Shushah Island (northeastern Red Sea) FoRAM Index calculation
Description
The northeastern Red Sea (Saudi Arabia) is currently being transformed to become a global hub of economic activity and tourism. This transformation requires the development of pristine coastal areas into populated and dynamic settlements. At the same time, the northern Red Sea is considered a climate refuge for corals in changing climate conditions, and efforts to preserve and protect marine biodiversity are being proposed. Accordingly, foraminifers are an efficient tool to assess and monitor their associated coral reefs’ health. This study reports a modern-day health assessment of the corals of Shushah Island (Saudi Arabia) in the northeastern Red Sea as a reference for future monitoring as inferred by applying the FoRAM Index method. In general, our results revealed healthy conditions conducive to coral growth, yet some precautions and regular assessments are recommended. Accordingly, samples were washed through a standard 125-µm mesh sieve under pressurized water, and then dried in furnace at 40°C. At least 150 benthic foraminifer individuals from 1 gr of dried sample were picked using a brush under a bin-ocular microscope. Taxonomic identification was based on Hottinger et al. (1993). Picked individuals later were categorized into three functional groups representing symbiont-bearing taxa (s), opportunistic/stress tolerant taxa (o), and other smaller taxa (h) to calculate the Foraminifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring (FoRAM) Index (FI).