[Coral-List] Szmant 2002: Great review on nutrient enrichment on coral reefs
tomascik at novuscom.net
tomascik at novuscom.net
Thu May 3 12:10:02 EDT 2018
I would also add this review paper by Littler et al 2006. Nutrient
manipulation methods for coral reef studies: A critical review and
experimental field data. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and
Ecology 336 (2006) 242253:
https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/2618/Littler2006c.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Cheers,
Tomas
Quoting Eric Hochberg <eric.hochberg at bios.edu>:
> For those interested in the topic, I would suggest continuing with
> Marlin Atkinson's review chapter in Coral Reefs: An Ecosystem in
> Transition, titled simply "Biogeochemistry of Nutrients."
>
> On 5/1/18 7:38 AM, Bruno, John wrote:
>
> Dear listers,
>
> Over the weekend I read, for the 3rd or 4th time, Alina Szmant?s
> (2002) incredible review "Nutrient Enrichment on Coral Reefs: Is It
> a Major Cause of Coral Reef Decline?? and wanted to share it with you.
>
> It?s an amazing paper and a good example of how to critically
> evaluate evidence for a perceived impact. Very thorough and
> unbiased. You can download it here:
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/q6j144vwzx66e2u/Szmant%202002.pdf?dl=0
>
>
> Here?s the abstract:
>
> Coral reefs are degrading worldwide at an alarming rate. Nutrient
> over-enrichment is considered a major cause of this decline because
> degraded coral reefs generally exhibit a shift from high coral cover
> (low algal cover) to low coral cover with an accompanying high cover
> and biomass of fleshy algae. Support for such claims is equivocal at
> best. Critical examination of both experimental laboratory and field
> studies of nutrient effects on corals and coral reefs, including the
> Elevated Nutrient on Coral Reefs Experiment (ENCORE) enrichment
> experiment conducted on the Great Barrier Reef, does not support the
> idea that the levels of nutrient enrichment documented at
> anthropogenically-enriched sites can affect the physiology of corals
> in a harmful way, or for most cases, be the sole or major cause of
> shifts in coral- algal abundance. Factors other than nutrient
> enrichment can be significant causes of coral death and affect algal
> cover, and include decreased abundance of grazing fishes by fishing,
> and of grazing sea urchins to disease; grazing preferences of
> remaining grazers; temperature stress that kills coral (i..e., coral
> bleaching) and creates more open substrate for algal colonization;
> sedimentation stress that can weaken adult corals and prevent coral
> recruitment; coral diseases that may be secondary to coral
> bleaching; and outbreaks of coral predators and sea urchins that may
> be secondary effects of overfishing. Any factor that leads to coral
> death or reduces levels of herbivory will leave more substrate open
> for algal colonization or make the effects of even low-level
> enrichment more severe. Factors that contribute to an imbalance
> between production and consumption will result in community
> structure changes similar to those expected from over- enrichment.
> Over-enrichment can be and has been the cause of localized coral
> reef degradation, but the case for widespread effects is not
> substantiated.
>
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> The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences is an independent U.S.
> not-for-profit marine research and educational organization with
> 501(c)(3) status and a Bermuda Registered Charity (#116).
> Visit us in Bermuda or at www.bios.edu
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