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Comparison of coral diversity between big and small atolls: a case study of Yongle atoll and Lingyang reef, Xisha Islands, central of South China Sea

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Abstract

The South China Sea (SCS) includes large areas of extensive coral reef development but its reefs are still poorly known. Yongle atoll is the biggest typical atoll in the Xisha Islands, central of SCS. Lingyang Reef is an isolated small atoll within the whole big Yongle atoll. A total of 144 and 119 coral species were recorded at big Yongle atoll and small Lingyang Reef, respectively. The real coral richness might be higher because species accumulation curve did not saturate. The coral diversity pattern was similar between big Yongle atoll and small Lingyang Reef. Coral communities fell into three clusters, consistent with their habitats on reef slope, reef flat and lagoon slope. The highest coral diversity was observed on reef slopes and the lowest coral diversity was found on lagoon slope. Genera richness was a better proxy for representing coral species diversity on both the big and small atoll but percent live coral cover was not a robust proxy on the small atoll, which only explained 24% of species diversity. This study demonstrated high coral diversity with consistent pattern along habitat types, as has been shown from many other reefs. While far from exhaustive, the study allows first glimpses on how much biodiversity is contained on SCS coral reefs, and hopes to give an impetus to their conservation. The study also suggests that simplified surveys at a small scale and the use of genera richness as an effective proxy for overall diversity can indeed provide important information to rapidly monitor and evaluate the coral diversity in remote locations.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (No. 2013CB956101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China projects (Nos. 91428203, 41272199, 41506061, and 41302281), the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, China (No. 201607010294), and the “Strategic Priority Research Program” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. XDA05080301). Luo J. J., Tao S. C., and Zhang H. L. are thanked for their assistance in the field investigations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou, 510301, China

    Meixia Zhao, Kefu Yu, Qi Shi, Hongqiang Yang, Qiaomin Zhang, Hongqiang Yan, Tianran Chen, Guohui Liu & Ziyun Lin

  2. Oceanographic Center, National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University, 8000 North Ocean Drive, Dania, FL, 33004, USA

    Meixia Zhao & Bernhard Riegl

  3. Coral Reef Research Center of China, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China

    Kefu Yu

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  1. Meixia Zhao
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  2. Kefu Yu
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  3. Qi Shi
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  5. Bernhard Riegl
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  6. Qiaomin Zhang
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  9. Guohui Liu
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  10. Ziyun Lin
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Correspondence to Kefu Yu.

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Communicated by David Hawksworth.

This article belongs to the Topical Collection: Coastal and marine biodiversity.

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Zhao, M., Yu, K., Shi, Q. et al. Comparison of coral diversity between big and small atolls: a case study of Yongle atoll and Lingyang reef, Xisha Islands, central of South China Sea. Biodivers Conserv 26, 1143–1159 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1290-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1290-3

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