Reef development varies considerably around the high, raised‐limestone islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Here we examine the modern assemblages at 30 sites for coral composition, colony density, colony size, and fidelity. We defined four reef types and hypothesize the presence of environmentally driven ecological stasis, whereby the environment continuously selects for coral species membership, defines colony sizes, and over time creates the noted reef types. Our results show that constructional spur‐and‐groove reefs supported significantly larger coral‐colony sizes and higher coral species richness compared with high‐relief interstitial framework, low‐relief incipient, and non‐constructional coral assemblages. Non‐constructional reefs supported much smaller coral colony sizes, despite similar population densities, and were consistently found in association with high wave exposure. The distinct coral assemblages found on interstitial framework and low‐relief incipient reefs were not affiliated with any wave exposure regime, but were located adjacent to large watersheds and on islands with unique geological history. These assemblages were nested within the spur‐and‐groove species pool. Overall, modern coral cover was well predicted by bathymetric slope and watershed size, while species richness was additively influenced by two proxies of pollution, suggesting the latter is better suited for establishing management targets. In contrast with previous studies that suggested modern assemblages were biologically controlled in the CNMI, we show reef assemblages and reef development are highly influenced by long‐term environmental forcing. 相似文献
Pb, Sr AND Nd-ISOTOPIC COMPOSITIONS OF PALEO AND NEO-TETHYAN OCEANIC CRUSTS IN THE EASTERN TETHYAN DOMAIN: IMPLICATION FOR THE INDIAN OCEAN-TYPE ISOTOPIC SIGNATURE 相似文献
The 117.38 m of gabbroic core drilled during the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 153 at Sites 921 to 924 in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) between 23 °N and the Kane Fracture Zone, exhibits a remarkable primary compositional heterogeneity, such as magmatic layering, intrusive contacts and late magmatic veining, which express a succession of magmatic events. Textural indicators suggest that the cooling of the crystal mush occurred in a dynamic environment, with infiltration of progressively evolved liquids. Magmatic features include random shape fabric and magmatic lamination; the subsequent deformational overprint occurred in subsolidus conditions. The ductile deformation, generally concentrated in discrete domains of the gabbro, is associated with continuous re-equilibration of the metamorphic assemblages of (1) olivine + clinopyroxene + orthopyroxene + plagioclase + ilmenite + Ti-magnetite, (2) olivine + clinopyroxene + plagioclase + ilmenite + Ti-magnetite + red hornblende. At lower temperatures brittle deformation prevails and subsequent fractures control the development of metamorphic assemblages: (3) clinopyroxene + plagioclase + red brown hornblende + Ti-magnetite + magnetite (?) + ilmenite, (4) plagioclase + brown hornblende + Ti-magnetite + magnetite + hematite + titanite ± Ti-oxide, (5) plagioclase + green hornblende + magnetite + titanite, (6) plagioclase + actinolite + chlorite + titanite + magnetite, (7) albite + actinolite + chlorite + prehnite ± epidote ± titanite and (8) albite + prehnite + chlorite ± smectite. Assemblages 1 to 8 express increasing water/rock ratios and decreasing degrees of recrystallization.
During the ductile phase, red hornblende is stable and its abundance increases with deformation intensity, possibly as an effect of the introduction of hydrous fluids. During the brittle phase, water diffusion controls the development of the fracture-filling mineral assemblages and re-equilibration of the adjacent rock; temperatures decrease further, as demonstrated by mineral zoning and incompletely re-equilibrated assemblages. The lowest temperatures correspond to the development of hydrothermal assemblages.
Compared with oceanic gabbros from fast-spreading transform environments, high-temperature ductile phases (granulite and amphibolite) are well developed, whereas brittle phases are widespread, as microcracks, prevalent on fracturing associated with discrete veins. 相似文献
The structure of the warm pool (region with temperature greater than 28°C) in the equatorial Indian Ocean is examined and
compared with its counterpart in the Pacific Ocean using the climatology of Levitus. Though the Pacific warm pool is larger
and warmer, a peculiarity of the pool in the Indian Ocean is its seasonal variation. The surface area of the pool changes
from 24 × 106 km2 in April to 8 × 106 km2 in September due to interaction with the southwest monsoon. The annual cycles of sea surface temperature at locations covered
by the pool during at least a part of the year show the following modes: (i) a cycle with no significant variation (observed
in the western equatorial Pacific and central and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean), (ii) a single maximum/minimum (northern
and southern part of the Pacific warm pool and the south Indian Ocean), (iii) two maxima/minima (Arabian Sea, western equatorial
Indian Ocean and southern Bay of Bengal), and (iv) a rapid rise, a steady phase and a rapid fall (northern Bay of Bengal). 相似文献