Coral reef metabolism is dominated by benthic photoautotrophic communities that comprise varying combinations of algae, coral, and sand. Rates of daily gross primary production (GPP) for these benthic functional types (BFTs) are remarkably consistent across biogeographical regions, supporting the idea that reefs exhibit modal metabolism. Most variability in reported rates likely arises from differences in light availability. In fact, GPP is a linear function of incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), the fraction of PAR absorbed (fAPAR) by photoautotrophic organisms or communities, and light‐use efficiency (
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Abstract ε ), which parameterizes photosynthesizers' biochemical capacity for CO2fixation: GPP =ε × fAPAR × PAR. On time scales of days to weeks, fAPAR andε are far more stable than PAR.ε is a critical parameter, because it represents productive response integrated across all environmental conditions, other than light. If BFTs exhibit consistent GPP across wide geographic ranges, then theirε s must also be consistent. The aim of this study was to estimateε for algae, coral, and sand. Using data collected during NASA's CORAL mission in 2016–2017,ε was calculated for 32 mixed communities at Lizard Island, Australia (10); Kāne'ohe Bay, Hawai'i (8); Guam (6); and Palau (8). Nonnegative least squares was used to solve forε of each BFT, producing values of 0.038, 0.060, and 0.016 C photon−1for algae, coral, and sand, respectively. These values can be used in light‐driven models of reef metabolism. Further work is necessary to refine these estimates and, importantly, to explore howε is affected by environmental conditions.Free, publicly-accessible full text available March 1, 2025 -
null (Ed.)Reef-building corals can harbour high abundances of diverse invertebrate epifauna. Coral characteristics and environmental conditions are important drivers of community structure of coral-associated invertebrates; however, our current understanding of drivers of epifaunal distributions is still unclear. This study tests the relative importance of the physical environment (current flow speed) and host quality (e.g., colony height, surface area, distance between branches, penetration depth among branches, and background partial mortality) in structuring epifaunal communities living within branching Pocillopora colonies on a back reef in Moorea, French Polynesia. A total of 470 individuals belonging to four phyla, 16 families and 39 genera were extracted from 36 Pocillopora spp. colonies. Decapods were the most abundant epifaunal organisms (accounting for 84% of individuals) found living in Pocillopora spp. While coral host characteristics and flow regime are very important, these parameters were not correlated with epifaunal assemblages at the time of the study. Epifaunal assemblages associated with Pocillopora spp. were consistent and minimally affected by differences in host characteristics and flow regime. The consistency in abundance and taxon richness among colonies (regardless of habitat characteristics) highlighted the importance of total habitat availability. With escalating effects of climate change and other localized disturbances, it is critical to preserve branching corals to support epifaunal communities.more » « less