CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CORAL COMMUNITIES AND REEFS OF TWO PREVIOUSLY UNDESCRIBED LOCATIONS IN THE UPWELLING REGION OF GULF OF PAPAGAYO (COSTA RICA)

Authors

  • Carlos Jiménez-Centeno Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
  • Giovanni Bassey Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica
  • Álvaro Segura Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza, Costa Rica
  • Jorge Cortés-Nuñez Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7004-8649

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15359/revmar.2.8

Keywords:

Coral reef, coral cover, upwelling, Costa Rica, Papagayo

Abstract

In the seasonal upwelling region of Gulf of Papagayo (Northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica), we evaluated and described two previously poorly known coral habitats, Punta Cacique and Bahía Guacamaya. Both localities differed in the extent of the frame-building coral communities and their composition. While Bahía Guacamaya and Punta Cacique had a similar number of coral species (16), live coral cover percent was higher in the coral reefs (ca. 50% vs. 90%) and coral communities (ca. 40% vs. 50%) of the latter. At both localities, branching species (Pocillopora spp.) contributed more as a group to the live coral cover than massive and encrusting corals. Bahía Guacamaya has the largest colonies found so far of two coral species (Pocillopora eydouxi and Pocillopora meandrina) with a limited distribution in Costa Rica. Using long-term records of environmental data, we characterized the seasonality of the upwelling and the dry and rainy seasons that partially explained the low suspension sediment loads and fresh water discharge into Papagayo’s coral habitats. The results of our study are important due to the rapid development of the coastal zone of Papagayo and because only a fraction of the littoral has been systematically surveyed. Therefore, we call for more studies that aim to produce baseline data of coral habitats in the area.

Author Biographies

Carlos Jiménez-Centeno, Universidad de Costa Rica

Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR), San Pedro, 11501-2060, San José, Costa Rica.

Giovanni Bassey, Universidad Nacional

Programa de Maestría en Ciencias Marinas y Costeras

Álvaro Segura, Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza

WWF., Apdo. 629-2350, San Francisco de Dos Ríos

Jorge Cortés-Nuñez, Universidad de Costa Rica

Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR), San Pedro, 11501-2060, San José, Costa Rica.

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Published

2010-12-11

How to Cite

Jiménez-Centeno, C., Bassey, G., Segura, Álvaro, & Cortés-Nuñez, J. (2010). CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CORAL COMMUNITIES AND REEFS OF TWO PREVIOUSLY UNDESCRIBED LOCATIONS IN THE UPWELLING REGION OF GULF OF PAPAGAYO (COSTA RICA). Journal of Marine and Coastal Sciences, 2, 95-108. https://doi.org/10.15359/revmar.2.8

Issue

Section

Scientific articles

How to Cite

Jiménez-Centeno, C., Bassey, G., Segura, Álvaro, & Cortés-Nuñez, J. (2010). CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CORAL COMMUNITIES AND REEFS OF TWO PREVIOUSLY UNDESCRIBED LOCATIONS IN THE UPWELLING REGION OF GULF OF PAPAGAYO (COSTA RICA). Journal of Marine and Coastal Sciences, 2, 95-108. https://doi.org/10.15359/revmar.2.8

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