Li J and Wang P (2019), Discovery of Deep-Water Bamboo Coral Forest in ...

ECB-ART-47520

Sci Rep 2019 Oct 29;91:15453. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51797-3.

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Discovery of Deep-Water Bamboo Coral Forest in the South China Sea.

Li J , Wang P .

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A deep-water coral forest, characterized by slender and whip-shaped bamboo corals has been discovered from water depths of 1200-1380 m at the western edge of the Xisha (Paracel Islands) area in the South China Sea. The bamboo corals are often accompanied by cold-water gorgonian "sea fan" corals: Anthogorgia sp. and Calyptrophora sp., as well as assemblages of sponges, cirrate octopuses, crinoids and other animals. The coral density increased toward the shallower areas from 24.8 to 220 colonies per 100 m2 from 1380 m to 1200 m water depth. This is the first set of observations of deep-water bamboo coral forests in Southeast Asia, opening a new frontier for systematic, ecological and conservation studies to understand the deep-coral ecosystem in the region.

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Genes referenced: LOC100887844 LOC583082

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References [+] :

Carpenter, One-third of reef-building corals face elevated extinction risk from climate change and local impacts. 2008, Pubmed

	Figure 1. Location of 2018 dive sites in the Xisha Islands area, SCS.
	Figure 2. Deep-water bamboo coral forest of Lepidisis from the Xisha Islands area, NW South China Sea. (A) Bamboo corals with sea fans Anthogorgia (a); (B) A colony of bamboo coral Lepidisis sp. over 2 m in height; (C) Bamboo corals with sea fans Calyptrophora (b); (D) Bamboo coral forest; (E) Sea fan Calyptrophora (b), sponge (c) and bamboo corals.
	Figure 3. Depth distribution of colony density of deep-water corals along the lower slope of Ganquan reef, South China Sea (see Table 1).