INTERANNUAL VARIABILITY OF THE TIAHURA BARRIER-REEF COMMUNITIES (MOOREA ISLAND, FRENCH-POLYNESIA)

The interannual variability of the five dominant coral reef communitie s of the French Polynesia seascape (algae, corals, echinoderms, mollus cs and fishes) was studied from 1990 to 1994 in the Tiahura sector of Moorea Island. Qualitative (species richness) and quantitative (cover percentage or density, depending on the type of community) stability i s shown for benthic communities (algae, corals, echinoderms and mollus cs), except for the macroalgae group and for bivalve species Tridacna maxima. In contrast, the fish community shows in its abundance a signi ficant interannual variability characterized by a recruitment peak in 1991 and gradual and stochastic changes of densities for a few species . The bleaching events (in 1991 and 1994) and the cyclone Wasa (Decemb er 1991) had no notable negative impact on the five communities, excep t for species Tridacna maxima. Comparisons with surveys conducted in t he Tiahura sector from 1971 to 1990 suggest that this coral reef ecosy stem, as organized at present, is especially robust in the face of nat ural disturbances.