Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia.
Centre for Marine Science & Innovation and Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Mar Environ Res. 2022 Jul;179:105673. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105673. Epub 2022 Jun 3.
Algal turfs are the most abundant benthic covering on reefs in many shallow-water marine ecosystems. The particulates and sediments bound within algal turfs can influence a multitude of functions within these ecosystems. Despite the global abundance and importance of algal turfs, comparison of algal turf-bound sediments is problematic due to a lack of standardisation across collection methods. Here we provide an overview of three methods (vacuum sampling, airlift sampling, and TurfPods), and the necessary equipment (including construction suggestions), commonly employed to quantify sediments from algal turfs. We review the purposes of these methods (e.g. quantification of standing stock versus net accumulation) and how methods can vary depending on the research question or monitoring protocol. By providing these details in a readily accessible format we hope to encourage a standardised set of approaches for marine benthic ecologists, geologists and managers, that facilitates further quantification and global comparisons of algal turf sediments.
藻坪是许多浅海水域海洋生态系统中最丰富的底栖覆盖物。藻坪内的颗粒物和沉积物会影响这些生态系统的许多功能。尽管藻坪在全球范围内广泛存在且非常重要，但由于收集方法缺乏标准化，藻坪结合沉积物的比较存在问题。在这里，我们概述了三种方法（真空采样、气举采样和 TurfPods），以及通常用于量化藻坪沉积物的必要设备（包括施工建议）。我们回顾了这些方法的目的（例如，定量存量与净积累），以及方法如何根据研究问题或监测方案而有所不同。通过以易于访问的格式提供这些详细信息，我们希望鼓励海洋底栖生态学家、地质学家和管理者采用一套标准化的方法，从而促进对藻坪沉积物的进一步量化和全球比较。
