查看文章

We studied the removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by coral cavities of 50‐250 dm³ at a depth range of 5‐17 m along the coral reefs of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, and the Berau area, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. We found significantly lower DOC concentrations in cavity water compared with ambient reef water. On average, DOC concentrations in cavity water were 15.1 ± 6.0 µmol L⁻¹ (Curaçao) and 4.0 ± 2.4 µmol L⁻¹ (Berau) lower than in reef water. When the cavities were closed, DOC concentrations in the cavities declined by 22% ± 8% and 11% ± 4% in Curaçao and Berau, respectively, within 30 min. This corresponded to average DOC removal rates per cavity surface area of 342 ± 82 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ in Curaçao and 90 ± 45 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹ in Berau. Bioassays showed that bacterioplankton are not responsible for this DOC removal by coral cavities. DOC fluxes exceeded bacterioplankton …