Depth–transport functions and erosion–deposition diagrams as indicators of slope inclination and time-averaged traction forces: applications in tropical reef environments

The trigonometric relationship between slope inclination, the horizontally acting time‐averaged traction force and the vertical depth of transport allows the estimation of one factor, when both others are known. Depth–transport functions can be deduced by comparing the depth distributions of living organisms and their skeletal remains, and this paper simplifies this comparison using foraminifera in which a single test represents an individual. Differences in distribution parameters between living individuals and empty tests allow depth–transport functions to be determined; these functions differ between species at a single transect according to the varying buoyancies of the tests. Within a single species, differences in depth–transport functions between locations are based on either slope inclination or traction intensities. After establishing a mean depth–transport function by averaging species‐characteristic functions, the time‐averaged traction force acting on the studied transect can be calculated. Transport intensities are also estimated using an erosion–deposition diagram that combines the relative frequency distributions of living individuals and empty tests. The proportion of ‘eroded’, ‘parautochthonous’ and ‘allochthonous’ tests mirrors the influence of both slope inclination and traction force for the deposition of empty tests. To test the model, six species of symbiont‐bearing benthic foraminifers were investigated at two transects in front of a NW Pacific coral reef. One transect is distinguished by a strong slope flattening below the steep reef slope (30 m), whereas further steepening characterizes the equivalent part in the other transect. These differences are mirrored in the depth–transport functions as well as in the erosion–deposition diagrams of all species. The time‐averaged traction forces differ in intensities between transects, because of the position of the reef front with respect to the predominant wind direction. However, the form of the functions is identical and distinguished by an increase from the surface to 35 m depth, followed by a decrease down to 105 m. This can be explained by successive onshore and offshore forces acting on the shallow slope, such as the tropical cyclones that cross the region every summer.     

南海西北部珊瑚礁记录所反映的新构造运动*

珊瑚礁是发育于热带海洋环境中由生物作用和地质作用共同形成的地质体,具有独特的新构造运动意义。南海西北部珊瑚礁记录所反映的新构造运动主要有火山活动、地壳升降运动和地震活动等。珊瑚礁区第四纪火山活跃,到现代已停止活动,部分火山构成珊瑚礁的基座,个别出露海面为火山岛;地壳升降运动差异较大,雷州半岛西南部珊瑚礁呈上升趋势,上升率为0.02~0.05mm/a;西沙群岛等岛礁地壳运动则呈下降趋势,下降率为-0.07~-0.10mm/a,岛礁中的造礁石珊瑚生长率、礁顶和灰沙岛的堆积率均相当于或大于地壳下降率与现代海平面上升率的总和;南海西北部珊瑚礁区内地震活动较强,尤其是1994年12月31日和1995年1月10日在雷州半岛西南部海域发生了6.1级和6.2 级地震,这两次地震对该区珊瑚礁的发育有较大的影响。     

Field Signatures of the SE-Asian Mega-Tsunami along the West Coast of Thailand Compared to Holocene Paleo-Tsunami from the Atlantic Region

The Andaman-Sumatra Tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, was by far the largest tsunami catastrophe in human history. An earthquake of 9 to 9.3 on the Richter scale, the extension of waves over more than 5000 km of ocean and run-ups up to 35 m are its key features. These characteristics suggest significant changes in coastal morphology and high sediment transport rates. A field survey along the west coast of Thailand (Phuket Island, Khao Lak region including some Similan Islands, Nang Pha mangrove areas and Phi Phi Don Islands) seven to nine weeks after the tsunami, however, discovered only small changes in coastal morphology and a limited amount of dislocated sediments, restricted to the lower meters of the tsunami waves. This is in striking contrast to many paleo-tsunami's events of the Atlantic region. Explanations for this discrepancy are sought in: a. Mechanics of the earthquake. A rather slow shock impulse on the water masses over the very long earthquake zone, b. Shallow water in the earthquake zone, and c. Bathymetry of the foreshore zone at the impacted sites. Shallow water west of Thailand has diminished wave energy significantly. The differences in geomorphological and sedimentological signatures of this tsunami compared with many paleo-tsunami worldwide makes it unsuitable to be used as a model for old and future tsunami imprints by an event of this extreme energy and extension.     

