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Vol. 46 No. 2, 2007
Ecological Observations of Some Common Antipatharian Corals in the Marine Park of Bunaken (North Sulawesi, Indonesia)
Silvia Tazioli1, Marzia Bo1,*, Massimo Boyer2, Henki Rotinsulu3, and Giorgio Bavestrello1
1Dipartimento di Scienze del Mare, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
2Biodiversity Project, Celebes Divers, PO Box 1014, Manado, Indonesia
3Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, 95115, Manado, Indonesia
Silvia Tazioli, Marzia Bo, Massimo Boyer, Henki Rotinsulu, and Giorgio Bavestrello (2007) The
ecology of 16 common antipatharian species, living on shallow reefs in
Bunaken National Marine Park (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) is described
for the first time. The community structure was evaluated using
standard ecological parameters. The vertical distribution and habitats
of different species are described. Observations on polyp morphology
and feeding behavior made in situ
are reported, and the most common symbiotic associations are listed.
The highly diversified black coral assemblage shows strong
site-dependent differences. Generally it is characterized by high
values of the H' index (1.5-2.5) indicating high diversity and also
high values of equitability (of approximately 1) indicating no real
dominance but a functional distribution of species. In general, the
abundance of black corals increases with depth. The bathymetric
distribution and the preferred habitat of each studied species appear
to be the result of interactions among both biological (mainly
competition involving stony corals) and abiotic factors (mainly water
movement). Due to the numerous symbiotic associations involving black
corals (especially with crabs, shrimp, and fish), they must be
considered a keystone group in the structure of tropical coral reefs.
Key words: Antipatharians, Indonesia, Ecology, Distribution, Morphology.
*Correspondence: Tel: 39-071-2204651. Fax: 39-071-2204650. E-mail:m.bo@univpm.it
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