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    Linking reef ecology to island building: Parrotfish identified as major producers of island-building sediment in the Maldives

    Access Status
    Open access via publisher
    Authors
    Perry, C.
    Kench, P.
    O'Leary, Mick
    Morgan, K.
    Januchowski-Hartley, F.
    Date
    2015
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Perry, C. and Kench, P. and O'Leary, M. and Morgan, K. and Januchowski-Hartley, F. 2015. Linking reef ecology to island building: Parrotfish identified as major producers of island-building sediment in the Maldives. Geology. 43 (6): pp. 503-506.
    Source Title
    Geology
    DOI
    10.1130/G36623.1
    ISSN
    0091-7613
    School
    Department of Environment and Agriculture
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37197
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Reef islands are unique landforms composed entirely of sediment produced on the surrounding coral reefs. Despite the fundamental importance of these ecological-sedimentary links for island development and future maintenance, reef island sediment production regimes remain poorly quantified. Using census and sedimentary data from Vakkaru island (Maldives), a sand-dominated atoll interior island, we quantify the major sediment-generating habitats, the abundance of sediment producers in these habitats, and the rates and size fractions of sediment generated by different taxa. The estimated annual sediment production is 685,000 kg (or 370 m3), ~75% of which is produced on the narrow outer reef flat, despite composing only 21% of the total platform area. Approximately 65% of the platform acts solely as a sediment sink. Census data identify parrotfish as the major sediment producers, generating >85% of the 5.7 kg m–2 of new sand-grade sediment produced on the outer reef flat each year. Halimeda (macroalgae) produce a further 10%, most as gravel-grade material. Comparisons between production estimates and sedimentary data indicate that reef ecology and island sedimentology are tightly linked; reef flat and lagoon sediments are dominated by coral and Halimeda, although fine- to medium-grained coral sand is the dominant (~59%) island constituent. The generation of sediment suitable for maintaining this reef island is thus critically dependent on a narrow zone of high-productivity reef, but most especially on the maintenance of healthy parrotfish populations that can convert reef framework to sand-grade sediment.

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