Genetic structure of the tall sea pen Funiculina quadrangularis in NW Scottish sea lochs

The tall sea pen Funiculina quadrangularis has a patchy distribution around the UK, being found in sheltered waters below 20 m depth on the northwest coast of Scotland and Ireland. The limited distribution and sensitivity to bottom fishing activities make F. quadrangularis vulnerable to reduction in population numbers that may lead to genetic isolation and reduced diversity. Because of this vulnerability and low resilience to physical disturbance, the tall sea pen is recognised as a Species of Principle Importance under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act, 2006, UK. ( http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/16/contents ) and is also on the Biodiversity Action Plan list of Priority Species for the UK. In the Mediterranean it is recognised as a sensitive and essential fish habitat because it forms habitat for several commercially important crustaceans. The aim of this study was to understand the current state of the genetic structure and gene flow of F. quadrangularis in areas of NW Scotland. We developed 10 microsatellite markers and used them to genotype 176 samples from four populations. Overall, our results suggest that there is high genetic diversity and high gene flow between colonies of F. quadrangularis in and among locations in Loch Linnhe and Loch Duich. As a result of the high rates of gene flow, genetic differentiation between sites was low. This may provide resilience to human impacts if distant populations have a high connectivity. However, care must be taken, as small but significant isolation by distance was found between the most geographically distant sites and only a small part of the species range was examined in this study. The genetic tools developed here will provide a foundation for wider studies of this vulnerable species.     

Ecohydrographic constraints on biodiversity and distribution of phytoplankton and zooplankton in coral reefs of the Red Sea,Saudi Arabia

An integral concept of ecological research is the constraint of biodiversity along latitudinal and environmental gradients. The Red Sea features a natural example of a latitudinal gradient of salinity, temperature and nutrient richness. Coral reefs along the Red Sea coasts are supported with allochthonous resources such as oceanic and neritic phytoplankton and zooplankton; however, relatively little is known about how the ecohydrography correlates with plankton biodiversity and abundance. In this article we present the biodiversity of phytoplankton and zooplankton in Red Sea coral reefs. Oceanographic data (temperature, salinity), water samples for nutrient analysis, particulate organic matter, phytoplankton and zooplankton, the latter with special reference to Copepoda (Crustacea), were collected at nine coral reefs over ~1500 km distance along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. The trophic state of ambient waters [as indicated by chlorophyll a (Chl a)] changed from strong oligotrophy in the north to mesotrophy in the south and was associated with increasing biomasses of Bacillariophyceae, picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus as indicated by pigment fingerprinting (CHEMTAX) and flow cytometry. Net‐phytoplankton microscopy revealed a Trichodesmium erythraeum (Cyanobacteria) bloom north of the Farasan Islands. Several potentially harmful algae, including Dinophysis miles and Gonyaulax spinifera (Dinophyceae), were encountered in larger numbers in the vicinity of the aquaculture facilities at Al Lith. Changes in zooplankton abundance were mainly correlated to the phytoplankton biomass following the latitudinal gradient. The largest zooplankton abundance was observed at the Farasan Archipelago, despite high abundances of copepodites, veligers (Gastropoda larvae) and Chaetognatha at Al Lith. Although the community composition changed over latitude, biodiversity indices of phytoplankton and zooplankton did not exhibit a systematic pattern. As this study constitutes the first current account of the plankton biodiversity in Red Sea coral reefs at a large spatial scale, the results will be informative for ecosystem‐based management along the coastline of Saudi Arabia.     

Emerging coral diseases: a temperature‐driven process?

In the last few decades there has been a surge in research focusing on coral disease. While climate change, specifically rising sea surface temperature, has been proposed as a major and growing driver of the emergence of marine diseases, to date a solid connection between disease epizootics and elevated sea surface temperature has not been established. However, a wealth of data now exists, compiled from many different perspectives, that may support such a connection. In this work we provide a comprehensive review targeting one coral disease, black band disease, that spans the infection process, pathobiology, and epizootiology, and links specific mechanisms of the disease process to increasing temperatures. This temperature‐driven pattern of infection can be expanded to include similar processes associated with other temperature‐related coral diseases. The conclusions presented here are based upon the results of many studies using a diverse suite of approaches that have been synthesized to argue that the emergence and continuing spread of black band disease is linked to warming sea surface temperatures. In summary, as global ocean temperatures increase seasonally and over decades, the environment shifts to become more favorable for the growth of potentially pathogenic microorganisms endemic to the immediate environment of the reef. The increase in the relative number of potential pathogens in the microbial community produces microenvironments conducive to the growth of other potential pathogens, leading to infection by a polymicrobial consortium. This consortium is easily perturbed by a (seasonal) temperature decrease, but remains associated with the coral host and can be reactivated with a subsequent seasonal increase in temperature, resulting in a cycle of temperature‐dependent disease emergence.     

