The Metabolism of Some Coral Reef Communities

Résumé du livre

Perhaps the most interesting findings during Project Symbios are those which provide at least a partial explanation of why coral reef communities are so biologically productive though characteristically situated in waters of very low nutrient content; high rates of nitrogen fixation supplement the uptake of fixed nitrogen, and recycling of phosphorus is unusually efficient. Also note-worthy is the observation that the visually unimpressive algal flat community with its comparatively low standing crop of organisms can be extremely productive - more productive than the rich adjacent coral community. Finally, it is worth noting that these phenomena would probably not have been uncovered during this study if we had restricted ourselves to measuring the metabolism of individual reef organisms. Measuring all the major metabolic processes in all species in a complex community is utterly impractical. Measurements of total community metabolism help the investigator identify the processes and organisms within the community that are most likely to reward his scrutiny.