Cyclone and bioturbation effects on sediments from coral reef lagoons

Despite the severity of tropical cyclone ‘Winifred’, which crossed the Great Barrier Reef on 1 February 1986, there were little long-term effects on lagoon surface sediments from reefs in its path. Short-term effects were apparent only at one particularly exposed area. These were: an increase in proportion of the coarse fraction, the establishment of sand ripples, and the destruction of the mounds produced by callianassid shrimps (normally the dominant topographic feature). Within six weeks this area was indistinguishable from a typical reef lagoon. This is probably the result of sediment reworking by callianassid shrimp, involving selective burial of the coarse fragments and transport to the surface of finer particles. Sediment turnover rates by callianassids are commensurate with change to the sediment within the relatively short period observed. The sediment fauna responded quickly to the changes in sediment type. Immediately after the cyclone the disturbed area supported a fauna typical of the coarse sediments on the shallow reef flat, as the sediment reverted to a more normal type so the fauna changed back to that typical of a reef lagoon.     

Current trends of space occupation by encrusting excavating sponges on Colombian coral reefs

Some sponges of the genus Cliona (Porifera, Hadromerida, Clionidae) simultaneously excavate and encrust calcareous substratum, competing aggressively for illuminated space with corals and other organisms. To interpret current trends of reef space occupation, the patterns of distribution and size of three Caribbean species were examined at San Andrés Island and Islas del Rosario in Colombia. While Cliona aprica was ubiquitous, C. caribbaea (= C. langae) preferred deep and protected reef zones, and C. tenuis shallow and wave‐exposed settings. In contrast to the effect on other excavating sponges, chronic exposure to raw sewage did not significantly increase the abundance of the studied sponges. Substratum occupation/availability ratios showed a positive tendency of the sponges toward certain coral skeletons, and a negative or neutral tendency toward calcareous rock, indicating that establishment may be easier on clean, recently dead coral than on older, heavily incrusted substratum. High relief generally limits sponge size to that of the illuminated portions of the substratum. A generally lower proportion of small individuals than of larger ones indicates currently low recruitment rates and low subsequent mortality. Successful events of higher recruitment seem to have occurred for C. tenuis. These are related to the massive acroporid coral die‐off in the early 1980s and to asexual dispersion during storms, resulting in a current 10% substratum cover. Reefs with high coral mortality were and/or are thus more susceptible to colonization and subsequent space occupation by these sponges, although relief may prevent space monopolization.     

Sequence stratigraphy of a Late Devonian ramp-situated reef system in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin: dynamic responses to sea-level change and regressive reef development

The Alexandra Formation, located in the Northwest Territories of Canada, is formed of a Late Devonian (Frasnian) reef system that developed on a gently sloping, epicontinental ramp in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. High‐resolution sequence stratigraphic analysis of its deposits delineates two reef complexes that are separated by a Type I sequence boundary. The second reef complex developed on the outer ramp, basinward of the first, after sea‐level fell ≈17 m. Stratigraphic complexity of the second reef complex was a result of its initiation during forced regression, and its development through an entire cycle of sea‐level rise followed by sea‐level fall. Its highstand systems tract was not characterized by high rates of carbonate production or sediment shedding. Rather, these features took place as sea‐level fell, after its highstand systems tract. The sequence stratigraphic framework of this regressive reef system highlights a number of depositional parameters that differ from high‐relief, shelf‐situated reef systems with steep, narrow margins. These have implications for understanding the controls on the development of ramp‐situated reef systems, and the nature of reef systems with gently sloping profiles. This study demonstrates that the development of stromatoporoid reef systems may be far more complex than generally realized, and that high‐resolution sequence stratigraphy may provide the tools for better understanding of complex, often enigmatic, aspects of these systems.     

