Localized bleaching and quick recovery in Hong Kong's coral communities
| Autor: | Leo Lai Chan, Jian-Wen Qiu, Yip Hung Yeung, Put O. Ang, Keith Kei, Chi Chiu Cheang, James Xie, Chun Kit Kwok, Wing Kuen Chow |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Coral Reefs Coral bleaching 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Coral Community structure 010501 environmental sciences Aquatic Science Anthozoa Oceanography 01 natural sciences Pollution Field observation Fishery Water Quality Coral cover Animals Hong Kong Environmental science Coral species Seasons Water quality Coral growth Environmental Monitoring 0105 earth and related environmental sciences |
| Zdroj: | Marine Pollution Bulletin. 153:110950 |
| ISSN: | 0025-326X |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110950 |
| Popis: | During the summer of 2017 we visited 33 sites with substantial coral cover across Hong Kong waters. At six sites where coral bleaching was observed, video-transect surveys were conducted, which revealed 18.7% to 56.1% bleached colonies and 5.9% to 57.6% bleached coral covered area per site. Mainly affected were three plate-like and three massive coral species. Water quality parameters were analyzed, which indicated that hyposalinity might have triggered the bleaching event. Tagging and follow-up field observation revealed a pattern of recovery depending on coral growth form, with high recovery rates (>93%) at five sites dominated by massive and submassive corals, but moderate (70%) at a site dominated by plate-like corals. Our study shows that the corals of Hong Kong exhibit differential susceptibility to bleaching and ability to recover, therefore it is imperative to establish a long-term monitoring programme to detect the changes in community structure over time. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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