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Download Download £ Journal of Coastal Research Fort Lauderdale Coral Cay Instability and Species-Turnover of Plants at Swain Reefs, Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australial Peter G. Flood' and Harold Heatwole" I Department of Geology and Geophysics 2 Department of Zoology University of New England University of New England Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia ABSTRACT_•••••••••••••••••••••••• FLOOD, P.G. and HEATWOLE, H., 1986. Coral cay instability and species-turnover of plants at Swain Reefs, southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Journal ofCoastal.Research, 2(4), 479-496. Fort ~,"", Lauderdale, ISSN 0749-0208. , The coral cays of the Swain Reefs are far removed (up to 200 km) from any mainland •.. influence. There is a complex inter-relationship between species distribution, species-­ turnover, and coral cay instability. Factors promoting cay instability include: (1) seasonal ••• • • variation in wind direction, (2) shortterm cyclonic influences, and(3) longerterm changesin ~ the direction of the dominant winds. The cyclonic influence appears to be a major cause of 't~ ~ jt' inter-cay variations in plant species distribution. This is shown by comparing the orienta­ tion and positionofthe cays in 1964with their present morphology. Gannet Cay for example -+ sa only has a very small percentage of the vegetated area common to both the 1964 and 1984 cay outlines. A total of13 species ofterrestrial vascular plants have been recorded from the cays. Fourspecieswereprevalent and persistentsince 1967. Therewas local extinction and immigration ofplants which resulted in considerable species-turnover. Patterns ofextinc­ tion and immigration varied among islands. In general, immigration was more prevalent early in the study and extinction more prevalent later. Unstable islands tended to have higher rates of species-turnover than did more stable ones. ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Cay instability, coastal plants; ceredcay.\ distribution and zonation; Great Harrier Reef, Suiain Reefs. INTRODUCTION undergone considerable erosion and redeposition of sand, and in some cases (e.g. Gannet) have moved The cays within the Swain Reefs have received rathergreatdistances across the reefon which they are scant attention because of their relative inaccessibility located until the last few decades The first detailed survey of The equilibrium theory of insular biogeography the area was carried out by HMS Fly in company with would predict that the small size and remoteness of the tender Bramble and reported on by JUKES (1847). these cays would (1) impose low species numbers More than 100 years passed until 1960 when a brief upon them, (2) result in frequent local extinctions, and survey of the southeastern area located several un­ (3) restrict the flora to those species capable of fre­ charted cays (GILLETT and McNEIL, 1962). This was quentlong-distance, over-water dispersal and of rapid followed by a visit by scientists from the Australian reproduction once arrived. With frequent immigration Museum (McMICHAEL, 1963). Since 1967 several and extinction, rapid species-turnover and hence ob­ scientific parties have visited the area LIMPUS and servable changes in species composition of the floras LYON (1981) reported on a visit to the area made in would be expected 1976. They were the first to record major variations in The unstable conditions and the harshness of the cay size, shape and vegetation cover. physical environment would suggest that only salt­ The cays of the Swain Reefs are small and relatively tolerant, drought resistant species able to withstand remote from the Australian mainland Furthermore, heat, wind, and shifting substrates would survive they are subject to periodic tropical cyclones, have exceptephemerally. Add to this the effect oftrampling and guano deposition by dense breeding populations 1This research project was funded by a Marine Science and Tech­ nology(MST) Grant 116002recoined 16 -lanuary, 19116; accepted in of sea birds and the destruction of vegetation by nest­ revision .5 February 19116. ing sea turtles and one has the scenario of the cays of 480 Flood and Heatwole the Swain Reefs. Seven vegetated cays were surveyed a number of ~-.;»~- 1= times in order to detect temporal changes in species ~-a T ()o o @ composition ofthe flora and to relate species-turnover .. .-:;;>BACCHb~ " THOMAS Ii> cr (fj 1 to stability of the islands. 21°40 - 4;1) @) 0 . ={).;, ~IGATE (2~ STUDY AREA " ~~ <:f:, ~ ~~l~ rI The Swain Reefs represent the most eastern and 'iYLG'ND o@ @ ~ ~'jA'} southern development of the Great Barrier Reef sys­ 0<> 0 o~" P';; 0 Q 21·~m' o c;::7.CJ I;> tem. They cover an area of about 16,000 km", lying be­ b Ot' -Ai% e.