Population Characteristics of Balanophyllia elegans in the San Juan Archipelago

Abstract

Though reef corals are heavily studied, little is known about temperate, solitary corals. We studied the distribution, size and abundance of Balanophyllia elegans in the San Juan Islands at 11 sites. Our methods consisted of analyzing photos from Madrona Tree and White Sign to determine the distributions of size and abundance at these two sites. We also looked at the effect of flow on coral size and density. We found that the distributions of B. elegans vary by site and depth and year. Corals have the highest density at high flow sites and the highest biomass at very high flow sites. Average coral size and biomass increased over time. Our findings call for future research on this San Juan species.