| 英文摘要 |
Coral reefs are the hotspots of marine biodiversity and are often regarded as the focus of marine protected areas. Due to the favorable environment for coral growth, corals are widely distributed on the northern, eastern, and southern coast and many offshore islands in Taiwan. However, the distribution and species diversity of corals in most areas are still unknown owing to the lack of systematic surveys. The aims of this study are to map the distribution of corals and to evaluate the status of coral reefs in the coastal areas of Taiwan by combining field surveys and satellite image analyses. In this second-year project, we surveyed the coral communities from Suao in Yilan County to the southern border of Taitung County and the areas with coral distributions were mapped. Based on species diversity, living cover, and functional status of coral communities, Shitiping in Hualian County, Sansientai, Lutao and Lanyu in Taitung County are identified as the hotspots of coral reef organisms. In addition, the coral community at Doufujia represents a particularly high diversity community in northern latitude that also need to be protected. The above areas are proposed as the priority sites for MPAs on eastern coast and offshore islands of Taiwan. |