Algal turf sediments across the Great Barrier Reef: Putting coastal reefs in perspective

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

卷:137

Article

Tebbett, Sterling B.¹  Goatley, Christopher H. R.^2,3  Bellwood, David R.¹ 

[1] James Cook Univ, Coll Sci & Engn, ARC Ctr Excellence Coral Reef Studies, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia

[2] Univ New England, Sch Environm & Rural Sci, Funct Evolut & Anat Res Lab, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia

[3] Univ New England, Sch Environm & Rural Sci, Palaeosci Res Ctr, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia

关键词: Continental shelf;    Coral reef;    Detritus;    Epilithic algal matrix;    Terrestrial sediments;    Turbidity;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.056

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Sediments trapped within algal turfs play a key role in mediating ecosystem processes on reefs. Despite this ecological importance, our understanding of turf-bound sediments on coastal reefs is limited, even though such reefs are heavily exposed to terrestrial sediments. We compared algal turf sediment loads, composition and grain size distributions among coastal reefs along the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and compared these to turf-bound sediments on reefs across the GBR. Algal turf sediment loads on coastal reefs were on average 9.4 times higher than offshore reefs (range 2.2-16.1 times). Among coastal reefs there was marked variability in the loads (797.87-3681.78 g m(-2)), composition (organics 1.0-8.9%; silicates 27.4-93.0%) and grain size of sediments. Our data highlight the potential variability in physical and ecological factors that control sediment dynamics on coastal reefs, including proximity to rivers, and reveal that turfs on coastal reefs are heavily influenced by sediments.

【 授权许可】

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