Coral reef degradation and metabolic performance of the scleractinian coral Porites lutea under anthropogenic impact along the NE coast of Hainan Island, South China Sea

Niche acclimatization in Red Sea corals is dependent on flexibility of host-symbiont association

“…Other studies reported comparably small physiological acclimatization for P. lutea, e.g. along a gradient of anthropogenic impact in China (Roder et al 2013) or in an area impacted by large amplitude internal waves in Thailand (Roder et al 2011). However, Symbiodi nium identity was not determined in these studies and it remains uncertain as to whether the here-proposed mechanism of symbiont flexibility in P. lutea can be generalized.…”

Acidification mediated by a river plume and coastal upwelling on a fringing reef at the east coast of Hainan Island, Northern South China Sea

“…The total annual water discharge of these two rivers accounts for nearly 20% of the total discharge of all rivers on Hainan Island, while it only accounts for less than 2% of discharge of the Pearl River which is largest in southern China [ Zhai et al ., ; Zhang et al ., ]. There are fringing reefs (Changqi Reef (CR), Qingge Reef (QR), and Tanmen Reef (TR)) along the research zone (Figure ) and most of them are abundantly distributed in shallow waters (<10 m) with about 0.2–2.0 km distance from the shore [ Roder et al ., ; Zhang et al ., ]. The live coral covers are about 5%, 5%–10%, <5% in Changqi Reef, Qingge Reef, and Tanmen Reef, respectively [ Roder et al ., ].…”

“…Now it is facing serious threats from the recent rapid development of economy. For instance, live coral cover has dropped from ∼60% in 1983 to ∼21% in 2002 on the south coast of Hainan Island [ Roder et al ., ]. Overfishing and pollution are significantly responsible for the coral degradation, which have been well documented [ Hodgson , ; Hughes et al ., ; Herbeck et al ., ; Krumme et al ., ; Roder et al ., ; Zhang et al ., ].…”

Linking benthic community structure to terrestrial runoff and upwelling in the coral reefs of northeastern Hainan Island

“…However, the massive corals (e.g. Porites lutea (Milne-Edwards and Haime, 1860)) generally showed lower photosynthetic performance at stations close to 2S than at other stations in Wenchang (Roder et al, 2013). Thus, acclimation to anthropogenically altered conditions occurs at a cost, with the reduced photosynthesis:respiration ratio inhibiting the regenerative capacity of these key frame-building organisms (Roder et al, 2013).…”