Coral reef algal turfs: Master producers in nutrient poor seas
Adey WH and Goertemiller T. 1987. Coral reef algal turfs: Master producers in nutrient poor seas. Phycologia. 26(3):374-386
Coral reef algal turfs were grown on submerged plastic screens near reef communities, in the trade wind belt of the sotheastern Bahamas. Using harvest production methods, in a variety of depths and locations, mean harvest production rates up to 14g (dry) m-2 d-1 were obtained at ambient nutrient levels below 0.2 µm for nitrogen as NO2 + NO3. A wide range in production occurs at light intensities of 1400-1700 µmol m-2s-1, far above levels previously cited for most algae, including phytoplankton. A basic premise of biological oceanography has been that primary production in the sea, even under optimal conditions of solar radiation, is nutrient-limited and develops considerably lower levels than most plant production on landboth natural and under cultivation. However, the effects of nutrient limitation can be overcome by trade wind-driven currents, which provide an infinite nutrient source and nitrogen fixation by blue-green algae within the community. Wave surge maximizing of metabolite exchange, and perhaps light-flashing effects as well, enhance production potential. Actual harvest production demonstrated that, under these conditions, net and gross primary production can be very large even in the most nutrient-poor waters. Abstract provided by author.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Adey, Walter; Goertemiller, Timothy
- Units
- BISC
- Keywords
- Abraham Bay, Algae, Autoanalyser, Bahamas, Benthic algae, Biology, Blue-Green Algae, Coral Reef, Currents, Ecosystem, Heterocyst, hydrographic, Mayaguana Island, Nitrogen (N), Nutrient, Oceanography, Phosphorus (P), Phytoplankton, Primary Production, Seas, Turfs