Variation in tissue thickness in massive Porites corals from the Great Barrier Reef

Measurements were obtained from existing samples of Porites colonies held in the collections at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and from small colonies collected from the Great Barrier Reef.

Tissue depth was measured on 19 massive Porites colonies collected the Northern Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), between November 1987 and December 1990. Colonies were collected from Ashmore Reef, Lagoon Reef, Eel Reef, Portland Roads, Rocky Island, Night Island, Reef No. 13-055 and Reef No. 13-050, Stephens Island and Bedarra Island, Myrmidon Reef, Rib Reef and Pandora Reef, Davies Reef, Shaw Island, Reef No. 20-200, Credlin Reef, Reef No. 21-141 and Middle Percy Island.

Tissue depth was also measured on coral cores collected from massive Porites colonies from 30 reefs in Torres Strait and the GBR between August 1983 and May 1988. Cores were collected from Darnley Island, Pascoe River, Burkitt Island, Boulder Reef, Escape Reef, Snapper Island, Low Islets, Normanby Reef, Kurrimine Beach, Kumboola Island, Bedarra Island, Coombe Island, Brooke Island, Britomart Reef, Rib Reef, Yankee Reef, Great Palm Island, Pandora Reef, Wheeler Reef, Acheron Island, Magnetic Island, Hooke Island, North Molle Island, South Molle Island, Lupton Island, Scawfell Island, Sanctuary Cay, Abraham Reef, Halfway Island, Masthead Island.

Colonies were selected from environments towards the rear of the windward reef flat or on sheltered parts of fringing reefs in the lee of the islands at depths between 3 and 5 m relative to mean low water spring tide levels. The species of coral colonies analysed were: P. lutea, P. lobata, P. australensis, P. solida and P. mayeri, P. murrayensis, P. densa and P. stephensoni. A total of 284 corals were analysed for tissue thickness.

本研究的测量数据来源于澳大利亚海洋科学研究所（Australian Institute of Marine Science）馆藏的现存微孔珊瑚（Porites）群体样本，以及从大堡礁（Great Barrier Reef, GBR）采集的小型微孔珊瑚群体。

1987年11月至1990年12月期间，研究人员对采自北珊瑚海与大堡礁的19个块状微孔珊瑚群体的组织厚度进行了测量。采样点位包括阿什莫尔礁（Ashmore Reef）、潟湖礁（Lagoon Reef）、鳗礁（Eel Reef）、波特兰航道（Portland Roads）、洛基岛（Rocky Island）、奈特岛（Night Island）、13-055号礁与13-050号礁、斯蒂芬斯岛（Stephens Island）、贝达拉岛（Bedarra Island）、米尔米东礁（Myrmidon Reef）、里夫礁（Rib Reef）、潘多拉礁（Pandora Reef）、戴维斯礁（Davies Reef）、肖岛（Shaw Island）、20-200号礁、克雷德林礁（Credlin Reef）、21-141号礁以及中珀西岛（Middle Percy Island）。

1983年8月至1988年5月期间，研究人员还对采自托雷斯海峡（Torres Strait）与大堡礁30个礁体的块状微孔珊瑚珊瑚芯的组织厚度进行了测量。采样点位包括达恩利岛（Darnley Island）、帕斯科河（Pascoe River）、伯基特岛（Burkitt Island）、博尔德礁（Boulder Reef）、埃斯凯普礁（Escape Reef）、斯纳珀岛（Snapper Island）、低群岛（Low Islets）、诺曼比礁（Normanby Reef）、库里明海滩（Kurrimine Beach）、昆布拉岛（Kumboola Island）、贝达拉岛、库姆岛（Coombe Island）、布鲁克岛（Brooke Island）、布里托马特礁（Britomart Reef）、里夫礁、扬基礁（Yankee Reef）、大棕榈岛（Great Palm Island）、潘多拉礁、惠勒礁（Wheeler Reef）、阿彻伦岛（Acheron Island）、磁岛（Magnetic Island）、胡克岛（Hooke Island）、北莫尔岛（North Molle Island）、南莫尔岛（South Molle Island）、勒普顿岛（Lupton Island）、斯科费尔岛（Scawfell Island）、圣礁沙洲（Sanctuary Cay）、亚伯拉罕礁（Abraham Reef）、半程岛（Halfway Island）以及桅杆岛（Masthead Island）。

所有采样的珊瑚群体均选自迎风礁坪后部或岛屿背风侧岸礁的隐蔽区域，采样水深相对于平均大潮低潮位为3至5米。本次分析的珊瑚物种包括：盾形微孔珊瑚（P. lutea）、叶状微孔珊瑚（P. lobata）、澳大利亚微孔珊瑚（P. australensis）、坚实微孔珊瑚（P. solida）、梅耶微孔珊瑚（P. mayeri）、默里微孔珊瑚（P. murrayensis）、致密微孔珊瑚（P. densa）以及斯蒂芬森微孔珊瑚（P. stephensoni）。本次研究共对284个珊瑚样本的组织厚度进行了分析。