scholarly journals Relative contribution of five species of herbivorous fish to the consumption of epilithic algal matrix in the southern Great Barrier Reef

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Herbivorous Fish ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Epilithic Algal Matrix

Cryptofauna of the epilithic algal matrix on an inshore coral reef, Great Barrier Reef

Coral Reefs ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1007-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Kramer ◽  
D. R. Bellwood ◽  
O. Bellwood
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Epilithic Algal Matrix

Emergent fauna from hard surfaces on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (8) ◽  
pp. 687 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Kramer ◽  
D. R. Bellwood ◽  
O. Bellwood
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Trophic Link ◽  
Harpacticoid Copepods ◽  
Emergence Traps ◽  
Epilithic Algal Matrix

The community composition of a coral reef emergent fauna was quantified on Orpheus Island, Great Barrier Reef. Emergence traps deployed over hard surfaces revealed a wide diversity of organisms, spanning eight different phyla, of which Crustacea were particularly abundant. Within the Crustacea, harpacticoid copepods were the most common (24 ± 2 ind. 100 cm–2, mean ± s.e.). The composition of the emergent fauna differed markedly from previous descriptions of the cryptofauna in the epilithic algal matrix. Furthermore, the emergent fauna was two orders of magnitude less abundant than their benthic counterparts. Our results point to a limited trophic link between the benthos and the overlying nocturnal plankton assemblage.

scholarly journals Ninety years of change on a low wooded island, Great Barrier Reef

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 181314 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Hamylton ◽  
R. McLean ◽  
M. Lowe ◽  
F. A. F. Adnan
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Reef Flat ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Carbonate Sand ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
Vegetation Growth ◽  
Wave Dynamics ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Carbonate Budget ◽  
Variable Nature

We assess 90 years of change on a Low Wooded Island (Low Isles, Great Barrier Reef), employing drones and topographic profiling to accurately survey ramparts, mangroves, the reef flat and the sand cay. A comparison with maps from the 1928–1929 Great Barrier Reef Expedition revealed the redistribution of an outer rampart and inward movement of shingle ridges. Remarkable lateral expansion of the mangrove woodland some 400 m has occurred as carbonate sand deposition has increased reef flat elevation, obscuring coral microatolls. The sand cay has stayed relatively constant in size, moving approximately 44 m in a northeasterly direction and rotating slightly. We conclude that the existing configuration of landforms probably represents an equilibrium with local biophysical conditions, including sea level, wave dynamics, vegetation growth, storms and cyclones. The variable nature of ramparts and the presence of a trough that prevents the continuous spread of mangroves across a uniformly flat colonization surface precludes the interpretation of landform changes with respect to a geomorphic evolutionary sequence. Moreover, longer-term implications of environmental change for these landforms can only be evaluated once the specific nature of the local carbonate budget, including the relative contribution of corals, foraminifera and Halimeda has been elucidated.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document