A 30-year monitoring of changes in coral community structure following anthropogenic disturbances in Tolo Harbour and Channel, Hong Kong.

Autor: Wong KT; Marine Science Laboratory, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T. Hong Kong SAR, China., Chui APY; Marine Science Laboratory, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T. Hong Kong SAR, China., Lam EKY; Marine Science Laboratory, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T. Hong Kong SAR, China., Ang P Jr; Marine Science Laboratory, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T. Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: put-ang@cuhk.edu.hk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Marine pollution bulletin [Mar Pollut Bull] 2018 Aug; Vol. 133, pp. 900-910. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Jun 28.
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.06.049
Abstrakt: Coral communities in Tolo Harbour and Channel, northeastern Hong Kong, suffered from tremendous degradations in 1980s due to excessive sewage pollutions. This study examined changes in coral community structures over the last 30 years including period before, at the height of and after implementation of abatement measures of pollution impacts. Signs of coral degradations finally stopped in inner harbour and some corals started to reappear, likely due to sewage export scheme since 1998. Yet, the coral cover remained very low (<2%) in 2012. Natural recovery is limited by very low coral recruitment success other than that of Oulastrea crispata. The outer coral communities, which suffered least in 1980s, continued to decline, possibly due to new biological disturbances like sea urchin predation and bioerosion. This long-term study clearly revealed how coral communities could so easily be destroyed and yet natural recovery could be so difficult and unlikely.
(Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: