Community metabolism in shallow coral reef and seagrass ecosystems, lower Florida Keys

Turk, Daniela; Yates, Kimberly K.; Vega-Rodriguez, María; Toro-Farmer, Gerardo; L'Esperance, Chris; Melo, Nelson; Ramsewak, Deanesh; Dowd, Michael K.; Cerdeira‐Estrada, Sergio; Muller‐Karger, Frank E.; Herwitz, Stanley R.; McGillis, Wade R.

doi:10.3354/meps11385

Cited by 28 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 68 publications

(108 reference statements)

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“…The gradient flux approach measures the mean gradient in momentum and chemical properties of interest in the benthic boundary layer (BBL) to calculate the bottom flux. This approach has been successfully applied in reef environments to quantify momentum [ Reidenbach et al ., ], phytoplankton [ Genin et al ., ], and O 2 fluxes (thus NCP) [ McGillis et al ., ; Turk et al ., ]. The NCP rates based on this approach have been shown to agree well with estimates based upon closed in situ benthic enclosures [ Yates and Halley , ; Yates et al ., ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…An exponential relationship between PAR and NCP is well established [ Platt et al ., ; Gattuso et al ., ; Long et al ., ; Turk et al ., ], though there is less consensus on the shape of the relationship between PAR and NCC. Examples for linear [ Barnes and Devereux , ; Gattuso et al ., ; Falter et al ., ; Albright et al ., ] and exponential [ Gattuso et al ., ; Boucher et al ., ; Cuet et al ., ] relationships have been reported.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of net community production and calcification of a coral reef using a boundary layer approach

et al. 2016

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Coral reefs are threatened worldwide, and there is a need to develop new approaches to monitor reef health under natural conditions. Because simultaneous measurements of net community production (NCP) and net community calcification (NCC) are used as important indicators of reef health, tools are needed to assess them in situ. Here we present the Benthic Ecosystem and Acidification Measurement System (BEAMS) to provide the first fully autonomous approach capable of sustained, simultaneous measurements of reef NCP and NCC under undisturbed, natural conditions on time scales ranging from tens of minutes to weeks. BEAMS combines the chemical and velocity gradient in the benthic boundary layer to quantify flux from the benthos for a variety of parameters to measure NCP and NCC. Here BEAMS was used to measure these rates from two different sites with different benthic communities on the western reef terrace at Palmyra Atoll for 2 weeks in September 2014. Measurements were made every ∼15 min. The trends in metabolic rates were consistent with the benthic communities between the two sites with one dominated by fleshy organisms and the other dominated by calcifiers (degraded and healthy reefs, respectively). This demonstrates the potential utility of BEAMS as a reef health monitoring tool. NCP and NCC were tightly coupled on time scales of minutes to days, and light was the primary driver for the variability of daily integrated metabolic rates. No correlation between CO2 levels and daily integrated NCC was observed, indicating that NCC at these sites were not significantly affected by CO2.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of net community production and calcification of a coral reef using a boundary layer approach

et al. 2016

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“…A previous analysis of community metabolism that included productivity and calcification of the same patch reef and seagrass areas [70] showed that lower PAR values during storms can lower these metabolic rates for hours, while during periods of higher daylight illumination, calcification and productivity rates increased. Our surveys captured the impact of two strong thunderstorms in October, which limited light reaching the ocean's surface and also increased the concentration of suspended materials in the water.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Available Light for Seagrass and Patch Reef Productivity in Sugarloaf Key, Lower Florida Keys

et al. 2016

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Light availability is an important factor driving primary productivity in benthic ecosystems, but in situ and remote sensing measurements of light quality are limited for coral reefs and seagrass beds. We evaluated the productivity responses of a patch reef and a seagrass site in the Lower Florida Keys to ambient light availability and spectral quality. In situ optical properties were characterized utilizing moored and water column bio-optical and hydrographic measurements. Net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was also estimated for these study sites using benthic productivity chambers. Our results show higher spectral light attenuation and absorption, and lower irradiance during low tide in the patch reef, tracking the influx of materials from shallower coastal areas. In contrast, the intrusion of clearer surface Atlantic Ocean water caused lower values of spectral attenuation and absorption, and higher irradiance in the patch reef during high tide. Storms during the studied period, with winds >10 m¨s´1, caused higher spectral attenuation values. A spatial gradient of NEP was observed, from high productivity in the shallow seagrass area, to lower productivity in deeper patch reefs. The highest daytime NEP was observed in the seagrass, with values of almost 0.4 g¨O 2¨m´2¨h´1 . Productivity at the patch reef area was lower in May than during October 2012 (mean = 0.137 and 0.177 g¨O 2¨m´2¨h´1 , respectively). Higher photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) levels measured above water and lower light attenuation in the red region of the visible spectrum (~666 to~699 nm) had a positive correlation with NEP. Our results indicate that changes in light availability and quality by suspended or resuspended particles limit benthic productivity in the Florida Keys.

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“…Twenty-fourhour measurements of oxygen and carbon parameters have also shown variability throughout the day and night for coral reef systems (Albright et al, 2013;Yates et al, 2007). In contrast, nighttime rates stayed constant for seagrass habitats in a study by Turk et al (2015). Since nighttime measurements were conducted close to sunset, respiration rates were overestimated due to light-enhanced respiration.…”

Section: Community Primary Productivitymentioning

confidence: 94%

Primary Production and Calcification Rates of Algae‐Dominated Reef Flat and Seagrass Communities

et al. 2018

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Monitoring variability in coral reef primary production and calcification is needed to understand changes over time and between reef systems, which helps separate differences due to natural and/or anthropogenic factors happening now and in the future. This study measured net productivity and calcification for two reef systems at Shark Bay, Heron Reef in the southern Great Barrier Reef and Saipan Lagoon, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Net primary productivity and calcification were strongly correlated for reef flats with an adjusted R2 = 0.66. Night time dissolution occurred at Shark Bay reef flat with an average of −12.66 mmol CaCO3 · m−2 · hr−1, while calcification increased at night for the Saipan reef flat. For both reef flat sites, net productivity from oxygen flux was much lower than rates calculated from change in dissolved inorganic carbon. This study provided the first baseline estimates of net productivity and calcification for a reef flat and seagrass community in Saipan Lagoon. The seagrass community had the lowest productivity of all sites. However, the high presence of calcareous algae at the site highlights the need for more research on the carbonate chemistry of these habitats. All sites had high net productivity that was most likely associated with the dominant presence of algae.

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Community metabolism in shallow coral reef and seagrass ecosystems, lower Florida Keys

Cited by 28 publications

References 68 publications

Assessment of net community production and calcification of a coral reef using a boundary layer approach

Assessment of net community production and calcification of a coral reef using a boundary layer approach

Characterization of Available Light for Seagrass and Patch Reef Productivity in Sugarloaf Key, Lower Florida Keys

Primary Production and Calcification Rates of Algae‐Dominated Reef Flat and Seagrass Communities

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