Benthic Community Distribution Pattern in Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in Bali and Lombok

The biological communities in the shallow waters of the Lombok Strait have been reported. However, studies on the mesophotic coral reef ecosystems (MCEs) in this area remain scarce. In this study, we investigated the distribution patterns of benthic communities at two observation points, Bali and Lombok in this area taking into account depth gradients. Our results showed significant differences between Bali and Lombok with respect to dominant benthic communities (F (8,57) = 0.824, P 0.05). In Bali, “other communities” showed predominance followed by sponges and algae. However, for Lombok, the predominant community was sponges followed by hard corals and “other communities.” At both locations, the distribution patterns also showed significant depth-related differences: Bali (F (3,46) = 0.21, P 0.05) and Lombok (F(4.52) = 0.58, P 0.05). Additionally, we observed that the distribution pattern of benthic communities in the MCEs may be influenced by several factors, including depth and competition for growing space. Correlations between communities, based on depth and dominance showed conflicting results. This study also highlighted the potential of the distribution patterns of benthic communities in MCEs in Bali and Lombok to function as ecosystem buffers and raises awareness regarding the importance of protecting MCEs in conserving marine biodiversity.