater video survey on the coral reefs in the northeastern Red Sea and examined their health by comparing the baseline information from two decades ago. The mean coverage of the corals of all stations was 36 %, including 32 % stony corals and 4.0 % soft corals, significantly higher and lower to previous baseline. Observed high proportion of dead corals indicated the occurrence of the events of mass mortality, and the heating events were the most likely cause. Similar levels of coral coverage compared to two decades ago indicated their resilience to past events with mass coral mortality. Small proportions of macroalgae and sea urchins indicated that they might be controlled by their predators frequently observed in both visual census and underwater video survey. Regular monitoring and careful development plans are needed to safeguard these invaluable reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Jia Lin
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia; Institute of Marine Ecology and Conservation, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804201, Taiwan.
| | - Moritz J Heinle
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Al-Musabeh
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jinoy Gopalan
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Thiyagarajan D Vasanthi
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Premlal Panickan
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | | | | | - Thadickal V Joydas
- Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia.
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Inter-annual variability patterns of reef cryptobiota in the central Red Sea across a shelf gradient. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16944. [PMID: 36210380 PMCID: PMC9548503 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21304-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of molecular tools, standard surveying techniques, and long-term monitoring programs are relevant to understanding environmental and ecological changes in coral reef communities. Here we studied temporal variability in cryptobenthic coral reef communities across the continental shelf in the central Red Sea spanning 6 years (three sampling periods: 2013-2019) and including the 2015 mass bleaching event. We used a combination of molecular tools (barcoding and metabarcoding) to assess communities on Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) as a standardized sampling approach. Community composition associated with ARMS for both methodologies (barcoding and metabarcoding) was statistically different across reefs (shelf position) and time periods. The partition of beta diversity showed a higher turnover and lower nestedness between pre-bleaching and post-bleaching samples than between the two post-bleaching periods, revealing a community shift from the bleaching event. However, a slight return to the pre-bleaching community composition was observed in 2019 suggesting a recovery trajectory. Given the predictions of decreasing time between bleaching events, it is concerning that cryptobenthic communities may not fully recover and communities with new characteristics will emerge. We observed a high turnover among reefs for all time periods, implying a homogenization of the cryptobiome did not occur across the cross shelf following the 2015 bleaching event. It is possible that dispersal limitations and the distinct environmental and benthic structures present across the shelf maintained the heterogeneity in communities among reefs. This study has to the best of our knowledge presented for the first time a temporal aspect into the analysis of ARMS cryptobenthic coral reef communities and encompasses a bleaching event. We show that these structures can detect cryptic changes associated with reef degradation and provides support for these being used as long-term monitoring tools.
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Crisp SK, Tebbett SB, Bellwood DR. A critical evaluation of benthic phase shift studies on coral reefs. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 178:105667. [PMID: 35653967 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Coral reef decline has accelerated in the last two decades resulting in substantial research into the phenomenon of 'phase shifts' or 'regime shifts'. However, the conclusions drawn from this research have been varied. Some of this variability may stem from methodological approaches, although the extent to which these factors have shaped our understanding remain largely unexplored. To examine this, we conducted a systematic review of the literature. In doing so, we revealed marked variability in the approaches used for studying phase shifts. Notably, very few studies clearly defined what they meant by phase shifts. Therefore, we developed a clarified definition of phase shifts, which specifically defined persistence and dominance. The applicability of this definition was tested on multi-decadal benthic composition data on the Great Barrier Reef. The number of shifts depended critically on the definition selected, suggesting that this may be a primary reason underpinning the variability in past results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K Crisp
- Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia.
| | - Sterling B Tebbett
- Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
| | - David R Bellwood
- Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
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Lin YJ, Roa-Ureta RH, Pulikkoden ARK, Premlal P, Nazeer Z, Qurban MA, Rabaoui L. Essential fish habitats of demersal fish in the western Arabian Gulf. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 173:113013. [PMID: 34627033 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Information about habitats occupied by aquatic organisms while completing critical stages of their lives, called essential fish habitats, is crucial for their sustainability. In this work, we determine essential fish habitats (nursery and spawning grounds) of several fish species inhabiting Saudi territorial waters in the western Arabian Gulf using data from multiple surveys (2013-2016), geostatistics, and indicator species analysis. We built geostatistical maps of spatial distributions of juvenile and mature fish and examined the strength of association of each species to its observed nursery and spawning areas. Fish nursery areas were generally located in nearshore locations while spawning areas were located in offshore waters. The patterns of nursery and spawning grounds were highly varied among species, supporting a hypothesis of habitat-species heterogeneity: different species use different locations as nursery and spawning grounds. This information can be used as a roadmap for future evidence-based spatial planning and ecosystem-based management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Jia Lin
- Marine Studies Section, Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.
| | | | - Abdu Rahiman Kambrath Pulikkoden
- Marine Studies Section, Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
| | - Panickan Premlal
- Marine Studies Section, Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zahid Nazeer
- Marine Studies Section, Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad A Qurban
- Marine Studies Section, Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia; College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lotfi Rabaoui
- Marine Studies Section, Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
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