ELAT (GULF OF AQABA) LITTORAL: LIFE ON THE RED LINE OF BIODEGRADATION
In: Israel Journal of Ecology and EvolutionSearch for other papers by LEV FISHELSON in
Current site
Google Scholar
During the last three decades, intensive industrialization along the head of the Gulf of Aqaba has adversely affected the shallow water community, including the fringing coral reef. The main factors in this biodegradation and species extinction appear to be domestic and industrial effluents, dust from fertilizers from the harbor-loading station, and oil spills. In the last decade, tourism became a major negative factor, especially at the Elat Coral Reserve. The most prominent result of this deterioration is the depletion of the soft-bottom communities, with a serious decline in macro-infauna, such as echinoderms and some gastropod molluscs, and the dominance of nematodes and polychaetes on the polluted sites. The decline is also documented in the intertidal Tetraclita-Cellana community, which disappeared along with accompanying species. This has also been observed in the Coral Reserve. A similar decline is also seen in tidal fish populations of blennies, gobies, and singnathids. Pollution in the Coral Reserve has also adversely affected the dominant branching coral species, destroying most of these, thus causing the almost complete disappearance of symbiotic fish species, such as Dascyllus aruanus, Gobiodon spp., Paragobiodon spp., and Pseudochromis olivaceus, that formerly sheltered in these corals. Data are provided on the endangered species of the Elat littoral, including the Coral Reserve. It is suggested that only direct and immediate prevention of land-borne pollutants can halt the collapse of the littoral coral communites and, thus, enable their regeneration.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Amouroux L., Rullier F., Fishelson L.Systématique et ecologie d'Annelides Polychetes de la presqu'il du Sinai Isr. J. Zool 1978 27 57 163(in French, English abstr.)
-
Dafni J.Animal communities on dead corals under pollution at Eilat. M.Sc. thesis, Tel Aviv Univer. 190 pp. (in Hebrew) 1974
-
Dafni J.Abnormal growth patterns in the sea urchin Tripneustes cf. grattila (L.) under pollution (Echinodermata, Echinoidea) J. Explor. Mar. Biol. Ecol 1980 47 259 279
-
Dafni J., Fishelson L.Effects of pollution on the community structure of animals associated with dead corals in Elat (Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea) Proc. Symp. Environ. Qual. Ecosyst. Stability 1986 2 849 858
-
Echelman T., Fishelson L.Zooplankton dynamics in the northern Gulf of Aqaba (Eilat), Red Sea Bull. Inst. Oceanogr. Monaco 1990 7 67 77
-
Fishelson L.Observations on the biology and behaviour of Red Sea coral fishes Sea Fish. Res. Stn. Haifa Bull 1964 37 11 26
-
Fishelson L.Littoral fauna of the Red Sea: the population of non-scleractinian anthozoans of shallow waters of the Red Sea (Eilat) Mar. Biol 1970 6 106 116
-
Fishelson L.Ecology and distribution of the benthic fauna in the shallow waters of the Red Sea Mar. Biol 1971 10 113 133
-
Fishelson L.Ecological and biological phenomena influencing coral-species composition on the reef tables at Eilat (Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea) Mar. Biol 1973a 19 183 196
-
Fishelson L.Ecology of coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) influenced by pollution Oecologia 1973b 12 55 67
-
Fishelson L.Ecology of the northern Red Sea crinoids and their epi—and endozoic fauna Mar. Biol 1974 26 183 192
-
Fishelson L.Environmental extremes and changes of point diversity of invertebrates and fishes caused by recent changes in the coral reef environment at Eilat (Red Sea). Proc. Sixth Sci. Conf. Isr. Ecol. Soc 1975 53 63
-
Fishelson L.Stability and instability of marine ecosystems, illustrated by examples from the Red Sea Helgol. Wiss. Meeresunters 1977 30 18 29
-
Fishelson L.Marine reserves along the Sinai Peninsula (northern Red Sea) Helgol. Wiss. Meeresunters 1980 33 624 640
-
Fishelson L., Popper D., Gunderman N.Diurnal cyclic behaviour of Pempheris oualensis Cuv Val. (Pempheridae, Teleostei). J. Nat. Hist 1971 5 503 506
-
Fishelson L., Popper D., Avidor A.Biosociology and ecology of pomacentrid fishes around the Sinai Peninsula (northern Red Sea) J. Fish Biol 1974 6 119 133
-
Fishelson L., Yawetz Z., Perry A.S., Zuk-Rimon Z., Manelis R., Dotan A.The environmental health profile (EHP) for the Acre Valley: Xenobiotics in animals and physiological evidence of stress Sci. Total Environ 1994 144 33 45
-
Friedman G.M.Geology and geochemistry of reefs, carbonate sediments and waters, Gulf of Aqaba (Elat), Red Sea J. Sediment. Petrol 1968 38 895 919
-
Girdler R.W., The Red Sea—a geophysical background. Hot brines and recent heavy metal deposits in the Red Sea Degens E.T., Ross D.A.Springer-Verlag Berlin 1969 38 58
-
Gvirtzman G., Buchbinder A., Sneh Y., Nir A., Friedman G.M.Morphology of the Red Sea fringing reefs: A result of the erosional pattern of the last-glacial low-stand sea level and the following holocene recolonization 2nd Int. Fossil Coral and Coral Reef Symp., Paris, Mem. BRGM 1977 89 480 491
