Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Impacts of Sediments on Coral Energetics: Partitioning the Effects of Turbidity and Settling Particles

    212875_139780_fetchObject.action.pdf (527.4Kb)
    Access Status
    Open access
    Authors
    Junjie, R.
    Browne, Nicola
    Erftemeijer, P.
    Todd, P.
    Date
    2014
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Junjie, R. and Browne, N. and Erftemeijer, P. and Todd, P. 2014. Impacts of Sediments on Coral Energetics: Partitioning the Effects of Turbidity and Settling Particles. PloS One. 9 (9). e107195.
    Source Title
    PloS One
    DOI
    10.1371/journal.pone.0107195
    ISSN
    1932-6203
    School
    Department of Environment and Agriculture
    Remarks

    This article is published under the Open Access publishing model and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Please refer to the licence to obtain terms for any further reuse or distribution of this work.

    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/5930
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Sediment loads have long been known to be deleterious to corals, but the effects of turbidity and settling particles have not previously been partitioned. This study provides a novel approach using inert silicon carbide powder to partition and quantify the mechanical effects of sediment settling versus reduced light under a chronically high sedimentary regime on two turbid water corals commonly found in Singapore (Galaxea fascicularis and Goniopora somaliensis). Coral fragmentswere evenly distributed among three treatments: an open control (30% ambient PAR), a shaded control (15% ambient PAR) and sediment treatment (15% ambient PAR; 26.4 mg cm22 day21). The rate of photosynthesis and respiration, and the dark-adapted quantum yield were measured once a week for four weeks. By week four, the photosynthesis to respiration ratio (P/R ratio) and the photosynthetic yield (Fv/Fm) had fallen by 14% and 3–17% respectively in the shaded control,contrasting with corals exposed to sediments whose P/R ratio and yield had declined by 21% and 18–34% respectively. The differences in rates between the shaded control and the sediment treatment were attributed to the mechanical effects of sediment deposition. The physiological response to sediment stress differed between species with G. fascicularis experiencing a greater decline in the net photosynthetic yield (13%) than G. somaliensis (9.5%), but a smaller increase in the respiration rates (G. fascicularis = 9.9%, G. somaliensis = 14.2%). These different physiological responses were attributed, in part, to coral morphology and highlighted key physiological processes that drive species distribution along high to low turbidity and depositional gradients.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Recreating pulsed turbidity events to determine coral–sediment thresholds for active management
      Browne, Nicola; Tay, J.; Todd, P. (2015)
      Active management of anthropogenically driven sediment resuspension events near coral reefs relies on an accurate assessment of coral thresholds to both suspended and deposited sediments. Yet the range of coral responses ...
    • The photo-physiological costs associated with acute sediment stress events in three near-shore turbid water corals
      Browne, Nicola; Precht, E.; Last, K.; Todd, P. (2014)
      Many coral reef communities thriving in inshore coastal waters characterised by chronically high natural turbidity (>5 mg l-1) have adapted to low light (<200 µmol photons m-2 s-1) and high sedimentation rates (>10 mg ...
    • Modelling for management: Coral photo-physiology and growth potential under varying turbidity regimes
      Larsen, T.; Browne, Nicola; Erichsen, A.; Tun, K.; Todd, P. (2017)
      Suspended and deposited sediments can negatively impact coral health by reducing light penetration and smothering coral tissue. As coral sediment thresholds vary among species and between locations, setting sediment ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.