title: Application of baited remote underwater video stations to assess benthic coverage in the Persian Gulf.
abstract: A baited remote underwater video station (BRUVS) is generally considered an appropriate sampling tool for fish. The applicability of BRUVS to determine the substrate coverage was assessed by comparing stills from BRUVS videos to traditional point intercept transect (PIT) data to estimate percentage cover (PC) of different benthic substrate categories. Mean PCs of hard corals, rock, sand, and coral growth forms yielded statistically identical values with the two survey methods, while PCs of motile epibenthic invertebrates were underestimated by BRUVS in areas of both high and moderate relief. Yet, multivariate analyses revealed that the two methods yield similar substrate assemblage in an area of moderate relief. Results of our study suggest that the BRUVS can be effectively used to quantify both the presence/absence of a basic set of benthic habitat characteristics and diversity of coral growth forms on coral reefs in the Persian Gulf.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biological Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghazilou
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biological Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Electronic address: M_Shokri@sbu.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Shokri
authors.affiliation: School of the Environment, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gladstone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000254:growth & development*; D057894:Coral Reefs; D017753:Ecosystem; D005399:Fishes / Q000254:growth & development*; D019156:Indian Ocean; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D014741:Video Recording / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Percentage cover; Point intercept transect; Remote video; Substrate