-
Krumbein W.E., The northern Red Sea, a historical sketch. Hypersaline ecosystems. Ecol. Stud., Anal. Synth. 53: Friedman G.M., Krumbein W.E.1985 18 38
-
Levanon-Spanier I., Padan E., Reiss Z.Primary production in a desert-enclosed sea—the Gulf of Elat (Aqaba), Red Sea Deep-Sea Res 1979 26 673 685
-
Lewinsohn C.Die Anomuren des Roten Meeres (Crustacea Decapoda: Paguridae, Galatheidae, Hippidae) Zool. Verh. (Leiden) 1969 104 1 213
-
Loya Y.Community structure and species diversity of hermatypic corals at Eilat, Red Sea Mar. Biol 1972 13 100 123
-
Loya Y.Possible effects of water pollution on the community structure of Red Sea corals Mar. Biol 1975 29 177 185
-
Loya Y.1976 259 478 479The Red Sea coral Stylophora pistillata is an r strategist. Nature (London)
-
Loya Y., Settlement, mortality and recruitment of a Red Sea scleractinian coral population. Coelenterate ecology and behaviour Mackie G.O.Plenum Press New York 1977 89 100
-
Loya Y., Slobodkin L.B.The coral reefs of Eilat (Gulf of Eilat, Red Sea) Symp. Zool. Soc.Lond 1971 28 117 139
-
Loya Y., Rinkevich B.Effect of oil pollution on coral reef communities Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser 1980 3 167 180
-
McIntyre A.D.Oil pollution and fisheries. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London B297: 1982 401 411
-
Moller T.H., Dick B., Goodman C.N.Fisheries and mariculture affected by oil spills Proc. 1989 Int. Oil-Spill Conf., San Antonio, American Petroleum Inst., Washington, DC, A.P.I. Publ 1989 4479 389 394
-
Popper D., Fishelson L.Ecology and behaviour of Anthias squamipinnis (Peters, 1955) (Anthiidae, Teleostei) in the coral habitat of Eilat (Red Sea) J. Exp. Zool 1973 184 409 424
-
Por F.D.Monitoring a changing Gulf: Premises and proposals (mimeograph of a lecture). Symp. Ecol. Syst. Gulf of Eilat, Elat, 2pp 1994
-
Reiss Z., Luz B., Almogi-Labin A., Halicz E., Winter A., Erez J.Paleoceanography of the Gulf of Aqaba during the last 150,000 years Rotterdam Balkema 1984 16 55 64Paleoecology of Africa. Vol
-
Rinkevich B., Loya Y.Harmful effects of chronic oil pollution on a Red Sea scleractinian coral population. Proc. Third Int. Coral Reef Symp., Miami, Vol 1977 2 586 591
-
Ruffo S.Contributo all conoscenza degli anfipodi del Mar Rosso Sea Fish. Res. Stn. Haifa Bull 1959 20 11 36
-
Rutman J., Fishelson L.Food composition and feeding behaviour of shallow-water crinoids at Eilat (Red Sea) Mar. Biol 1969 3 46 57
-
Safriel U., Lipkin Y.On the intertidal zonation of the rocky shores at Eilat (Red Sea, Israel) Isr. J. Zool 1964 13 187 190
-
Shpigel M., Fishelson L.Behaviour and physiology of coexistence in two species of Dascyllus (Pomacentridae, Teleostei) Environ. Biol. Fishes 1986 17 253 265
-
UNESCO Marine ecosystem modeling in the Eastern Mediterranean. Rep. UNESCO Workshop, Egypt 1977 84
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 170 | 52 | 15 |
| Full Text Views | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 14 | 0 | 0 |
ELAT (GULF OF AQABA) LITTORAL: LIFE ON THE RED LINE OF BIODEGRADATION
In: Israel Journal of Ecology and EvolutionSearch for other papers by LEV FISHELSON in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
During the last three decades, intensive industrialization along the head of the Gulf of Aqaba has adversely affected the shallow water community, including the fringing coral reef. The main factors in this biodegradation and species extinction appear to be domestic and industrial effluents, dust from fertilizers from the harbor-loading station, and oil spills. In the last decade, tourism became a major negative factor, especially at the Elat Coral Reserve. The most prominent result of this deterioration is the depletion of the soft-bottom communities, with a serious decline in macro-infauna, such as echinoderms and some gastropod molluscs, and the dominance of nematodes and polychaetes on the polluted sites. The decline is also documented in the intertidal Tetraclita-Cellana community, which disappeared along with accompanying species. This has also been observed in the Coral Reserve. A similar decline is also seen in tidal fish populations of blennies, gobies, and singnathids. Pollution in the Coral Reserve has also adversely affected the dominant branching coral species, destroying most of these, thus causing the almost complete disappearance of symbiotic fish species, such as Dascyllus aruanus, Gobiodon spp., Paragobiodon spp., and Pseudochromis olivaceus, that formerly sheltered in these corals. Data are provided on the endangered species of the Elat littoral, including the Coral Reserve. It is suggested that only direct and immediate prevention of land-borne pollutants can halt the collapse of the littoral coral communites and, thus, enable their regeneration.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 170 | 52 | 15 |
| Full Text Views | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 14 | 0 | 0 |
