Tóm tắt
Benthic communities were assessed and 22 environmental variables were
monitored at seven leeward localities (L1ŒL7) in the Whitsunday Islands,
Queensland, Australia. L1 was near the Proserpine and O’Connell river
mouths and L7 ~80 km north of the river mouths. Distinct physico
Œchemical and biological gradients were evident. Sparse scleractinian
coral communities, dominated by faviids, Montipora spp.
and encrusting Porites colonies, were present at L1, L2
and L3, whereas diverse reef-building communities, dominated by
Acropora spp., were more common at and beyond L4. The
number of coral recruits (age <6 months) did not differ significantly among
localities, suggesting that coral recruitment was near random and that the
environment shapes the adult community from those recruits. The study
demonstrates strong negative relationships between chlorophyll
a and the following: percentage coral cover, coral
species richness and coral abundance. The reef-building capacities of the
coral communities and the extent of Holocene reef development were
inconsistent at L2 and L3, which is interpreted as a sign of anthropogenic
effects.
