A STATISTICAL-ANALYSIS OF CORAL COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO THE 1982-83 EL-NINO IN THE THOUSAND ISLANDS, INDONESIA

Changes in species composition of coral communities at South Pari and South Tikus Islands, Indonesia, were examined through six sampling occasions over the period 1981 to 1988. In addition to computation of standard univariate measures of species diversity, techniques developed for use with soft-sediment community data were applied. These included graphical descriptors (k-dominance curves) and multivariate ordinations (multidimensional scaling), together with associated non-parametric multivariate significance tests which allowed hypotheses about community change to be examined. Both univariate and graphical methods illustrated clearly the major community changes following the 1982-83 El Niño, though the multivariate techniques were more sensitive in monitoring the recovery stages in later years. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.