Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of California, Santa Cruz, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online. Restricted to UC campuses.

No description available.

The fate of coral reef biodiversity could be predicted from the extant situation and understanding the possible temporal and spatial mechanisms. Among the many hypotheses explaining the biodiversity, the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis is the most often tested. It proposed that the frequencies and intensities of disturbance determine the biological species diversity of a habitat; here seasonal recruitment is not considered an important factor. We propose Seasonal Recruitment Hypothesis here with three important characteristics and predictions: there is different assemblages of recruitment after disturbance in different seasons; the following succession is lead by these initial assemblages and thus have different patches for spaces created in different seasons. Mosaic of patches, each with different history, combined to form a high diversity ecosystem of coral reefs. In this investigation, the first hypothesis that recruitment assemblage is different among season, is tested. The study site is located in the coral reef of Kenting in southern Taiwan. We put out recruitment panels to simulate space generated after disturbance, at two-month intervals; then we checked the abundance of sessile fauna on the inside and outside surface of plates. A total of 17 zoological taxa was identified and numbered. Then Primer was used to ordinate the assemblages of recruitment from different seasons. A significant seasonal effect was found. Thus the first stage of the Seasonal Recruitment Hypothesis was supported.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- James Cook University, 2004. / Appendix 6 contained on CD-ROM. Typescript (photocopy). Bibliography: leaves 283-299.

Coral reef cryptobenthic communities are largely understudied yet they contribute to the large majority of coral reef biodiversity. The main aim of this dissertation was to understand the effects of the organic C, temperature, surrounding benthic communities, salinity, catastrophic events, time, and limitations to dispersal of the cryptobenthic communities. Using 54 ARMS along the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast, we found that temperature, chlorophyll-a concentration, and photosynthetic active radiation affected the number of OTUs of the cryptobiome, i.e., its biodiversity. We found temperature, energy available, and benthic structure to be associated with distinct cryptobenthic communities and to influence its diversity patterns. These environmental conditions affected differentially the abundance of specific organisms. We also investigated the inter-annual patterns of variability of this biological component in the central Red Sea. We deployed and collected ARMS in four reefs along a cross shelf gradient in three sampling periods spanning 6 years (2013-2019). This period included the 2015/2016 mass bleaching event. We observed cross shelf differences in community composition to be consistent over time and maintained after the bleaching event. However, turnover was significantly higher between prebleaching and post bleaching sampling years than between post bleaching comparisons. Cryptobenthic communities of 2019 presented a slight return to prebleaching composition. In light of predictions of returning bleaching events every 6 years, the observed return might not be sufficient for reaching a full recovery. We investigated the relative contribution of two ecological theories: the neutral theory (associated with the limitations to dispersal and therefore geographic distance) and the niche filtering (associated with environmental conditions that limit colonization). We used 50 ARMS collected from the north, central, and south Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf, and Oman Gulf. We found that limitation to dispersal and environmental filtering to influence beta diversity. However, the geographic distance had a better fit with the beta diversity patterns observed, suggesting a preponderance of the neutral theory of ecology explaining the community patterns. This dissertation provides fundamental information on characterization of the cryptobiome in the Arabian Peninsula.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - James Cook University, 2004. / Typescript (photocopy). Appendices : leaves 141-146. Bibliography : leaves 147-169. Also available in an electronic version via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - James Cook University, 2005. / Typescript (photocopy) Bibliography: p. 511-553.

No description available.