A new perspective of nutrient management of subtropical coastal stress-tolerant scleractinian coral communities

Zheng, Xinqing; Wang, Qifang; Dong, Xu; Wang, Ai‐Jun; Wang, Jianjia; Chen, Bin

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2021.104405

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The Dongshan coral nature reserve is home to scleractinian coral, calcified red algae, and shellfish, which are the main benthic calcifier organisms. The average live hard coral cover is about 10%, with significantly higher coverage in the core zone than in the trial zone (Zheng et al., 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced Regional Variability of Seawater pCO₂ Under Human and Natural Interference in a Nearshore Coral Nature Reserve (Dongshan Island, China)

et al. 2023

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It has been established that coral reef flats are mainly sources of atmospheric CO 2 due to the high biocalcification of coral reef communities in relation to low net fixation of CO 2 via photosynthesis (Gattuso, Frankignoulle, et al., 1999 and references therein). Recent observations in Great Barrier Reef and Hawaii tropical coral reefs confirm this overall trend (Lønborg et al., 2019;Terlouw et al., 2019), although localized processes make the drivers more complex. The global CO 2 emission from coral reefs is roughly estimated at 7 Megatons of carbon per year, based on field measurements from a "reference" reef in Moorea, French Polynesia (Gattuso et al., 1993;Spalding et al., 2001). It is worth noting that approximately 0.6 mol CO 2 was released when 1 mol CaCO 3 precipitates over a "standard" reef flat, where net community production (NCP) was close to zero in a daily cycle (Kinsey, 1983;Ware et al., 1992). However, it is possible that the release of CO 2 could be much lower, or even negative, in algae-dominated coral reefs, which may exhibit a "sink" pattern for atmospheric CO 2 (Frankignoulle Abstract CO 2 signatures differ among locations, even within the same coastal habitat. However, the driving mechanism behind this variation is not well understood due to the presence of both human and natural stresses. This study examines seawater pCO 2 and its deviation from the regional average (defined as pCO 2 anomaly) during spring, summer, and winter at two contrasting zones (trial and core zones) of Dongshan coral habitat. The impact of solar, tidal, and biological cycles on pCO 2 anomaly is relatively small under the designed sampling scheme. Results show that there is a large positive pCO 2 anomaly in the turbid water of the trial zone during all studied seasons, while the large negative pCO 2 anomaly in the core zone only occurs during the summer upwelling season. This indicates that CO 2 signatures among locations may have seasonality. The physical and biological contributors to pCO 2 anomaly are then quantitatively revealed based on a first-order Taylor decomposition and biological carbon metabolisms. The results suggest that organic carbon metabolism of marine phytoplankton dominated pCO 2 anomaly in all three seasons, while inorganic carbon metabolism also enlarged pCO 2 anomaly, especially during summer. Physical contributions were minor. Moreover, significant linear correlations between turbidity (related to local human activities), chlorophyll (related to coastal upwelling) and changes in dissolved inorganic carbon (induced by organic carbon metabolism) indicate human and natural influences on bioprocesses, which may enhance pCO 2 anomaly. Finally, the Dongshan coral habitat was estimated as a source of atmospheric CO 2 , with an annual efflux of approximately 50 t C. Plain Language SummaryPrevious studies have shown that CO 2 levels in seawater vary depending on location, and even within the same habitat. However, it is still unclear why this happens, as human activities and natural processes overlap...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced Regional Variability of Seawater pCO₂ Under Human and Natural Interference in a Nearshore Coral Nature Reserve (Dongshan Island, China)

et al. 2023

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“…Coral-algal flexibility may also correlate with host geographic range, which is shaped not only by temperature, salinity (Maginnis, 2020) and nutrient levels of the water (Radice et al, 2019;Zheng et al, 2021), but also by dispersal capabilities (Hata et al, 2017) and evolutionary histories of the host (Roff, 2021). High coral-algal flexibility is important for corals to endure environmental stressors and colonize novel habitats (Baker, 2001;Putnam et al, 2012;Reich et al, 2017;Wee et al, 2021), so it follows that highly flexible coral species may be better at range expansion.…”

Section: E T T E R Flexibility In Coral-algal Symbiosis Is Positively...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexibility in coral–algal symbiosis is positively correlated with the host geographic range

Zarate,

Gary,

2024

Ecology Letters

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Generalists are thought to adapt to broader ecological conditions compared to less flexible specialists. However, few studies have systematically tested what ecological or life‐history traits are associated with organisms' ecological flexibility. Here, we used stony corals to test the relative effects of host traits and ecological factors on corals' flexibility to form photosymbioses with algae. We analysed data from 211 stony coral species to test if coral's geographic distribution, depth range, symbiont transmission mode or colony morphology predict coral–algal flexibility. We report a novel positive correlation between coral–algal flexibility and coral species' geographic range. Symbiont transmission mode was also a predictor of flexibility, albeit the result is less robust against sampling bias. Coral depth range and morphology did not show significant effects. We highlight that host–symbiont dispersal abilities, interactions and evolutionary histories likely contribute to the observed patterns. We urge conservation efforts to consider the ecological implications of coral–algal flexibility.

