Scholarlink

<p>Energy fluxes throughout ecosystems can be predicted by scaling relationships linking metabolic rates with the structural attributes of organisms and habitats. Coral reef ecosystems are structurally complex and highly productive, yet quantitative links between habitat structure and productivity have not been identified. Here we use benthic metabolic chambers to quantify rugosity–productivity relationships across shallow reef plots in Australia and Hawaiʻi. In each region, habitat rugosity explained 56–58% of variation in daytime community metabolic rates, despite naturally varying light, temperature and benthic composition (for example, coral versus algae cover). Allometric scaling with habitat rugosity was found for gross photosynthesis and respiration (scaling exponents 1.23 ± 0.19 and 1.45 ± 0.23, respectively), and sites with higher rugosity produced a greater surplus of photosynthetic carbon after meeting community respiration demands (higher net community production). Nevertheless, the proportion of gross photosynthesis allocated to net community production was diminished on high-rugosity reefs (lower carbon use efficiency), possibly because of increased respiration from cryptic, heterotrophic organisms. Our study shows that habitat complexity is a strong predictor of energy fluxes in a variable reef environment, with consistent scaling properties in two distinct regions. Moreover, reefs with complex habitat structure fix more net organic carbon for biomass accumulation and export to other organisms.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Habitat complexity enhances primary productivity on coral reefs

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月2日

查看全文
  • Mike McWilliam,
  • Maria Dornelas,
  • Mia O. Hoogenboom,
  • Morgan S. Pratchett,
  • Norbert Rapolthy,
  • Emily A. Washington,
  • Joshua S. Madin

摘要

Energy fluxes throughout ecosystems can be predicted by scaling relationships linking metabolic rates with the structural attributes of organisms and habitats. Coral reef ecosystems are structurally complex and highly productive, yet quantitative links between habitat structure and productivity have not been identified. Here we use benthic metabolic chambers to quantify rugosity–productivity relationships across shallow reef plots in Australia and Hawaiʻi. In each region, habitat rugosity explained 56–58% of variation in daytime community metabolic rates, despite naturally varying light, temperature and benthic composition (for example, coral versus algae cover). Allometric scaling with habitat rugosity was found for gross photosynthesis and respiration (scaling exponents 1.23 ± 0.19 and 1.45 ± 0.23, respectively), and sites with higher rugosity produced a greater surplus of photosynthetic carbon after meeting community respiration demands (higher net community production). Nevertheless, the proportion of gross photosynthesis allocated to net community production was diminished on high-rugosity reefs (lower carbon use efficiency), possibly because of increased respiration from cryptic, heterotrophic organisms. Our study shows that habitat complexity is a strong predictor of energy fluxes in a variable reef environment, with consistent scaling properties in two distinct regions. Moreover, reefs with complex habitat structure fix more net organic carbon for biomass accumulation and export to other organisms.