HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Copyright Statement
All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.
Title
Light-Use Efficiency of Coral-Reef Communities: A Sensitivity Analysis Using an Optically Based Model of Reef Productivity and Calcification
Defense Date
8-2013
Document Type
Thesis - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
M.S. Marine Biology
Department
Oceanographic Center
First Advisor
Eric J. Hochberg
Second Advisor
Bernhard Riegl
Third Advisor
Robert Van Woesik
Abstract
Biogeochemical processes of reefs have been studied for over fifty years, however, information is still lacking on several fundamental reef processes. This lack of information has been limited essentially by techniques that cannot repeatedly sample large spatial areas. These limitations can be reduced with the use of an optical model to estimate biogeochemical processes. This project applied Monteith's light-use efficiency model to coral reef communities for determining photosynthetic and calcification efficiency of light. Gross primary production and net calcification were pooled from the peer-reviewed literature to calculate efficiency. Process efficiency was then compared across functional types of reef communities (i.e., coral, algae/seagrasses, mixed, and sand), and by year, location, season, and depth. Photosynthetic efficiency was calculated from 19 studies, showing an average of 0.039 mol O2 mol-1 photons. Photosynthetic efficiency differed significantly for mixed communities between studies, and for algae/seagrass communities among depths. Calcification efficiency averaged at 0.007 mol CaCO3 mol-1 photons. Significant differences were found in calcification efficiency of algae/seagrasses and mixed reef communities among studies and localities. Additionally, calcification efficiency of algae/seagrasses varied significantly in accordance with depth. Future use of the light-use efficiency model will require determining the efficiency of each functional type to estimate gross production and calcification. Additionally, further investigation of the light-use efficiency model will require long-term measurements of APAR, which is the fraction of incident light absorbed, and the incorporation of environmental parameters that reduce efficiency.
NSUWorks Citation
Denise Perez. 2013. Light-Use Efficiency of Coral-Reef Communities: A Sensitivity Analysis Using an Optically Based Model of Reef Productivity and Calcification. Master's thesis. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Oceanographic Center. (99)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd/99.