Study of assemblage and recruitment of coral reef fishes of the (family: pomacentridae)‎ on natural and artificial reefs in the gulf of Aqaba-Jordan

Other Title(s)

دراسة تجديد و تجمعات أسماك الحيد المرجاني من عائلة أسماك الفتية في الشعاب المرجانية الطبيعية و الصناعية في خليج العقبة-الأردن

Dissertant

Ibrahim, Ahmad Muhammad Hassan

Thesis advisor

Khalaf, Maruf A.
Irshid, Fawzi

Comitee Members

Jaran, Adnan S.
Mansi, Kamal M.
al-Hurani, Fuad

University

Al albayt University

Faculty

Faculty of Sciences

Department

Department of Biological Sciences

University Country

Jordan

Degree

Master

Degree Date

2010

English Abstract

-Many anthropogenic and natural disturbances influence the coral reefs of the Gulf of Aqaba including the pollutions, building activities, diving activities along the seashore.

These activities create a significant environmental stress to the coral reefs.

Artificial reefs can be used in places where the natural reefs have been damaged, as a means or restoring spatial complexity and providing shelter and habitat for reef organisms, such as fishes.

Pomacentridae is found in shallow coral reefs habitat, although few species penetrate to a depth of 80 m or more.

They are not used as food sources for humans but are important in aquarium fish trade in the Red Sea, hence, they are economically important.

The growth of Pomacentrids may be enhanced by successful settlement of these larvae into coral reef habitats since it limits their exposure to predation in this habitat and shortened the settlement period of larvae.

Therefore, the main goal of this study was to study the influence of artificial reef environment of the community structure of Pomacentridea, and compare this environment with the natural reef environment.

The study was done at Panorama in the Marine Science Station, Jordanian gulf of Aqaba, at a depth of 10-15 m for each natural and artificial reefs.

In this study, twelve counts have been made during this period of our study.

An estimated total of 1868 and 10530 fish individuals belonging to the family of damselfish has been counted at the artificial (AR) and natural reefs (NR), respectively.

During last five months period, the averages number of fish individuals for artificial and natural reefs per count were estimated to be 58 and 3452, respectively.

A total of 8 and 9 species out of 23 species found in the four site in the Gulf of Aqaba by Khalaf (2006) were counted at AR and NR, respectively.

At AR, the Neopomacentrus miryae comprised about 73% of relative abundance of all fish monitored, and Pomacentrus trichurus had the most frequency of appearance 100% with 22% of relative abundance, and it was second abundant.

At the NR, the Neopomacentrus miryae comprised about 91% of relative abundance of all fish monitored in the study.

The frequency of appearance of the fishes which inhabit the NR was higher than that in AR fishes.

It was also found that the means values of species at the NR were higher than at the AR.

The number of individual in AR was significantly higher in summer season than in the other seasons, followed by the spring.

Pomacentrus trichourus had the highest frequency of appearance in both NR and AR.

Further, Chromis weberi and Chromis pembae exist in AR only.

The diversity of fishes in AR was higher in autumn than in the other seasons, followed by summer.

In conclusion, the AR can play important role in formation certain communities of Pomacentridae fishes which are not associated with corals and feed on planktonic organisms, and they can help in recruitment of such species of the Pomacentridae that are associated with NR, Further more we suggest that further studies must be carried out to examine the correlation of coral reef species and diversity in both AR and NR for long run in order to examine the best coral size that will allow proper fish associated species settlement in coral reefs.

Main Subjects

Zoology

Topics

• Jordan
• Gulf of Aqaba

No. of Pages

47

Table of Contents

• APA
• MLA
• AMA

Language

English

Data Type

Arab Theses

Record ID

BIM-315125