Nutrient concentrations and primary productivity at the Peros Banhos and Salomon atolls in the Chagos Archipelago

Coral atolls are areas of high biological productivity even though they are usually located in regions of the tropical ocean characterized by low primary production and extremely low levels of vital dissolved nutrient materials. Recent studies have indicated the possible importance of in situ dinitrogen fixation on shallow reef flats in supplementing low oceanic nitrate levels and thus contributing to the maintenance of high reef productivity. Variations in the structure of atolls may have a direct bearing on the accumulation of fixed nitrogen and other nutrient materials, and consequently on lagoonal and reefal primary productivity. This paper investigates the effect of differing atoll configurations by comparing neighbouring, but structurally dissimilar, mid-ocean atolls. The findings are discussed in terms of ecosystem function and possible influences on the structural evolution of atolls.