Effects of an artificial oyster shell reef on macrobenthic communities in Rongcheng Bay,East China

An artificial oyster shell reef was deployed in Rongcheng Bay, East China. However, the effects of this reef on the surrounding macrobenthic communities were unknown. We compared sedimentary factors, macrobenthic biomass, abundance, and community composition and ecological indicators between the reef and non-reef areas over a one year period. The mean values for chlorophyll a （Chl a）, total organic matter （TOM）, total organic carbon （TOC）, and total nitrogen （TN） content in surface sediments in the reef area were slightly higher than those in the non-reef area. The Chl a levels differed significantly between the two areas, but the TOM, TOC, and TN were not significantly different. The abundance of crustaceans was significantly different between the two areas, but the abundance and biomass ofpolychaetes, echinoderms, mollusk did not differ significantly. The permutational multivariate analysis of variance （PERMANOVA） revealed that the macrobenthic community differed significantly through time and analysis of similarity multivariate analyses （ANOSIM） revealed that the macrobenthic community differed significantly in some months. The ecological indicators revealed that the environmental quality of the reef area was slightly better than that of the non-reef area. Overall, our results suggest that the artificial oyster shell reef may change the macrobenthic community and the quality of the environment. Despite the lack of an effect in the short term, long-term monitoring is still needed to evaluate the effects of artificial oyster shell reefs on macrobenthic communities.     

滇东南地区新发现中三叠统关岭组典型 台缘生物礁和斜坡滑塌灰岩

2012年底在云南省泸西县东山镇地区中三叠统关岭组中发现大规模典型台地边缘鲕粒浅滩和生物礁,同时在向阳乡方摆村附近发现典型台地前缘斜坡相泥晶灰岩,滑塌构造发育.台缘生物礁垂向3分结构明显,礁基为浅滩相鲕粒灰岩、豆粒灰岩;礁核为粘结海绵-水螅骨架岩,蓝绿藻粘结结构和亮晶栉壳状胶结结构发育;礁盖为台缘斜坡相深灰色薄层泥晶灰岩和泥质灰岩.生物礁横向展布也具有3个明显特征:礁后为碳酸盐台地相灰岩,礁核为粘结海绵-水螅骨架岩,礁前为台缘斜坡相薄层灰岩和泥岩,局部发育滑塌构造和滑塌角砾岩.该发现可为滇东南地区继续寻找油气资源开辟新的勘探方向.     

基于底质类型变化监测的2005—2018年西沙永乐群岛珊瑚礁白化分析

在海洋环境变化和人类活动的双重影响下,我国珊瑚礁白化现象日趋严重,珊瑚礁健康状况、珊瑚种群数量和丰富度呈逐年下降的趋势。本文基于2005-2007年QuickBird卫星影像、2011-2012年QuickBird/WorldView-2卫星影像和2016-2018年GF-1/2卫星影像等3期高分辨率遥感数据,以西沙永乐群岛羚羊礁、中建岛等14个岛礁为研究区（以下统称永乐群岛）,利用支持向量机（support vector machine,SVM）分类方法结合人机交互信息提取方法完成了3期永乐群岛的珊瑚礁底质类型分类,并通过珊瑚礁底质类型变化分析了永乐群岛珊瑚礁白化特征。主要结论包括：（1）提出了一种珊瑚礁白化程度分级的方法,将永乐群岛白化状况分为轻度、中度、重度和严重白化4个等级,通过分析发现在监测时段内14个岛礁中有13个发生了不同程度的白化,其中10个发生了重度白化（白化率20%以上）,1个严重白化（羚羊礁,白化率为33.36%）;（2）根据监测数据统计,上述珊瑚岛礁的白化主要是由珊瑚丛生区白化引起的,2005-2018年永乐群岛珊瑚丛生区白化面积占总的发生白化区域面积的70.55%;（3）14个岛礁中只有甘泉岛的活珊瑚覆盖在逐渐增加,活珊瑚覆盖面积由2006年5月10日的87.13 hm²增加到2018年3月7日的107.80 hm²。     

珊瑚礁中Mn2+的ESR信号及其古气候指示意义

１９８９年３－５月在海南岛三亚浅钻取心,用岩石地层学和地质年代学方法研究了海南岛周缘珊瑚礁的基本特征和成礁时代,在此岩心的基础上进一步研究珊瑚礁的ＥＳＲ谱学特征。结果表明,珊胡礁Ｍｎ＾２＋的ＥＳＲ信号和古气候变化直接相关,在１００％文石基础上归一的Ｍｎ＾２＋ＥＳＲ信号是一种新的灵敏的古气候指示物,其指示的古气候变化和前人发表的研究成果相一致,海南岛三亚珊瑚礁的Ｍｎ＾２＋ＥＳＲ信号表明,中国全新世大     

