Mcintyre Reef second flank

Surveyed 29-Nov-02.

Branching and massive corals on the second flank of McIntyre reef.29-Nov-02

Luxurious growth of branching Acropora corals.29-Nov-02

View of some dead branching coral that provides a base for colonial ascidians.29-Nov-02

White syndrome on branching Acropora corals, bears a strong resemblance to scars left by crown-of-thorns starfish feeding activity.29-Nov-02

The second flank of Mcintyre Reef is sheltered from the prevailing wind and sea conditions found within the lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef. Manta tow surveys were conducted on the reef slope. The reef slope is generally moderate dropping off into deep water with no discernable bottom. The reef structure has few features including gullies and bommies.

The benthic community was dominated by hard coral, but soft coral and coralline/turf algae were also common. Hard coral cover on the reef second flank was very high composed mainly of Acropora species. The dominant coral lifeform was branching, but other forms such as tabulate and massive corals were also present in decreasing order of abundance. Coral bleaching was not present.

The fish abundance on the second flank of Mcintyre Reef was moderate. Conspicuous groups of reef fishes included pomacentrids, surgeon fish, parrot fish and fusiliers. Crown-of-thorns starfish were observed on the second flank of Mcintyre Reef below levels that may be expected to impact on live coral cover. Black band disease was present on hard corals. White syndromes (such as white band disease or shutdown reaction) were common on hard corals.

AIMS home

web@aims.gov.au

Last updated - April 17, 2003

URL http://www.aims.gov.au

[../../../navigation/nav01-bottom.html]