CRED Rapid Ecological Assessments of Coral Population in the Pacific Ocean 2007-2010

Abstract written by OBIS-USA using excerpts from CRED homepage.

Corals are the defining species in one of the highest diversity marine ecosystems, coral reefs. CRED studies of corals address basic questions concerning the distribution, abundance, and condition of corals and coral reefs throughout selected areas of the tropical and subtropical Pacific under U.S. jurisdiction.

The suite of questions addressed by CRED studies includes:

(1) What is the diversity and relative abundance of corals?

(2) How can the habitats in which corals occur be qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed?

(3) What is the spatial distribution of habitats in which corals occur?

(4) What is the capacity of corals to replenish populations over space and time?

(5) What are appropriate indicators of reef health?

(6) Are the reefs healthy?

(7) How are the reefs changing over time?

Several methods are used to address these questions. Any one method can address only a certain subset of questions; no one method can address them all. Methods used by CRED and its partners include towed diver surveys, Rapid Ecological Assessments (REAs), permanent transects, recruitment plates, and sampling for assessment of reproductive status.