-9 0 0 053'S / ",' (£!ijjii9 67 0 tween 20 and 22°24'S, and 151° 15'E and =- S a» 152°48'E and extending from 110 krn to 250 krn off­ ?' co> '"" 0 tJI a.'" <> 0 ~~. ~& shore (Figure 1). Although the reef complex contains c, e , o ~ a ~ !a) 22'00 over 350 reefs, the number of coral cays is very small; ~Q Y; GANNETT""" " @,:::J {f> = "" ht1fJ six are vegetated and in addition there are several ~ = ~ ~ 0 ., o&'f!!!J small sandbanks which dry at low water. '" c? <." (J..c:;J d) 0<;) c> Inspection of black and white vertical aerial photo­ c:7 0'" o:~,.p CJ graphs taken in 1964 reveals that the Swain Reefs area c:;J-o 0 o'~~:,f:;;; ~2°10'­ is characterized by a moderately uniform distribution of c{( b , 0 0 ',--" ,;0 cuspate, platform, elongate platform and lagoonal plat­ ~, -;;~" dd.J'" form reefs (Figure 2) and by the absence of high density 0> "') /p-; ~'...~---_4..':..':..",,:J ~ shelf-edge development which distinguishes it from the <J++ B 0 Pompey Reefs to the north. The majority of reefs (75%) 0' :!J22°20!.. are less than3 krnlong.Their geomorphic development ~ ...... ,,~;: /-;., '+ 1~2°201 152°30' •iC"'; 52°40' I I .,... ~.." ~ <'0• •.0.-: ~'t:i. 'tJ<?_ } f .•r.: .. Figure 2. Details of the southern part of the Swain Reefs, .: ~r~, <0. POMPEY ... _ ,' ••~\ is controlled by the shape and variable surface relief ~::( .~. :~ ,:.: "'0 in the underlying pre-Holocene reefal platforms COMPLEX (,." " ':~ ... '-.,:i··o:;.. ~\~~ (FLOOD, in prep.). Geophysical surveys and oilexplora­ tion drilling adjacent to the Swain Reefs (WILSON, 1967,1969; ERICSON, 1976) have delineated the major ,,~,:~.}:j·L;fi#:' structural features which reflect the underlying tec­ , tonic framework. REEFS .... '.J; --.';.":;'':: Six of the vegetated cays reported upon in this study .... I ".: .:.- ~w ... '-l.:':~~';i are located towards the southeastern portion of the I '.' .' ":;",: Swain Reefs. The seventh, Bell Cay, is located some 30 "1.' -c " ·:;:r,~~" krnto the west and is outside the Swain Reefs. Three of SeeFig.2 ............. :=..;::-.-, <;,• ........ I the cays are located on small elongate platform reefs ,00 whilst four are situatedon the leeward side of elliptical­ ..... shaped platform reef (Figures 3, 4). -- .- ....;, ~O.oIC MATERIALS AND METHODS <, .!?,C' ..... Q"r' " .(.c~,.~ I~.,. Monitoring the Shape of the Cays -- The shape of seven cays (Table 1) was monitored o by examinining black and white aerial photographs I taken in 1964 and again in 1984 (Plate 1) In addi­ ItJ.,. Itl". tion, two field visits were made, in July 1983 and Figure 1. Location of the Swain Reefs. again in July 1985. During the latter visit the long Journal of Coastal Research, Vol. 2. No.4, 19R6 Swain Reefs, Australia 481 Table l. Cay Dimensions. GBRMPA Measurements (m) 19R5 Perimeter Area (l9R4) Cay Name Number Long Axis Sbort Axis 1964" 19764 19R3 19R4 1985 Vegetation of Sand Cay Bacchi 21-495 :l50 62 900 554 R11 909 nd 2600 17200 m" [2771" 1951 Thomas 21-497 2:l9 16:l 490 464 493 49:l nd 40006 16800 m' 11291 11041 Frigate! 21-511 409 109 1070 912 1009 10:36 1019 14400 42000 m2 14651 [2771 Price 21-51R :174 117 900 769 81R 818 845 10800 28400 m' [:30RI [20RI Bylund 21-519 198 101 700 510 492 492 567 3400 28400 m' 1:1711 11851 Gannet'! 21-556 :l85 97 700 621 904 900 88:3 12500 27200 m' 1:32,,1 11611 Bell 21-4:35 :361 145 RRO R14 914 914 R71 12000 4:l200 m2 [nd] [rid] i. 'Called Gillett and Poulson respectively by Gn.r.icrr and McN.;IL, 1962. "Value obtained from 1964 vertical aerial photographs. 4Value is the estimated perimeter of the cay at low water in 1976 using the data of LIMPliH and LYON (1981) and the conversion factor established in 1~JR,'i for the ratio of the perimeter at low water and the perimeter at mean high water spring tide level. "Values in brackets are the approximate measurements made in 1960 by GILL.;TT and McNEIL (1962). "Verv sparse vegetation, mostly dead. and short axes and the perimeters of the cays were measured using a trumeter. The perimeter measurement quoted in Table 1 was taken as the junction line of the beach and the reef flat. This position of measurement was different from that of LIMPUS and LYON (1981) who recorded the per­ N imeter at the mean spring high tide level. This dis­ tance was recorded during the 1985 visits so that a t conversion factor could be established for compar­ ing the 1976 measurements with those obtained in 198,'i and subsequent years. In addition, previous positions of several cays are indicated by the occurrences of beachrock now separated from the cays. Six radiocarbon dates were obtained from Tridacna maxima clam shells which were embedded in the beachrock Monitoring the Vegetation of the Cays The cays of the Swain Reefs have been visited at irregular intervals since 1967, with the visits for some cays becoming yearly beginning in 1980 and twice yearly beginning in 1984. At each regular visit, a careful search for plants was made on each island and a floral list, believed to 0·5 Km be complete, was compiled.
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