How many species live in The Houtman Abrolhos reef?
69813#63
The Houtman Abrolhos is unusual in having a luxuriant and diverse living coral reef at such a high latitude. 194 species in 50 genera have been recorded there, all but two of which are tropical. This is a surprisingly high coral diversity, considering the high latitude of the reef, and the relatively low diversity of other biota. For a full list, see list of corals of the Houtman Abrolhos.
Houtman Abrolhos
14861871#0
The marine waters of the Houtman Abrolhos, an island chain off the coast of Western Australia, have been recorded as containing 194 species of coral in 50 genera. This is a surprisingly high coral diversity, considering the high latitude of the reef, and the relatively low diversity of other biota. This is a list of corals of the Houtman Abrolhos:
List of corals of the Houtman Abrolhos
16035580#0
The marine waters of the Houtman Abrolhos, an island chain off the coast of Western Australia, has been recorded as containing 172 species of echinoderm in ?? genera. This extremely high diversity has been attributed to a combination of factors, namely: the position of the Houtman Abrolhos within a biotone between temperate and tropical waters; the wide variety of habitats; and the Leeuwin Current, which both transports tropical species southwards, and keeps the reef warm enough for them to survive. This is a list of echinoderms of the Houtman Abrolhos:
Published surveys have not included observations of the crown-of-thorns starfish ("Ananthaster planci"), and this species is therefore not listed above. However, individuals have occasionally been observed at the Houtman Abrolhos.
List of echinoderms of the Houtman Abrolhos
14257771#0
North Island is the northernmost island in the Houtman Abrolhos, a coral reef archipelago in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mid West Western Australia. Located about 14 km (9 mi) from the nearest island group, it is one of the largest islands in the Houtman Abrolhos, and one of the few to support dune systems. It has relatively diverse flora dominated by chenopod shrubs and fauna that includes the introduced tammar wallaby, around seven species of reptile, and about 15 resident bird species.
North Island (Houtman Abrolhos)
69813#55
260 species of benthic algae have been recorded at the Houtman Abrolhos. This figure comprises 178 species of red algae (Rhodophyta), 50 species of brown algae (Phaeophyta) and 32 species of green algae (Chlorophyta). Both temperate and tropical species are present, in many cases near the northern or southern extent of their range. For a full list, see list of algae of the Houtman Abrolhos.
Houtman Abrolhos
69813#64
The coral reef community at the Houtman Abrolhos is unusual in having tropical coral growing alongside and in direct competition with, temperate seaweed. As a result of this competition for light, space and nutrients, coral at the Houtman Abrolhos tends to grow more slowly and die younger than is usual. Reef production is to a large extent due to the production of carbon by coralline algae rather than by coral.
Houtman Abrolhos
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At last count, a total of 389 species of fish have been recorded from the Houtman Abrolhos. 16 species occur in very large numbers; in decreasing order of abundance, these are:
Commercially important species include "Pagrus auratus" (pink snapper), "Choerodon rubescens" (baldchin groper), "Glaucosoma hebraicum" (westralian dhufish) and "Plectropomus leopardus" (coral trout). For a complete list of fish species recorded at the Houtman Abrolhos, see List of fishes of the Houtman Abrolhos.
Houtman Abrolhos
69813#0
The Houtman Abrolhos (often informally called the Abrolhos Islands) is a chain of 122 islands, and associated coral reefs, in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia. Nominally located at , it lies about eighty kilometres (50 mi) west of Geraldton, Western Australia. It is the southernmost true coral reef in the Indian Ocean, and one of the highest latitude reef systems in the world. It is one of the world's most important seabird breeding sites, and is the centre of Western Australia's largest single-species fishery, the western rock lobster fishery. It has a small seasonal population of fishermen, and a limited number of tourists are permitted for day trips, but most of the land area is off limits as conservation habitat. It is well known as the site of numerous shipwrecks, the most famous being the Dutch ships "Batavia", which was wrecked in 1629, and "Zeewijk", wrecked in 1727.
Houtman Abrolhos
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23 terrestrial reptile species are known to occur on the islands of the Houtman Abrolhos. This relatively low biodiversity is apparently due to the homogeneity of habitat on the islands, which provide few distinct ecological niches. The most significant terrestrial reptile species are the spiny-tailed skink ("Egernia stokesii stokesii") and the carpet python ("Morelia spilota imbricata"), both of which are listed as rare and therefore afforded special protection under the "Wildlife Conservation Act 1950"; and the Abrolhos dwarf bearded dragon ("Pogona minor minima"), a Houtman Abrolhos endemic that is listed as a Priority 4 species by the Department of Environment and Conservation. For a full list of species, see list of reptiles of the Houtman Abrolhos.
Houtman Abrolhos
69813#68
Houtman Abrolhos has an extremely high diversity of echinoderms, with 172 species having been recorded there. 63% of these are tropical species, 14% are temperate, and 22% are endemic to Western Australia. None is endemic to the Houtman Abrolhos. Published surveys have not included observations of the crown-of-thorns starfish ("Ananthaster planci"), but individuals have occasionally been observed there. For a complete list of species, see list of echinoderms of the Houtman Abrolhos.
Houtman Abrolhos