Organic matter degradation drives benthic cyanobacterial mat abundance on caribbean coral reefs
Benthic cyanobacterial mats (BCMs) are impacting coral reefs worldwide. However, the factors and mechanisms driving their proliferation are unclear. We conducted a multi-year survey around the Caribbean island of Curaçao, which revealed highest BCM abundance on sheltered reefs close to urbanised areas. Reefs with high BCM abundance were also characterised by high benthic cover of macroalgae and low cover of corals. Nutrient concentrations in the water-column were consistently low, but markedly increased just above substrata (both sandy and hard) covered with BCMs. This was true for sites with... Mehr ...
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Dokumenttyp: | Artikel |
Erscheinungsdatum: | 2015 |
Schlagwörter: | organic matter / runoff / algal bloom / article / benthos / controlled study / coral reef / Curacao / cyanobacterium / hydrodynamics / macroalga / microbial degradation / nonhuman / nutrient concentration / ocean current / organic matter production / phototrophy / population abundance / sediment / Spirulina |
Sprache: | Englisch |
Permalink: | https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26617506 |
Datenquelle: | BASE; Originalkatalog |
Powered By: | BASE |
Link(s) : | https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/326577 |