Fiji bentic cyanobacterial mat composition

Benthic cyanobacterial mats (BCMs) are becoming increasingly common on coral reefs. In Fiji, blooms generally occur annually in nearshore areas during warm months but some are starting to prevail through cold months. Many fundamental knowledge gaps about BCM proliferation remain, including their composition and how they influence reef processes. This study examined a seasonal BCM bloom occurring in a 17-year-old no-take inshore reef area in Fiji. Surveys quantified the coverage of various BCM-types and estimated the biomass of key herbivorous fish functional groups. Samples of different BCM-types were analysed by microscopy and next-generation amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA).

底栖蓝藻垫（Benthic cyanobacterial mats, BCMs）在珊瑚礁海域的分布正日益广泛。在斐济，这类藻垫的繁生通常每年于暖季出现在近岸区域，但如今已有部分种群开始在冷季持续存在。目前学界关于底栖蓝藻垫繁生的基础认知仍存在诸多空白，例如其群落组成以及其对珊瑚礁生态过程的影响机制。本研究针对斐济一处已实施17年的近岸禁捕珊瑚礁区域内发生的季节性底栖蓝藻垫繁生事件展开调查。研究通过样地调查量化了不同类型底栖蓝藻垫的覆盖面积，并估算了关键植食性鱼类功能群的生物量；同时借助显微镜观测与下一代扩增子测序（16S rRNA）技术，对不同类型的底栖蓝藻垫样本进行了分析。