Research Publication No. 49

Scales and Magnitudes of Variation in Population Densities of Some Coral Reef Organisms Implications for the Design of Sampling and Monitoring Procedures

B D Mapstone
Department of Marine Biology
James Cook University

A M Ayling
Sea Research

JHChoat
Department of Marine Biology
James Cook University

March 1998

COVER PAGE & VERSO [Adobe Acrobat Format 85.16KB]
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY [Adobe Acrobat Format 123.17KB]
TABLE OF CONTENTS [Adobe Acrobat Format 164.44KB]
- Tables
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION [Adobe Acrobat Format 400.50KB]
- A General Monitoring Protocol for the GBR
- Random Variances & Sampling Designs
METHODS [Adobe Acrobat Format 1493.50KB]
- Field Methods & Data Processing
- Timing & Reef Selection
- Sampling within reefs
- Habitats
- Locations, sites, 6% transects
- Taxa Surveyed
- Survey Methods
- Counts of Fish and Large Discrete Benthos
- Percent Coverage by Benthos and Counts of Small Corals
- Data Processing
- Statistical Methods
- Preliminary Screening of Data
- Estimation of Variance Components
- Systematic Patterns in Variation
- Hypothesis Testing
- A posteriori Separation of Effects
- Estimation of Sample Sizes
- Cost-Benefit Procedures
- Sample Sizes to Detect Specific Effects
- Effects of Incomplete Sampling within Reefs
RESULTS [Adobe Acrobat Format 3688.30KB]
- Scale Related Components of Variation
- Spatial patterns in Coefficients of Variation
- Estimation of Sampling Requirements
- Allocation of Sampling Effort Within Reefs..
- Numbers of Reefs or Locations to be Sampled..
- Location Specific Patterns Among Reefs
DISCUSSION [Adobe Acrobat Format 580.75KB]
- Scales of Variation
- Predictions of Future Sampling Requirements
- Sub-sampling Reefs
- Replication of Experimental units
- Sampling to Represent Reef Status and Large Scale Pattern
- Future Directions
REFERENCES [Adobe Acrobat Format 727.72KB]
APPENDIX [Adobe Acrobat Format 1216.56KB]