绿色海堤的沉积地貌与生态系统动力学原理: 研究综述*

绿色海堤是传统结构工程与海岸生态系统共同组合而成的新型海堤, 用以应对未来海面上升、风暴加剧给低地海岸防护带来的挑战。需解决的问题主要有海岸生态系统消浪过程及生态系统在海堤体系中的配置方式。理论分析、现场观测、物模数模所获结果表明, 海岸生态系统确有显著的消浪功能: 1) 陆架泥区消浪, 其机制以再悬浮和浮泥运动为主, 底部摩擦为次; 2) 潮滩下部的粉砂细砂滩底部摩擦和推移质运动共同造成波能耗散, 而上部的泥滩则以再悬浮和悬沙输运为主; 3) 在盐沼、红树林、海草床等由植被构成的生态系统, 植物通过形态阻力、茎秆运动来阻滞水流、耗散波能, 其效能高于沉积物床面对波能的耗散; 4) 生物礁主要有珊瑚礁和牡蛎礁, 其消能作用主要通过床面摩擦和波浪破碎, 效能较高, 尤其是在风暴期间。生态系统如何成为海堤的有机组成部分, 尤其是侵蚀型海岸的生态位修复和绿色海堤整体设计, 还需进一步研究相关的科学问题: 与硬质工程结合的盐沼-牡蛎礁的适应性生物学; 未来环境变化条件下生态系统的稳定性; 绿色海堤生态系统空间配置及其与风暴事件的时间尺度匹配; 基于均衡剖面理论的海堤形态优化。     

Floating and fixed artificial habitats: Spatial and temporal patterns of benthic communities in a coral reef environment

While natural marine habitats with motion capabilities, e.g., kelps and seaweeds, have been studied alongside their associated fouling communities, little is known of the effect of motion on the communities of floating artificial habitats such as buoys, rafts, and pontoons, particularly in tropical systems. Hydrodynamic features greatly differ between floating and fixed artificial substrata, which in turn affect the structure of their associated communities. This study tested the hypothesis that floating and fixed artificial installations in a tropical reef system (Eilat, Red Sea) would support different benthic communities throughout space and time. Specifically, we examined differences in communities recruited onto settlement plates between floating and fixed installations deployed at three different sites, along a two-year monitoring period. The three sites exhibited distinct differences in species assemblages between the monitoring dates (6, 12, 18 and 24 months post deployment), mainly between the first and the last two dates. The average level of dissimilarity between floating and fixed installations increased over time at all sites. Over 50% of the dissimilarity between the floating and fixed installations resulted from five taxonomic groups i.e., bryozoans, bivalves, barnacles, sponges, including the amount of bare space on the settlement plates. The contribution of these groups to the dissimilarity changed both temporally within each site, and spatially among sites. The observed differences were related to the hydrodynamic characteristics of floating and fixed habitats, interacting with biotic features such as predation, successional processes and seasonality; and abiotic features including small-scale spatial changes, light, and position in the water column.     

The onset of fish colonization in a coastal defence structure (Chioggia,Northern Adriatic Sea)

Coastal defence structures constitute the most extensive hard substrates of the Northwestern Adriatic Sea and are known to sustain rich benthic and nektonic communities. To appreciate the pattern of colonization, we studied the fish assemblage of a recently deployed breakwater. We compared observations from two years, the different sides (landward and seaward) of the barrier, and the two fringes, characterized by timing of work completion. The results indicate that colonization, still in process, follows different patterns among species. Benthic and necto-benthic species presented a striking increase in abundance and richness in the second year of colonization, while more mobile species did not evince any variation between years. Differences in mobility among species suggest that the latter group may have reached the breakwater from nearby artificial substrates, whereas the former colonized the new structure as recruits. In addition, fish assemblages differed between the two sides, likely due to variation in the environmental characteristics, and according to depth, reflecting species preferences.