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The Shallow-Water Macro Echinoderm Fauna of Nha Trang Bay (Vietnam): Status at the Onset of Protection of Habitats

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The Shallow-Water Macro Echinoderm Fauna of Nha Trang Bay (Vietnam): Status at the Onset of Protection of Habitats The Shallow-water Macro Echinoderm Fauna of Nha Trang Bay (Vietnam): Status at the Onset of Protection of Habitats Master Thesis in Marine Biology for the degree Candidatus scientiarum Øyvind Fjukmoen Institute of Biology University of Bergen Spring 2006 ABSTRACT Hon Mun Marine Protected Area, in Nha Trang Bay (South Central Vietnam) was established in 2002. In the first period after protection had been initiated, a baseline survey on the shallow-water macro echinoderm fauna was conducted. Reefs in the bay were surveyed by transects and free-swimming observations, over an area of about 6450 m2. The main area focused on was the core zone of the marine reserve, where fishing and harvesting is prohibited. Abundances, body sizes, microhabitat preferences and spatial patterns in distribution for the different species were analysed. A total of 32 different macro echinoderm taxa was recorded (7 crinoids, 9 asteroids, 7 echinoids and 8 holothurians). Reefs surveyed were dominated by the locally very abundant and widely distributed sea urchin Diadema setosum (Leske), which comprised 74% of all specimens counted. Most species were low in numbers, and showed high degree of small- scale spatial variation. Commercially valuable species of sea cucumbers and sea urchins were nearly absent from the reefs. Species inventories of shallow-water asteroids and echinoids in the South China Sea were analysed. The results indicate that the waters of Nha Trang have echinoid and asteroid fauna quite similar to that of the Spratly archipelago. Comparable pristine areas can thus be expected to be found around the offshore islands in the open parts of the South China Sea. The effects of echinoderms on the reefs, impacts from humans on the echinoderms and possible effects from protection of habitats are evaluated. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background .................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Objectives..................................................................................................................................................... 3 2. LOCATION ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 2.1 Nha Trang Bay ............................................................................................................................................. 4 2.2 Hon Mun Marine Protected Area ................................................................................................................. 5 3. MATERIAL AND METHODS .......................................................................................................................... 7 3.1 Study sites and time of field work................................................................................................................ 7 3.2 Sampling strategy......................................................................................................................................... 9 3.2.1 Diving ................................................................................................................................................... 9 3.2.2 Transects .............................................................................................................................................. 9 3.2.3 Free-swimming observations.............................................................................................................. 11 3.2.4 Species identifications ........................................................................................................................ 11 3.3 Data analyses.............................................................................................................................................. 12 3.3.1 Analyses of echinoderm community structure .................................................................................... 12 3.3.2 Presentation of spatial patterns.......................................................................................................... 14 3.3.3 Study of species occurrences in the South China Sea......................................................................... 15 3.3.4 Software and statistical tests .............................................................................................................. 16 4. RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 17 4.1 General findings ......................................................................................................................................... 17 4.2 Species-area relationship............................................................................................................................ 19 4.3 Echinoderm community structure .............................................................................................................. 20 4.3.1 Fauna composition ............................................................................................................................. 20 4.3.2 Comparisons between sites and transects .......................................................................................... 21 4.3.3 Habitat specific observations ............................................................................................................. 23 4.3.4 Depth specific observations................................................................................................................ 23 4.4 Densities, body sizes and spatial distributions for some of the species...................................................... 27 4.4.1 Crinoidea............................................................................................................................................ 27 4.4.2 Asteroidea........................................................................................................................................... 27 4.4.3 Echinoidea.......................................................................................................................................... 28 4.4.4 Holothuroidea..................................................................................................................................... 33 4.5 Similarities between areas in the South China Sea..................................................................................... 34 5. DISCUSSION................................................................................................................................................... 35 5.1 Discussion of Material and Methods.......................................................................................................... 35 5.1.1 Adequacy of sampling methods .......................................................................................................... 35 5.1.2 Sampling effort ................................................................................................................................... 37 5.2 Discussion of the results............................................................................................................................. 37 5.2.1 Species found...................................................................................................................................... 37 5.2.2 Diversity and rare species .................................................................................................................. 38 5.2.3 Microhabitat preferences: differences between transects and between depth intervals.................... 39 5.2.4 Site specific differences ...................................................................................................................... 41 5.2.5 Pristine areas in the South China Sea with similar fauna? ................................................................ 42 5.3 General Discussion..................................................................................................................................... 43 5.3.1 Effects from the echinoderms on reefs in Nha Trang Bay .................................................................. 43 5.3.2 Effects from humans on the echinoderms ........................................................................................... 45 5.3.3 Possible effects from protection of habitats........................................................................................ 49 5.4 Concluding remarks ................................................................................................................................... 51 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................. 52 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................................... 53 APPENDIX 1 - Transect properties and survey times .......................................................................................... 63 APPENDIX 2 - General observations and calculations ........................................................................................ 64 APPENDIX 3 - Stratification of transects
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