Construction and analysis of a coral reef trophic network for Qilianyu Islands, Xisha Islands.

Autor: Hong, Xiaofan, Chen, Zuozhi, Zhang, Jun, Jiang, Yan'e, Gong, Yuyan, Cai, Yancong, Yang, Yutao
Zdroj: Acta Oceanologica Sinica; Dec2022, Vol. 41 Issue 12, p58-72, 15p
Abstrakt: Qilianyu Islands coral reefs (QICR), located in the northeastern part of the South China Sea, has been affected by human activities and natural disturbance. To characterize the trophic structure, ecosystem properties and keystone species of this region, a food-web model for the QICR is developed using methods involving a mass-balance approach with Ecopath with Ecosim software. Trophic levels range from 1.00 for detritus and primary producers to 3.80 for chondrichthyes. The mean trophic transfer efficiency for the entire ecosystem is 13.15%, with 55% of total energy flow originating from primary producers. A mixed trophic impact analysis indicates that coral strongly impacts most components of this ecosystem. A comparison of our QICR model with that for other coral reef ecosystems suggests that the QICR ecosystem is immature and/or is degraded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Complementary Index
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