Deterioration Index (DI): a suggested criterion for assessing the health of coral communities

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 48; no. 9; pp. 954 - 960
• Main Authors: Ben-Tzvi, O., Loya, Y., Abelson, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Anthozoa; Anthozoa - growth & development; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation of Natural Resources - methods; Coral reef; Deterioration; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Monitoring - standards; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine; Monitoring; Mortality; Mortality rate; Oceans and Seas; Population Dynamics; Recruitment rate; Red Sea; Reproduction - physiology; Scleractinia; Techniques; Red Sea; Gulf of Aqaba; Israel, Eilat; ISW, Red Sea; ISW, Israel, Southern, Elat; Coral reef; Red Sea; Recruitment rate; Mortality rate; Deterioration; Monitoring; Mortality; Biological indicator; Method; Biological monitoring; Deterioration index; Marine environment; Coelenterata; Health status; Animal community; Cnidaria; Population recruitment; Invertebrata; Species richness

The extensive deterioration of coral reefs worldwide highlights the importance of creating efficient monitoring methods to best assess their state of health. At present, several suggested parameters serve such indicators. None of these, however, is well accepted as reliably representing reef communi...