HARD CORAL ASSEMBLAGES ON SEAWALLS IN SINGAPORE

Singapore's shores have been extensively modifi ed to meet the rising demands of economic and recreational activities, and seawalls are a resultant ubiquitous feature of the island state's coastline. In spite of the harsh environmental conditions, seawalls in Singapore are known to harbour rich intertidal communities. This study surveyed the hard coral assemblages at zones immediately above and below the chart datum of seawalls at the southern offshore islands. Seventeen genera of hard corals were recorded. Zones below chart datum had greater diversity (14-15 genera; 17 colonies/m 2 ) than those above (10-14 genera; 7 colonies/m 2 ) and of the physical characteristics analysed, only depth infl uenced the distribution of coral communities on seawalls. With increasing deterioration of natural reefs and degradation to loose rubble, the results indicate that seawalls can provide a suitable substrate for the recruitment and growth of hermatypic corals. If appropriately designed, seawalls can assist in the recolonisation of corals and reef communities and function as cost-effective forms of artifi cial reefs.

[1]  L. Chou,et al.  NATURAL COLONISATION OF A MARINA SEAWALL BY SCLERACTINIAN CORALS ALONG SINGAPORE ' S EAST COAST , 2012 .

[2]  C. Pow.  Living it up: Super-rich enclave and transnational elite urbanism in Singapore , 2011 .

[3]  A. J. Underwood,et al.  Evaluation of ecological engineering of "armoured" shorelines to improve their value as habitat. , 2011 .

[4]  J. García-Gómez,et al.  Marine artificial micro-reserves: a possibility for the conservation of endangered species living on artificial substrata , 2011 .

[5]  J. Burt,et al.  Benthic development on large-scale engineered reefs: A comparison of communities among breakwaters of different age and natural reefs , 2011 .

[6]  Fabio Bulleri,et al.  The introduction of coastal infrastructure as a driver of change in marine environments , 2010 .

[7]  C. Ming,et al.  NATURAL CORAL COLONIZATION OF A MARINA SEAWALL IN SINGAPORE , 2010 .

[8]  T. Sin,et al.  Intertidal assemblages on coastal defence structure in Singapore. II. Contrasts between islands and the mainland. , 2009 .

[9]  A. C. Lee,et al.  INTERTIDAL ASSEMBLAGES ON COASTAL DEFENCE STRUCTURES IN SINGAPORE I: A FAUNAL STUDY , 2009 .

[10]  K. Tan,et al.  VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION, SPAWNING AND RECRUITMENT OF SIPHONARIA GUAMENSIS (GASTROPODA: PULMONATA) ON A SEAWALL IN SINGAPORE , 2009 .

[11]  Danwei Huang,et al.  AN INVENTORY OF ZOOXANTHELLATE SCLERACTINIAN CORALS IN SINGAPORE, INCLUDING 33 NEW RECORDS , 2009 .

[12]  Chad L. Hewitt,et al.  Nonindigenous biota on artificial structures: could habitat creation facilitate biological invasions? , 2007 .

[13]  Chaolun Allen Chen,et al.  Unexpected coral diversity on the breakwaters: potential refuges for depleting coral reefs , 2007, Coral Reefs.

[14]  L. Chou.  Marine Habitats in One of the World’s Busiest Harbours , 2006 .

[15]  Jurgenne H. Primavera,et al.  Overcoming the impacts of aquaculture on the coastal zone , 2006 .

[16]  Danwei Huang,et al.  EFFECTS OF SHORE HEIGHT AND VISITOR PRESSURE ON THE DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOUR INTERTIDAL TAXA AT LABRADOR BEACH, SINGAPORE , 2006 .

[17]  Grete E. Dinesen,et al.  Low-crested coastal defence structures as artificial habitats for marine life: Using ecological criteria in design , 2005 .

[18]  Richard C. Thompson,et al.  An ecological perspective on the deployment and design of low-crested and other hard coastal defence structures , 2005 .

[19]  M. Chapman,et al.  Intertidal assemblages on seawalls and vertical rocky shores in Sydney Harbour, Australia , 2005 .

[20]  S. Carpenter,et al.  Global Consequences of Land Use , 2005, Science.

[21]  F. Bulleri.  The introduction of artificial structures on marine soft- and hard-bottoms: ecological implications of epibiota , 2005, Environmental Conservation.

[22]  A. Baird,et al.  Reproductive seasonality in an equatorial assemblage of scleractinian corals , 2005, Coral Reefs.

[23]  Fabio Bulleri,et al.  Intertidal assemblages on artificial and natural habitats in marinas on the north-west coast of Italy , 2004 .

[24]  Fabio Bulleri,et al.  Intertidal seawalls—new features of landscape in intertidal environments , 2003 .

[25]  Richard C. Thompson,et al.  Rocky intertidal communities: past environmental changes, present status and predictions for the next 25 years , 2002, Environmental Conservation.

[26]  Yehuda Benayahu,et al.  Vertical artificial structures as an alternative habitat for coral reef fishes in disturbed environments , 1998 .

[27]  R. Kenchington.  Tourism in coastal and marine environments: a recreational perspective. , 1993 .