A comparison of video and point intercept transect methods for monitoring subtropical coral communities

This study evaluated the use of video transects obtained from SCUBA divers or remote operated vehicle (ROV) and point intercept transect (PIT) method from divers for monitoring subtropical coral communities. Comparisons were made between the datasets obtained by the ROV and SCUBA diver video transect (‘Diver’) and the PIT method on three nearby coral sites with different hydrographies, scleractinian coral composition, dominant species and percentage cover. There was no significant difference between the ROV and ‘Diver’ datasets whereas the PIT method tended to over-estimate percentage cover at sites where corals are not extensive. Power analysis showed that the minimum detectable change in coral percentage cover, δ, had low mean values between 0.39% and 1.65% for the ROV dataset, 0.66% for the “Diver’ dataset, and 12.11% for the PIT dataset. This implied that the ROV and SCUBA survey methods can produce higher precision in terms of detecting temporal changes in coral communities and are thus more suitable for scientific research and management purposes than the PIT method. Other advantages of using video transects by SCUBA divers or ROV include provision of permanent records for subsequent studies and public information, less field time incurred and wider survey areas.