Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science最新文献

{"title":"Time dependence of sediment accretion rates: Short- and long-term variability in an urban tidal marsh","authors":"Faith Echiejile ,&nbsp;Kirk Raper ,&nbsp;Tracy Elsey-Quirk ,&nbsp;David Velinsky ,&nbsp;Elizabeth B. Watson","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109560","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109560","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sediment accretion is vital for tidal marsh survival amid rising sea levels, yet its temporal variability remains poorly understood across different measurement scales. This study examines sediment dynamics in Tinicum Marsh, an urban tidal wetland in Philadelphia, using a comprehensive multi-method approach. We integrated sediment traps for event-scale measurements, Surface Elevation Table and Marker Horizons (SET-MH) for annual assessments, and radioisotope dating for decadal-scale analysis. Our findings reveal pronounced time-dependent variability in accretion rates consistent with the Sadler Effect, following a significant power-law relationship. Event-based deposition rates (median = 294.6 mm yr⁻¹) dramatically exceeded both annual (median = 11.3 mm yr⁻¹) and decadal (median = 5.8 mm yr⁻¹) measurements, with storm events delivering primarily mineral-rich sediments with a mean organic matter content of 15.7 % versus 21.7 %, respectively, compared to non-storm periods. Spatially, deposition was negatively correlated with marsh elevation and exhibited a non-linear relationship with distance from tidal channels, revealing complex hydrogeomorphic interactions. The discrepancy between surface accretion and net elevation change suggests substantial shallow subsidence, with subsidence accounting for as much as 70 % of total surface accretion at some sites. While current accretion rates exceed long-term relative sea-level rise, they barely keep pace with recent accelerated rates, raising concerns about future vulnerability. This research demonstrates that accurately assessing marsh resilience requires multi-scale temporal analysis and highlights the critical role of episodic deposition events in maintaining marsh elevation in urban coastal systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109560"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Habitat distribution patterns of the redtail parrotfish Sparisoma chrysopterum in the Northern US Virgin Islands","authors":"S.R. Mueller ,&nbsp;R.S. Nemeth ,&nbsp;K.M. Blincow ,&nbsp;T.L. Hobbs ,&nbsp;V.R. Shervette","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109555","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109555","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coral reef fishes often undergo ontogenetic shifts in habitat, migrating from nearshore, non-coral reef habitats as juveniles to coral reef environments as adults. Parrotfishes fill essential ecological roles in coral reef ecosystems and are an important component of commercial and recreational fisheries in the US Caribbean, where redtail parrotfish are frequently landed. Little is known about abundance and distribution patterns of juvenile redtail parrotfish in most of their range. This study conducted underwater surveys around St. Thomas using random stratified sampling of 3 habitat types: seagrass fringe, hardbottom, and rocky reef. Surveys assessed redtail parrotfish density and habitat characteristics, including biological substrate cover, topographic complexity, and depth. Overall, juvenile redtail parrotfish had the highest density in hardbottom, followed by rocky reef, then seagrass fringe. Topographic complexity significantly differed between the habitat types and was found to be a significant predictor of redtail parrotfish density. Hardbottom and rocky reef were dominated by turf algae and <em>Dictyota</em> spp., though hardbottom had significantly higher <em>Dictyota</em> spp. cover and lower turf algae cover than rocky reef. When data from all habitat types were pooled, the presence of <em>Dictyota</em> spp. was found to be a significant predictor of redtail parrotfish density. Trends found across the three habitats surveyed indicate that an ontogenetic habitat shift from nearshore non-coral reef habitats to coral reefs occurs in redtail parrotfish. The results of this study provide an enhanced understanding of habitat selection by juvenile redtail parrotfish, highlighting the importance of considering non-reef habitat types in future fishery management plans.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109555"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coral reefs in Vietnam: current state of research and future perspectives","authors":"Bijeesh Kozhikkodan Veettil ,&nbsp;Vikram Puri","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109554","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109554","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This in-depth review investigated the status and prospects of coral reef research in Vietnam. Coral reefs along the coastline of Vietnam characterize a critical element of marine biodiversity and coastal ecosystem services in the country. The 3260 km coastline of Vietnam supports 1100 recorded coral species, and geographically, in addition to the archipelagos, the coral reef zones in Vietnam have been divided into three: the northern, central, and southern zones. Several hard and soft corals, reef fish, invertebrates, and endemic/rare species are found associated with reefs in Vietnam. However, the coral reefs in Vietnam are increasingly threatened by climate change, destructive fishing practices, coastal development, and pollution. Recent assessments show that more than 50 % of Vietnam's coral reefs are in poor condition, with declining live coral cover and biodiversity. Despite their importance and ongoing conservation efforts, research and monitoring remain limited in scope, duration, and geographic coverage in Vietnam. Research priorities include long-term ecological monitoring, studies on coral resilience to thermal stress and acidification, improved reef restoration techniques, and effective integration of socioeconomic and policy research. Technological advancements—such as remote sensing, environmental DNA (eDNA), and artificial intelligence—offer new opportunities for data collection and analysis. To ensure effective reef conservation, Vietnam must invest in scientific capacity, enhance inter-institutional collaboration, and embed research findings into marine governance frameworks. A