海南岛三亚珊瑚礁区大型底栖动物群落特征

为了解海南省三亚市3个典型珊瑚礁区的底栖生物群落现状,并依此反映该区域珊瑚礁生态系统的健康现状和受扰动程度,作者于2011年11月22日~23日在海南岛三亚西岛、鹿回头和亚龙湾3个珊瑚礁自然保护区内采用潜水方法采集底栖动物,并对分析群落的物种组成、优势类群、丰度、生物量、Shannon-Wiener指数、物种丰富度指数和物种均匀度指数以及生物量/丰度比较曲线特征等进行研究。结果共获得三亚珊瑚礁大型底栖动物166种,优势类群为甲壳动物,优势种为珊瑚铠甲虾(Galathea coralliophilus)。调查区底栖动物平均栖息丰度为566.29个/m2,平均生物量为82.146 g/m2;Shannon-Wiener指数、物种丰富度指数和均匀度指数的平均值分别为3.0581、7.9116和0.8494。其中亚龙湾的上述3项指数均高于其他两个采样地点。生物量/丰度比较曲线表明亚龙湾的底栖群落最稳定,受扰动程度最小。     

Reef fishes recruited at midwater coral nurseries consume biofouling and reduce cleaning time in Seychelles,Indian Ocean

In coral reef restoration, coral gardening involves rearing coral fragments in underwater nurseries prior to transplantation. These nurseries become fish-aggregating devices and attract biofouling. We hypothesised that: (1) the presence of corals at a nursery is critical to recruit fish assemblages and (2) the recruited fish assemblages control biofouling, reducing person-hours invested in nursery cleaning. Three midwater coral nurseries were deployed at 8?m depth for 27 months within the marine protected area of Cousin Island Special Reserve, Seychelles, Indian Ocean. Each nursery consisted of a 6?m×6?m PVC pipe frame, layered with a recycled 5.5-cm-mesh tuna net. Human cleaning effort was calculated based on daily dive logs. Nursery-associated fish assemblages and behaviour were video-recorded prior to harvesting corals after a 20-month growth period and seven months post-coral harvesting. The density (ind. m–2) of blue-yellow damselfish Pomacentrus caeruleus was 12–16 times higher when corals were present than when corals were absent at the nurseries. Fish assemblages recruited into the nurseries included three trophic levels, from herbivores to omnivores, in six families: Ephippidae, Pomacentridae, Labridae (Scarinae), Gobiidae, Siganidae and Monacanthidae. Higher abundance of large fish (total number of individuals) resulted in 2.75 times less person-hours spent in nursery cleaning. These results have important implications for cost-effective coral reef restoration.     

南沙珊瑚礁区波纹钩鳞鲀(Balistapus undulatus)食性和营养级分析

波纹钩鳞鲀(Balistapus undulatus)是一种在热带珊瑚礁海域中广泛分布的杂食性鱼类, 研究其自然环境中的食物组成有助于了解其食物来源及其在生态系统中的功能地位。但目前的认识仅限于他们是珊瑚礁区的海胆捕食者, 对其准确的食物组成和生态功能定位尚不清晰。本研究于2017年夏季在南沙珊瑚礁区采集了波纹钩鳞鲀样品, 通过特异性引物扩增波纹钩鳞鲀消化道中的线粒体细胞色素C氧化酶亚基Ⅰ(COⅠ)基因, 以高通量测序技术分析了其现场食物组成, 并测定了碳、氮稳定同位素以分析其营养级。研究结果显示, 波纹钩鳞鲀摄食的食物种类有13种, 分属于节肢动物门(Arthropoda)、脊索动物门(Chordata)和环节动物门(Annelida)。其中最主要的食物来源是节肢动物门扇蟹科的蟹类, 如滑面蟹(Etisus sp.)、Luniella pubescens、皱纹花瓣蟹(Liomera rugata)等, 分别占61.8%、6.7%和1.8%。鱼类也有一定的贡献, 占总食物序列的23.5%。同位素结果显示其营养级为3.71±0.07, 与分子检测的结果相符。研究结果表明波纹钩鳞鲀的主要食物是小型甲壳类动物以及植食性鹦嘴鱼, 这拓展了以往对波纹钩鳞鲀所扮演生态角色的认识。     

海水酸化对鹿角珊瑚光谱特性影响的分析

海水酸化造成全球珊瑚礁严重退化,应用卫星遥感手段可以快速地对珊瑚礁进行监测。在野外做酸度对比实验具有条件不易控制、周期长等局限性。文章提出一种室内测量珊瑚光谱的方法,通过比较不同酸度梯度下珊瑚光谱的变化,为研究海水酸化对珊瑚的影响提供了一种新的思路。试验采用7.6、7.9和8.1的酸度梯度,结果表明:在pH为8.1和7.9环境条件下,珊瑚的光谱趋势大体一致,总体上珊瑚光谱波峰出现了向长波方向的红移。但是在pH为7.6的条件下,珊瑚的光谱在650~700nm之间出现一个反常的吸收谷,这是由于pH 7.6的酸度条件适宜一些藻类生长,藻类附着在珊瑚表面,从而影响了其光谱特性。