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Changes in morphology and abundance of Stylophora pistillata and Acropora variabilis (anthozoa, hexactiniaria) with respect to depth at Elat, Red Sea
Author(s) -
Sohn Joel Jay
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
internationale revue der gesamten hydrobiologie und hydrographie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 0020-9309
DOI - 10.1002/iroh.1977.3510620110
Subject(s) - stylophora pistillata , acropora , anthozoa , biology , ecology , coral
Entire colonies of Stylophora pistillata and Acropora variabilis were collected along a depth transect 100 m south of the Marine Biological Laboratory of Hebrew University Elat, Israel. The branch height of Acropora variabilis decreases significantly with respect to depth, and this species is equitably distributed from 5 to 30 m. Stylophora pistillata demonstrated no decrease in branch height with respect to depth and its distribution is limited to shallow water. The changes in morphology and distribution enhance the credibility of a suggestion made by Roos (1967) that corals common at all depths would show changes in morphology that minimized self‐shading. Stylophora pistillata demonstrated an increase in branch density with respect to depth. A hypothesis, based upon the occurrence of Lithophaga cumingiana and water turbulence, is presented to explain the increase in branch density with respect to depth of Stylophora pistillata .