■对人类影响较低的珊瑚礁的长期研究可以提供有关气候变化等区域压力影响的信息,并且是记录这些压力如何反映在珊瑚群落中的机会。Guanahacabibes珊瑚礁是当地人为影响最小的一个例子,位于古巴最西部的地区。这项研究的目的是:评估珊瑚礁的六种底栖生物指标的时间变异性,并探讨预测非生物变量与生物响应变量之间的可能关系。
■在2008年至2017年之间对四个珊瑚礁地点进行了采样,以分析生物指标(活珊瑚覆盖,肉质藻类指数,珊瑚物种丰富,珊瑚物种丰富,珊瑚性状群物种丰富,功能礁指数)。七个非生物变量(波浪暴露,海面温度,度加热周,叶绿素a浓度,颗粒有机碳,光合可用辐射,和扩散衰减系数)是在2007年至2016年之间从遥感数据集编制的,分析其与生物指标的关系。Permanova统计分析用于评估站点和年份之间的生物学变量趋势,基于线性距离的常规分析(DISTLM)用于探索生物变量和非生物变量之间的一些依赖性。
■我们在时间分析中发现了显着的变异性,随着活珊瑚覆盖率的下降,分支和大型框架珊瑚礁建造物种的优势下降,鳞翅目物种丰度的下降,和肉质藻类指数的增加。一些非生物变量(加热周度的平均值,扩散衰减系数的标准偏差,海面温度的平均值,除其他外)显著解释了生物指标的变异性;然而,决定系数较低。
■珊瑚礁的功能有所下降,考虑到过去几年中次要和大型框架造礁物种的优势。在时间分析中发现非生物变量和生物变量之间的弱关联。珊瑚礁状况的当前情景似乎受到气候变化的全球影响的调节,弱相关效应,从长远来看。
The long-time
study of coral reefs with low human impacts can provide information on the effects of regional pressures like climate change, and is an opportunity to document how these pressures are reflected in coral communities. An example of minimal local anthropogenic impacts are the Guanahacabibes coral reefs, located in the westernmost region of Cuba. The objectives of this
study were: to evaluate the temporal variability of six benthic biological indicators of coral reefs, and to explore the possible relationship between predictive abiotic variables and biological response variables.
Four coral reef sites were sampled between 2008 and 2017, to analyze biological indicators (living coral cover, fleshy algae index, coral species richness, coral species abundance, coral trait groups species abundance, Functional Reef Index). Seven abiotic variables (wave exposure, sea surface temperature, degree heating week, chlorophyll-a concentration, particulate organic carbon, photosynthetically available radiation, and the diffuse attenuation coefficient) were compiled between 2007 and 2016, from remote sensing datasets, to analyze their relationship with the biological indicators. Permanova statistical analysis was used to evaluate trends in biological variables between sites and years, and Routine Analysis Based on Linear Distances (DISTLM) was used to explore some dependencies between biotic and abiotic variables.
We found significant variability in the temporal analysis, with a decrease in living coral cover, a decline in the predominance of the branching and massive framework reef-building species, a decline in Orbicella species abundance, and an increase in the fleshy algae index. Some abiotic variables (average of degree heating weeks, standard deviation of the diffuse attenuation coefficient, average of the sea surface temperature, among others) significantly explained the variability of biological indicators; however, determination coefficients were low.
Certain decrease in the functionality of the coral reef was appreciated, taking into account the predominance of secondary and nom-massive framework reef-building species in the last years. A weak association between abiotic and biological variables was found in the temporal analysis. The current scenario of the condition of the coral reefs seems to be regulated by the global effects of climate change, weakly associated effects, and in longer terms.