%0 Journal Article
%T The Alcyonacea (soft corals and sea fans) of Antsiranana Bay, northern Madagascar
%A AJ Evans
%A MD Steer
%A EMS Belle
%J Madagascar Conservation & Development
%D 2011
%I Madagascar Wildlife Conservation, Jane Goodall Institute Switzerland
%X During the past two decades, the Alcyonacea (soft corals and sea fans) of the western Indian Ocean have been the subject of numerous studies investigating their ecology and distribution. Comparatively, Madagascar remains understudied. This article provides the first record of the distribution of Alcyonacea on the shallow fringing reefs around Antsiranana Bay, northern Madagascar. Alcyonacea accounted for between one and 16 % of the reef benthos surveyed; 11 genera belonging to four families, and several unidentified gorgonians (sea fans) were recorded. Abundant and diverse Alcyonacea assemblages were recorded on reefs that were exposed with high water clarity. However, abundant and diverse communities were also observed on sheltered reefs with low water clarity, high sediment cover and relatively low hard coral cover, implying potential competitive advantage under these conditions. Where prevailing environmental conditions were relatively moderate, the Alcyonacea assemblages were generally characterised by low diversity and an abundance of Sinularia and Sarcophyton. Because of the current lack of knowledge about the coral reefs in Antsiranana Bay, it was not possible to suggest any appropriate management actions. We propose that this account should be built upon with similar studies of other reef taxa. This series would address the paucity of published information from this part of the western Indian Ocean, and would provide the baseline information necessary to inform future management plans for the area. L¡¯int¨¦r¨ºt port¨¦ aux Octocoralliaires et leurs propri¨¦t¨¦s ne cesse de cro tre ¨¤ l¡¯¨¦chelle mondiale, en ¨¦tant ¨¤ la fois pris¨¦s par l¡¯aquariophilie mais ¨¦galement recherch¨¦s dans la recherche m¨¦dicale. Durant les deux derni¨¨res d¨¦cennies, les octocoralliaires de la r¨¦gion sub - ¨¦quatoriale de l¡¯Afrique de l¡¯Est ont fait l¡¯objet de nombreuses ¨¦tudes portant sur leur ¨¦cologie et leur distribution, mais, le nord de Madagascar restait tr¨¨s peu ¨¦tudi¨¦. Cet article d¨¦crit pour la premi¨¨re fois l¡¯abondance, la diversit¨¦ et la distribution des Alcyonacea et des Gorgonacea rencontr¨¦s dans la baie d¡¯Antsiranana, l¡¯une des plus grandes baies naturelles du monde, et fournit ainsi des informations essentielles sur la r¨¦gion pour le d¨¦veloppement ¨¦ventuel de strat¨¦gies de conservation. Les Octocoralliaires repr¨¦sentent entre 1 et 16 % de la couverture benthique des r¨¦cifs ¨¦tudi¨¦s ; onze genres d¡¯Alcyonacea, appartenant ¨¤ quatre familles, et de nombreuses esp¨¨ces de Gorgonacea (coraux corn¨¦s) ont ¨¦t¨¦ enregistr¨¦s. Il a ¨¦t¨¦ observ¨¦ que les r¨¦cifs les plus expos¨¦s avec les eaux les moins turbides ¨¦taient favorables ¨¤ une biodiversit¨¦ d¡¯Octocoralliaires plus ¨¦lev¨¦e. Toutefois, des communaut¨¦s abondantes et diverses d¡¯Octocoralliaires ont ¨¦galement ¨¦t¨¦ observ¨¦es sur des r¨¦cifs prot¨¦g¨¦s aux eaux relativement turbides avec des niveaux de s¨¦dimentation et une pr¨¦sence d¡¯algues ¨¦lev¨¦s, mais avec une faible couverture de coraux durs (Scl¨¦ractiniaires) ; ceci pourrait impl
%U http://www.ajol.info/index.php/mcd/article/view/68062