Otero Emesto, Carbery Kelly K
Department of Marine Science, University of Puerto Rico, Isla Magueyes Laboratories, Box 908, Lajas, Puerto Rico 00667.
Rev Biol Trop. 2005 May;53 Suppl 1:25-32.
Studies of temporal and spatial changes in phytoplankton biomass and turbidity provide essential information on coral reef ecosystem function and health. Fluctuation of phytoplankton biomass responds to several factors including nutrient inputs, both anthropogenic and natural, while turbidity is mostly affected by sediment resuspension or transport from terrestrial systems. These parameters can be used as sentinels of significant environmental factors "modifying" coral reef systems. A chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a) and turbidity (Turb) in situ logger was installed at 10 stations from June 4 to July 7, 2003 in La Parguera Natural Reserve (Southwestern Puerto Rico) to assess short-term temporal and geographic variation in patterns of phytoplankton biomass and turbidity at pre-selected sites as part of an interdisciplinary long-term study. Average station Ch1 a variation was 0.17-1.12 microg 1(-1) and 0.2-23.4 NTU for Turb. Results indicate that the western near-coastal stations had higher levels of Turb and Ch1 a. The easternmost mid shelf station, Romero reef, was similar to coastal stations probably due to nutrient and suspended sediment inputs from a source external to our study area to the east, Guánica Bay. Comparisons between different sampling days indicate significant differences between days for most stations suggesting that one-time discrete sampling may not be representative of average water column conditions and illustrate the dynamic nature of coral reef systems. Further work is warranted to assess seasonal changes that integrate short-term (daily) variability in both Turb and Ch1 a.
对浮游植物生物量和浊度的时空变化进行研究，可为珊瑚礁生态系统的功能和健康状况提供重要信息。浮游植物生物量的波动受多种因素影响，包括人为和自然的营养物质输入，而浊度主要受沉积物再悬浮或来自陆地系统的输运影响。这些参数可作为“改变”珊瑚礁系统的重要环境因素的哨兵。2003年6月4日至7月7日，在拉帕尔古拉自然保护区（波多黎各西南部）的10个站点安装了叶绿素a浓度（Chl a）和浊度（Turb）原位记录仪，以评估预先选定站点浮游植物生物量和浊度模式的短期时间和地理变化，这是一项跨学科长期研究的一部分。站点Ch1 a的平均变化为0.17 - 1.12微克/升，Turb为0.2 - 23.4 NTU。结果表明，西部近岸站点的Turb和Ch1 a水平较高。最东端的中陆架站点罗梅罗礁与沿海站点相似，这可能是由于来自我们研究区域以东的外部来源瓜尼卡湾的营养物质和悬浮沉积物输入。不同采样日之间的比较表明，大多数站点不同日期之间存在显著差异，这表明一次性离散采样可能无法代表平均水柱条件，并说明了珊瑚礁系统的动态性质。有必要进一步开展工作，以评估整合Turb和Ch1 a短期（每日）变化的季节变化。
