INFLUENCE OF SEDIMENT CHARACTERISTICS ON CORAL LIFE HISTORY STAGES

Abstract

Coral reefs are one of the most ecologically and economically important ecosystems in the world. While reefs can be found in naturally turbid waters, anthropogenic disturbance can cause sediment pollution in the form of excessive suspended and deposited sediment. My research examines how sediment pollution and its characteristics impact multiple stages of the coral life cycle. Using Singapore as a case study, I determined spatial gradients in reef sediment characteristics and distribution using sediment traps and proposed protocols to improve their quantification. These data were used to detect metre-scale patterns between sediment regimes and coral taxa distributions. Furthermore, I also investigated the potential for sediment organic content to influence coral fertilisation as well as the effects of sediment grain size on coral settlement. These findings will contribute to a better understanding of how coral reefs are impacted by sedimentation as global climate change threatens to alter coastal sediment regimes worldwide.