García-Sais Jorge R, Williams Stacey M, Amirrezvani Ali
Department of Marine Science, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Mayagüez, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico.
Institute for Socio-Ecological Research, Lajas, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico.
PeerJ. 2017 Jul 25;5:e3611. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3611. eCollection 2017.
This work analyzes the mortality, recovery, and shifts in the composition of scleractinian corals from Puerto Rico one decade after the 2005 regional coral bleaching event. Temporal and spatial patterns of coral community structure were examined using a stratified, non-random sampling approach based on five permanent transects per reef at 16 reef stations. A negative correlation between percent coral cover loss and light attenuation coefficient (Kd) was observed, suggesting that light attenuation, as influenced by water turbidity and depth, played a major role in coral protection during the bleaching event ("sunblock effect"). Responses of coral assemblages varied after the bleaching event, including shifts of cover from massive corals ( spp.) to opportunistic () and branching corals (, ) and/or turf algae; partial recovery of reef substrate cover by complex; and no measurable changes in coral assemblages before and after the event.
这项研究分析了2005年区域珊瑚白化事件发生十年后，波多黎各石珊瑚的死亡率、恢复情况以及群落组成的变化。基于16个珊瑚礁站点每个礁体的五条永久性样带，采用分层非随机抽样方法，研究了珊瑚群落结构的时空格局。研究发现珊瑚覆盖率损失百分比与光衰减系数（Kd）之间呈负相关，这表明受水体浊度和深度影响的光衰减在白化事件期间的珊瑚保护中起主要作用（“防晒效应”）。白化事件后，珊瑚组合的反应各不相同，包括覆盖度从块状珊瑚（ 属物种）向机会主义者（ ）和分支珊瑚（ 、 ）以及/或者草皮藻的转移； 复合体使礁体基质覆盖度部分恢复；以及事件前后珊瑚组合没有可测量的变化。
