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Quantitative Reef Assessment Studies In Bermuda: A Comparison Of Methods And Preliminary Results, Richard E. Dodge, Alan Logan, Arnfried Antonius

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

To compare in quantitative terms both ecological characteristics of the stony coral fauna at various reef sites in Bermuda and available assessment methodologies, we present a study of four separate methods at each of three reef sites. Three plotless (Intersected-length, Quarter point, Point) and one quadrat (Belt-quadrat) methods were employed. Each technique gave similar results but had inherent advantages and disadvantages which involve trade-offs in quantity and type of information generated and time required for use.

Pooling of method results revealed that total coral coverage was highest at North Rock (26%), intermediate at Three Hill Shoals (17%), and lowest at …