Interactions between hard corals and reef fish communities in the Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara Timur

Abstract

Abstract The Komodo National Park is one of the largest National Parks in Indonesia that conserves not only terrestrial to protect the habitat of Komodo dragons but also marine areas. The marine ecosystems play important roles in protecting the shoreline from abrasion and supporting sustainability of seafood supplies for local communities. This study presents observed interactions between hard corals (number of species and coverage) and reef fish communities (number of species, abundance, and biomass). Coral monitoring was conducted at 12 stations in 2019. The study found 211 species of hard corals with an average hard coral cover of 30.84%. There is no significant correlation between the number of coral species with the fish communities. However, the branching coral cover shows a significant correlation with herbivorous fish communities (the number of species, abundance, and biomass. Such correlation may be attributed to the structural complexity of branching corals which provides shelters that prevent herbivorous fish from predation. Although branching corals are physically vulnerable to destruction and bleaching, their existence can promote herbivorous fish population sustainability and reef resilience.