Estimation of the Benthic Habitat Zonation by Photo-Quadrat Image Analysis along the Fringing Reef of Weno Island, Chuuk, Micronesia

Abstract

Benthic habitat zonation is described from in situ observations and seabed photographs taken from the coastal area of Weno Island, Chuuk, Micronesia. Habitat groups, types, and boundaries are defined by visible substratum characteristics (i.e., in situ and by digital imaging of photo-quadrats along transect lines), and by cluster and ordination analyses using relative coverage percentage of identified classification categories. The statistical similarity between habitat groups is determined by Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM). Benthic habitat groups with significant influence on the determination of habitat type are isolated by the similarity percentage (SIMPER) test. In addition to the standard practices of using transect lines and collecting data in accordance with the already well-implemented and thoroughly-tested benthic habitat classification scheme for tropical reef monitoring, we applied simple statistics that enable comparative data interpretation. Our simple, repeatable methods provide a framework for benthic habitat-related monitoring research that allows the comparison of results across regions.