Einbinder Shai, Perelberg Amir, Ben-Shaprut Oded, Foucart Marie H, Shashar Nadav
The Inter University Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, P.O. Box 469, Eilat 88103, Israel.
Mar Environ Res. 2006 Feb;61(1):110-9. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2005.07.001. Epub 2005 Sep 19.
Artificial reefs have been suggested as a tool for conservation and restoration of marine habitats. However, the relationships between coral reef habitats and man-made structures are poorly understood. We experimentally tested whether artificial reefs change grazing patterns in their surrounding environment. We exposed heaps of the macroalgae, Ulva lactuca, to natural grazing, at various distances from three artificial reefs. Results suggest that artificial reefs change grazing patterns in the neighboring area. In all the locations examined grazing was 2-3 times higher near the artificial reefs than in control sites (p < 0.05). We suggest that herbivorous fishes are attracted to the artificial reefs, creating a zone of increased grazing. Therefore, while planning deployment of such artificial reefs it is necessary to consider their overall influence on their natural surroundings, in order to maintain the natural community trophic dynamics.
人工鱼礁已被提议作为保护和恢复海洋栖息地的一种工具。然而，珊瑚礁栖息地与人工建筑之间的关系却鲜为人知。我们通过实验测试了人工鱼礁是否会改变其周围环境中的捕食模式。我们将大量的大型海藻石莼放置在距离三座人工鱼礁不同距离处，使其接受自然捕食。结果表明，人工鱼礁改变了邻近区域的捕食模式。在所考察的所有地点，人工鱼礁附近的捕食量比对照地点高出2至3倍（p < 0.05）。我们认为食草鱼类被吸引到人工鱼礁处，从而形成了一个捕食量增加的区域。因此，在规划此类人工鱼礁的部署时，有必要考虑它们对自然环境的整体影响，以维持自然群落的营养动态。