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“…The status of the coral community in 2022 was surveyed using the line intercept transect method (Zheng et al, 2021). Videos were recorded slowly above a 50 m transect tape.…”

Section: Concentrations Of Ammonium (Nhmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In marine ecosystems, zooplankton are major consumers of the primary production of phytoplankton (Ratnarajah et al, 2023) and coral habitats can provide abundant nutrients for phytoplankton (Zheng et al, 2021). The association between predator and prey populations has evolved into a classical and pivotal subject within the natural world (Lampert et al, 1986;Javidi and Ahmad, 2015;Jia et al, 2019;Li et al, 2023).…”

Section: The Response Of the Phytoplankton Community To Biotic Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coral reefs, among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth (Zhao et al, 2006;Galand et al, 2023), can utilize heterotrophic food sources and photosynthate transferred from their symbiotic dinoflagellate (Zheng et al, 2021). On crossing the coral reefs, oceanic water becomes enriched with various detritus, including organic particles, aggregates, coral mucus and more, which in turn provides a substantial food source for other organisms (Sournia and Ricard, 1976).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Critical factors driving spatiotemporal variability in the phytoplankton community structure of the coral habitat in Dongshan Bay, China

Zhou,

Dong,

Wang

et al. 2024

Front. Microbiol.

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This study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution of the phytoplankton in the coral habitat of Dongshan Bay (China), along with critical factors affecting the distribution, during June, August, and December 2022. Phytoplankton abundance in Dongshan Bay exhibited considerably temporal variation, peaking in June 2022, gradually decreasing thereafter, and reaching its lowest point in December 2022. The abundance of bottom-layer phytoplankton consistently exceeded that of the surface layer throughout all seasons. The average phytoplankton abundance in the coral habitat of Dongshan Bay was lower than that in non-coral habitat areas. Fluctuations in the Zhangjiang River and coastal upwelling influenced the diversity and community structure of the phytoplankton. Critical factors causing spatiotemporal variability in phytoplankton community structure included nutrient concentrations and seawater temperature. Nutrients played key roles in influencing various phytoplankton groups. Dominant diatom species, such as Thalassionema nitzschioides and Thalassiosira diporocyclus, were positively correlated with ammonia nitrogen, seawater salinity, coral cover, and the number of coral species present. In winter, Calanus sinicus exhibited a negative correlation with harmful algal bloom species. Additionally, it was found that both in the coral habitat and surrounding open sea, currents, nutrients, and zooplankton may play crucial roles in determining the spatiotemporal variability in the phytoplankton community structure.

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A new perspective of nutrient management of subtropical coastal stress-tolerant scleractinian coral communities

Cited by 7 publications

References 52 publications

Enhanced Regional Variability of Seawater pCO₂ Under Human and Natural Interference in a Nearshore Coral Nature Reserve (Dongshan Island, China)

Enhanced Regional Variability of Seawater pCO₂ Under Human and Natural Interference in a Nearshore Coral Nature Reserve (Dongshan Island, China)

Flexibility in coral–algal symbiosis is positively correlated with the host geographic range

Critical factors driving spatiotemporal variability in the phytoplankton community structure of the coral habitat in Dongshan Bay, China

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A new perspective of nutrient management of subtropical coastal stress-tolerant scleractinian coral communities

Cited by 7 publications

References 52 publications

Enhanced Regional Variability of Seawater pCO2 Under Human and Natural Interference in a Nearshore Coral Nature Reserve (Dongshan Island, China)

Enhanced Regional Variability of Seawater pCO2 Under Human and Natural Interference in a Nearshore Coral Nature Reserve (Dongshan Island, China)

Flexibility in coral–algal symbiosis is positively correlated with the host geographic range

Critical factors driving spatiotemporal variability in the phytoplankton community structure of the coral habitat in Dongshan Bay, China

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Enhanced Regional Variability of Seawater pCO₂ Under Human and Natural Interference in a Nearshore Coral Nature Reserve (Dongshan Island, China)

Enhanced Regional Variability of Seawater pCO₂ Under Human and Natural Interference in a Nearshore Coral Nature Reserve (Dongshan Island, China)