Micronesica
Jones RS and Chase JA. 1975. Micronesica. Community structures and distribution of fishes in an enclosed high island lagoon in Guam. 11(1):127-148
Cocos lagoon is described as a barrier reef enclosed ecosystem located at the foot of the southern mountain range on the island of Guam. The lagoon is shown to comprise a diverse array for environments and is considered to be an important natural recreational and fishery resource to the island. Six distinct fish communities in six biotopes are investigated. One biotope is included from outside the barrier for comparing lagoon communities with an open ocean reef community. The lagoon biotopes discussed are the coral-rich walls of Mamaon and Manell channels, the lagoon patch reefs, the barrier reef flat, the seagrass beds including Halodule and Enhalus species, and the sand bottoms of the lagoon floor and channels. Visual fish counts are conducted within the six biotopes to characterize the community structure of each. Results of 42 transects along with an equal number of random (qualitative) counts are discussed. Importance values, linear, biomass and, where possible, actual biomass figures are calculated for each species within the biotopes. Shannon-Wiener diversity indices are computed along with coefficients of community for each biotope and the results used to compare species diversity and community structure between biotopes. Includes checklist of the fishes.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Jones, Robert; Chase, Jennifer
- Units
- PACN , WAPA
- Keywords
- Fish/Ichthyology, Guam, Lagoon, Seagrass