RESEARCH ARTICLE
Corallimorph and Montipora
Reefs in Ulithi Atoll, Micronesia: documenting unusual
reefs
Nicole L. Crane, Michelle
J. Paddack, Peter A. Nelson, Avigdor Abelson, John
Rulmal, Jr. & Giacomo Bernardi
Abstract
Here we report the presence
of two unusual reef types at Ulithi Atoll, Yap State,
Federated States of Micronesia: 1. a corallimorph-dominated
reef off the island of Mogmog is found within an otherwise
coral-dominated area, and 2. a general spread of Montipora
reefs that were found to dominate the reef landscapes
near inhabited islands. The Montipora reefs
primarily occur near villages and in disturbed areas
such as near boat-launch ramps. Indigenous people
in the area say these reefs are fairly recent (ca.
late 1960s) and that Montipora has been spreading
rapidly.
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CITATION:
Crane, N.L., Paddack, M.J.,
Nelson, P.A., Abelson, A., Rulmal, J. & Bernardi,
G. (2016) Corallimorph and Montipora Reefs
in Ulithi Atoll, Micronesia: documenting unusual reefs.
Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 21,
10-17.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.51289
publication date: 10 May
2016
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