Skip to main content
Publications | Persons | Institutes | Projects
[ report an error in this record ]basket (0): add | show Print this page

A carbon cycling model shows strong control of seasonality and importance of sponges on the functioning of a northern Red Sea coral reef
van Hoytema, N.; de Goeij, J.M.; Kornder, N.A.; El-Khaled, Y.; van Oevelen, D.; Rix, L.; Cardini, U.; Bednarz, V.N.; Naumann, M.S.; Al-Horani, F.A.; Wild, C. (2023). A carbon cycling model shows strong control of seasonality and importance of sponges on the functioning of a northern Red Sea coral reef. Coral Reefs 42: 367-381. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00338-022-02339-3
In: Coral Reefs. Springer: Berlin; Heidelberg; New York. ISSN 0722-4028; e-ISSN 1432-0975, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keyword
    Marine/Coastal

Authors  Top 
  • van Hoytema, N.
  • de Goeij, J.M.
  • Kornder, N.A.
  • El-Khaled, Y.
  • van Oevelen, D., more
  • Rix, L.
  • Cardini, U.
  • Bednarz, V.N.
  • Naumann, M.S.
  • Al-Horani, F.A.
  • Wild, C.

Abstract

    Coral reefs in the northern Red Sea experience strong seasonality. This affects reef carbon (C) cycling, but ecosystem-wide quantification of C fluxes in such reefs is limited. This study quantified seasonal reef community C fluxes with incubations. Resulting data were then incorporated into seasonal linear inverse models (LIM). For spring, additional sponge incubation results allowed for unique assessment of the contribution of sponges to C cycling. The coral reef ecosystem was heterotrophic throughout all seasons as gross community primary production (GPP; 136–200, range of seasonal means in mmol C m−2 d−1) was less than community respiration (R; 192–279), and balanced by import of organic carbon (52–100), 88‒92% of which being dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Hard coral GPP (74–110) and R (100–137), as well as pelagic bacteria DOC uptake (58–101) and R (42–86), were the largest C fluxes across seasons. The ecosystem was least heterotrophic in spring (highest irradiance) (GPP:R 0.81), but most heterotrophic in summer and fall with higher water temperatures (0.68 and 0.60, respectively). Adding the sponge community to the model increased community R (247 ± 8 without to 353 ± 13 with sponges (mean ± SD)). Sponges balanced this demand primarily with DOC uptake (105 ± 6, 97% by cryptic sponges). This rate is comparable to the uptake of DOC by pelagic bacteria (104 ± 5) placing the cryptic sponges among the dominant C cycling groups in the reef.


All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors