Near-island biological hotspots in barren ocean basins

Jamison M. Gove (), Margaret A. McManus, Anna B. Neuheimer, Jeffrey J. Polovina, Jeffrey C. Drazen, Craig R. Smith, Mark A. Merrifield, Alan M. Friedlander, Julia S. Ehses, Charles W. Young, Amanda K. Dillon and Gareth J. Williams
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Jamison M. Gove: Ecosystems and Oceanography Program, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Margaret A. McManus: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Anna B. Neuheimer: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Jeffrey J. Polovina: Ecosystems and Oceanography Program, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Jeffrey C. Drazen: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Craig R. Smith: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Mark A. Merrifield: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Alan M. Friedlander: Fisheries Ecology Research Laboratory, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Julia S. Ehses: Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Charles W. Young: Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Amanda K. Dillon: Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Gareth J. Williams: Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Phytoplankton production drives marine ecosystem trophic-structure and global fisheries yields. Phytoplankton biomass is particularly influential near coral reef islands and atolls that span the oligotrophic tropical oceans. The paradoxical enhancement in phytoplankton near an island-reef ecosystem—Island Mass Effect (IME)—was first documented 60 years ago, yet much remains unknown about the prevalence and drivers of this ecologically important phenomenon. Here we provide the first basin-scale investigation of IME. We show that IME is a near-ubiquitous feature among a majority (91%) of coral reef ecosystems surveyed, creating near-island ‘hotspots’ of phytoplankton biomass throughout the upper water column. Variations in IME strength are governed by geomorphic type (atoll vs island), bathymetric slope, reef area and local human impacts (for example, human-derived nutrient input). These ocean oases increase nearshore phytoplankton biomass by up to 86% over oceanic conditions, providing basal energetic resources to higher trophic levels that support subsistence-based human populations.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10581

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