Fish Colonization of an Artificial Reef in the Gulf of Elat, Northern Red Sea |
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Authors: | Daniel Golani Ariel Diamant |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Evolution, Systematics and Ecology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel (e-mail;(2) National Center of Mariculture, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Ltd., Eilat, Israel (e-mail |
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Abstract: | A small near shore artificial reef was constructed in the Gulf of Elat, northern Red Sea at a depth of 22–24m. The colonization of fishes was monitored for a period of 728 days and a total of 94 species was recorded. Colonization was initially rapid. The first species to appear were Dascyllus trimaculatus and Chaetodon paucifasciatus (day 2). In the first seven months, a gradual increase in the number of species was observed, after which it leveled off. Subsequently, a reduction in the number of individuals increased diversity of the community, as measured by the Shannon & Weaver index. The low complexity of the major components of the artificial reef, in addition to its location on a muddy, silty substrate, resulted in a constant cover of fine grain particles which presumably discouraged settlement of invertebrates and small cryptic fish species on the artificial reef. |
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Keywords: | fish community recruitment patterns diversity |
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