Applying Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblage to Evaluate the Coral Reef Condition in Dongsha Atoll lagoon.

Abstract

were dominant, but the other symbiont-bearing foraminifera had lower values. These high FI values can be associated with seagrass meadows or relict shells in an altered environment. Eighty percent of the sediment samples had FI values lower than 4, indicating that most of the benthic habitats in the Dongsha lagoon are not suitable for coral growth and reef recovery. The present findings provide an alternative evaluation method based on foraminiferal assemblages for future studies on the environmental changes of coral reefs.