2 research outputs found
Effects of monsoon-driven wave action on coral reefs of Guam and implications for coral recruitment
7 páginas, 3 figuras, 1 tablaBenthic cyanobacteria can respond rapidly to
favorable environmental conditions, overgrow a variety
of reef organisms, and dominate benthic marine communities;
however, little is known about the dynamics
and consequences of such cyanobacterial blooms in
coral reef ecosystems. In this study, the benthic community
was quantified at the time of coral spawnings in
Guam to assess the substrate that coral larvae would
encounter when attempting settlement. Transects at 9,
18, and 25-m depths were surveyed at two reef sites
before and after heavy wave action driven by westerly
monsoon winds. Communities differed significantly between
sites and depths, but major changes in benthic
community structure were associated with wave action
driven by monsoon winds. A shift from cyanobacteria to
crustose coralline algae (CCA) accounted for 44% of
this change. Coral recruitment on Guam may be limited
by substrate availability if cyanobacteria cover large
areas of the reef at the time of settlement, and consequently
recruitment may in part depend upon wave action
from annual monsoon winds and tropical storms
which remove cyanobacteria, thereby exposing underlying
CCA and other substrate suitable for coral settlement.This is contribution
number 134 of the US ECOHAB program, 576 of the
University of Guam Marine Laboratory, and 617 of the Smithsonian
Marine Station at Fort Pierce. This work was partially supported
by the US Environmental Protection Agency grant R82-
6620 through the ECOHAB program, but it does not necessarily
reflect the views of the Agency.Peer reviewe