Is damage susceptibility linked to coral community structure? A case study from South Africa

Coral communities situated in northern Natal, Maputaland and St. Lucia Marine Reserves were studied. Line transects identified three basic coral community types, which correlated with the geomorphology of the sandstone outcrops on which corals grew. Fossil dunes were dominated by alcyonacea in depths between 8 and 24 m. Flat outcrops between 18 and 24 m depth were dominated by scleractinia (mainly Acropora). Deep hard substrata between 25 and 34 m depth were dominated by sponges, ascidians and sea-fans. Quantitative damage assessment showed that the flat-outcrop Acropora community was most fragile, while the other community types (dominated by leathery alcyonaceans or by sponges) were more robust. -from Authors