Particulate nutrient fluxes over a fringing coral reef: Source‐sink dynamics inferred from carbon to nitrogen ratios and stable isotopes

Wyatt, Alex S. J.; Lowe, Ryan J.; Humphries, Stuart; Waite, Anya M.

doi:10.4319/lo.2013.58.1.0409

Cited by 54 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…The estimates of both δ 15 N and δ 13 C in mesopredator tissue were very similar to those obtained for carnivorous fishes collected from similar habitats at Ningaloo Reef (Wyatt et al , ).This is consistent with other studies that found isotopic signatures of piscivores and invertebrate feeding fishes are often difficult to separate (Carassou et al , ; Holt et al , ). The potential sources of primary production were likely to be benthic as carbon values were closer to those for coral mucus and macroalgae than phytoplankton and zooplankton (Wyatt et al , ). Moreover, indistinguishable isotopic signatures among the four mesopredators examined in this study implies that either all four species have very similar diets when averaged over longer time frames, or that isotope traits of fishes and prey are too variable to resolve subtle differences among predators' diet.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative diet analysis of four mesopredators from a coral reef

Ashworth

Depczynski

Holmes

et al. 2014

Journal of Fish Biology

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The diets of four common mesopredator fishes were examined in the back-reef habitat of a subtropical fringing reef system during the summer months. Quantitative gut content analyses revealed that crustaceans, represented >60% of ingested prey (% mass) by the latticed sand-perch Parapercis clathrata, brown dottyback Pseudochromis fuscus and half-moon grouper Epinephelus rivulatus. Dietary analyses also provided insights into ontogenetic shifts. Juvenile P. fuscus ingested large numbers of crustaceans (amphipods and isopods); these small prey were rarely found in larger individuals (<1% of ingested mass). Fishes also made an important contribution to the diets of all three species representing 10-30% of ingested mass. Conversely, the sand lizardfish Synodus dermatogenys fed exclusively on fishes including clupeids, gobies and labrids. Differences in the gut contents of the four species recorded were not apparent using stable isotope analysis of muscle tissues. The similarity of δ(13) C values in muscle tissues suggested that carbon within prey was derived from primary producers, with comparable carbon isotope signatures to corals and macroalgae, whilst similarities in δ(15) N values indicated that all four species belonged to the same trophic level. Thus, interspecific differences between mesopredator diets were undetectable when using stable isotope analysis which suggests that detailed elucidation of trophic pathways requires gut content analyses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative diet analysis of four mesopredators from a coral reef

Ashworth

Depczynski

Holmes

et al. 2014

Journal of Fish Biology

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“…; Wyatt et al . , , ; Kürten et al . ), the phytoplankton and zooplankton community in Red Sea coral reefs and how these relate to ecohydrographic gradients over large spatial scales remains poorly understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2014

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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.

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“…In oligotrophic reef waters, the smallest fraction of phytoplankton (the picoplankton) generally dominate the pool of “living” POM (Charpy ); therefore, most recent studies on reef community grazing have focused on the uptake of small particles (e.g., Ayukai ; Patten et al ). It has been suggested that elevated levels of POM may increase reef heterotrophy, especially in low‐light environments (Fabricius ), but very few studies have quantified reef‐scale fluxes of organic particles (e.g., Fabricius and Dommisse ; Cuet et al ; Wyatt et al ).…”

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Benthic uptake of phytoplankton and ocean‐reef exchange of particulate nutrients on a tide‐dominated reef

Gruber

Lowe

Falter

2018

Limnology & Oceanography

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Benthic fluxes of chlorophyll a (Chl a) and particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON) were quantified on Tallon reef, a strongly tide-dominated (spring range > 8 m) reef located in the Kimberley region of northwestern Australia, over a 2-week period. Extensive hydrodynamic observations were used to construct a reef-scale mass balance to estimate material exchange between the reef and ocean over individual tidal cycles. Additionally, a one-dimensional control volume approach was used to estimate fluxes of Chl a in waters traversing the reef platform. Particulate material was delivered to the reef platform in a pulse during flood tide, and benthic uptake of Chl a declined to negligible values toward the end of ebb tide. On the scale of tidal cycles, a net uptake of Chl a was observed on the reef platform (on average 1.3 mg Chl a m 22 d 21), which was lower than previous studies of many reef communities. Fluxes showed variability depending on the magnitude of individual tidal cycles, which was likely related to volumes of oceanic Chl a inputs. Tallon reef was a net source of detrital POC and PON to the surrounding coastal ocean, with average POC

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Particulate nutrient fluxes over a fringing coral reef: Source‐sink dynamics inferred from carbon to nitrogen ratios and stable isotopes

Cited by 54 publications

References 58 publications

Quantitative diet analysis of four mesopredators from a coral reef

Quantitative diet analysis of four mesopredators from a coral reef

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

Benthic uptake of phytoplankton and ocean‐reef exchange of particulate nutrients on a tide‐dominated reef

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