Question:
Is there a difference in coral species between the South and North Shores of Bermuda?
Methods:
The purpose of this experiment was to survey coral reef sites along the shore of Bermuda and compare the species present between sites on the North Shore versus the South Shore. Two sites for each location were chosen and the survey was completed over the course of three days via snorkeling. The sites for the North Shore were Tobacco Bay and Whalebone Bay, both located north of St. George while the South Shore sites, Church Bay and John Smith's Bay, were on the complete opposite end of the island (see map below). These sites had varying characteristics as far as anthropogenic disturbance and size, but all were in less than 15m of water and were surveyed around the same tidal schedule.
Results:
At all four sites the following corals were seen in abundance: Diploria strigosa, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Porities asteroides, Montastrea cavernosa and Montastrea franksii. Favia fragum was seen at all sites as well but in considerably smaller amounts. There was no difference in species of corals observed between the north and south shores. For species specific information please visit the Coralpedia at http://coralpedia.bio.warwick.ac.uk/
