Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, La Jolla, CA 92083, USA.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2011 Aug;62(8):1842-51. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.05.002. Epub 2011 May 31.
A management proposal aims to partly remove a WWII military causeway at Palmyra Atoll to improve lagoon water circulation and alleviate sedimentation stress on the southeast backreef, an area of high coral cover and diversity. This action could result in a shift in sedimentation across reef sites. To provide management advice, we quantified the proximate environmental factors driving scleractinian coral cover and community patterns at Palmyra. The proportion of fine sedimentation was the optimal predictor of coral cover and changes in community structure, explaining 23.7% and 24.7% of the variation between sites, respectively. Scleractinian coral cover was negatively correlated with increases in fine sedimentation. Removing the causeway could negatively affect the Montipora corals that dominate the western reef terrace, as this genus was negatively correlated with levels of fine sedimentation. The tolerance limits of corals, and sediment re-distribution patterns, should be determined prior to complete removal of the causeway.
管理建议旨在部分拆除二战时期在巴尔米拉环礁的一条军用堤道，以改善泻湖的水循环，并减轻东南部后礁的泥沙淤积压力，该区域珊瑚覆盖率和多样性都很高。这一行动可能会导致珊瑚礁地点的泥沙淤积发生转移。为了提供管理建议，我们量化了巴尔米拉影响硬珊瑚覆盖率和群落模式的近岸环境因素。细沉积物比例是珊瑚覆盖率和群落结构变化的最佳预测指标，分别解释了各站点之间 23.7%和 24.7%的变异。硬珊瑚覆盖率与细沉积物的增加呈负相关。拆除堤道可能会对主导西部礁台的 Montipora 珊瑚产生负面影响，因为该属与细沉积物水平呈负相关。在完全拆除堤道之前，应该确定珊瑚的耐受极限和泥沙再分布模式。