multidisciplinary and progressive research agenda is essential for protecting and restoring Vietnam's coral reefs amid growing environmental and anthropogenic pressures. By aligning scientific innovation with policy and community-based management, Vietnam can build a more resilient framework for sustaining its coral reef ecosystems. Such an integrated approach will not only safeguard marine biodiversity but also secure the ecological and socioeconomic benefits that coral reefs provide for future generations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109554"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Testing biodiversity-ecosystem function relations in nearshore marine sediments","authors":"Mary E. Clinton ,&nbsp;Paul V.R. Snelgrove ,&nbsp;Amanda E. Bates","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109556","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109556","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rapid biodiversity loss is raising concerns about potential declines in the functioning of Earth's ecosystems. Although decades of research explore biodiversity - ecosystem function (BEF) relations, empirical BEF assessments have lagged behind theoretical advances, particularly in marine benthic systems. Here, we incubate intact sediment push cores to examine the relationship between macroinfaunal community composition and benthic nutrient cycling in three nearshore sub-Arctic sites. First, we quantitatively assess potential effects of taxonomic and functional diversity, as well as community-weighted trait means, on oxygen and nutrient fluxes. Second, we examine fluxes in relation to macrofaunal abundance, oxygen consumption (a proxy for total core metabolism), and abundance of key functional groups, to test fundamental expectations based on ecological theory. We report distinct macrofaunal communities and contrasting benthic fluxes among sites, with oxygen and ammonium largely driving multivariate inter-site flux differences. Diversity indices and community-weighted trait means collectively explained ∼76 % of the variation in multivariate fluxes but provided little insight into the mechanistic links between diversity and functioning. In fact, we find that total macrofaunal abundance was the key driver of benthic fluxes at our sites, rather than functional community composition, which may have important implications for coastal conservation planning. Overall, our findings emphasize the highly context-dependent nature of BEF relationships and highlight the need to improve empirical understanding of these patterns in complex, natural ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109556"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating 210Pb boundary scavenging on a high-energy, river-dominated margin","authors":"Evan R. Flynn ,&nbsp;Steven A. Kuehl ,&nbsp;Courtney K. Harris ,&nbsp;J. Jotautas Baronas ,&nbsp;Edward T. Tipper","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109552","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109552","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>On high-energy, river-dominated continental shelves, the hydrodynamic conditions of the receiving basin can modulate biogeochemical fluxes via the scavenging of particle-reactive species, and frequent resuspension and re-oxidation of the seabed. This makes an understanding of marine exchange and hydrodynamics in these shelf systems critical for determining the fate of particle-reactive species in the ocean and for deriving global geochemical budgets. In this context, we explore the boundary scavenging of ²¹⁰Pb off the Ayeyarwady-Thanlwin River system in Myanmar, one of the largest and relatively unmodified point source contributors of sediment and organic carbon to the global ocean. Together, these rivers supply 485 (+169/-121) Mt y⁻¹ of sediment and 1.9 (+1.4/-0.9) Mt y⁻¹ of organic carbon to the offshore delta (Baronas et al., 2020), where energetic conditions on the shallow inner shelf produce extensive perennial turbidity, and frequent seabed resuspension. Here, a mass balance of excess ²¹⁰Pb in shelf sediments is utilized to characterize the land-ocean mixing regime and indirectly quantify the volume and rate of open-ocean water advection onto the shelf. Our budget indicates that on average ∼71 % (with a range of 64–76 %) of the excess ²¹⁰Pb flux in shelf sediments is delivered from offshore, equating to a flow of ∼6.5 × 10⁵ m³ s⁻¹ of marine water onto the shelf which is nearly 12 times that of the combined Ayeyarwady and Thanlwin river discharge. We suggest that in the Ayeyarwady, and perhaps in other high-energy delta systems, substantial advection of ocean water onto the shelf along with intense tidal mixing and long water-column residence times increase particle scavenging across the shelf. This likely makes these systems large repositories for particle-reactive species such as marine pollutants and trace metals, and further demonstrates the importance of high-flux river-dominated margins in modulating geochemical fluxes in the global ocean.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109552"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-temporal scale variations of suspended sediment transport from Yellow river estuary to open sea","authors":"Xingmin Liu ,&nbsp;Yue Yu ,&nbsp;Lulu Qiao ,&nbsp;Dehai Song ,&nbsp;Yi Zhong ,&nbsp;Hongan Sun ,&nbsp;Xiaoxia Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109551","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109551","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Bohai Sea near the Yellow River estuary is one of the highest turbidity regions in the world. Studying the suspended sediment transport processes at different time scales is of significant importance for the development of sediment dynamics and regional coastal zone management. This study based on multi-source remote sensing data and numerical simulation systems, explains the transport processes of suspended sediment at different time scales and quantitatively analyzes the contribution rates of various dynamic factors to suspended sediment output. The results show that suspended sediment in the Yellow River estuary is mainly transported seaward during the ebb tide of spring tide period, with this primarily occurring in winter and spring. From a long-term perspective, there was a significant decreasing trend in suspended sediment concentration (SSC) during the seaward transport process. The numerical experiments show that among the various dynamic factors influencing the transportation of suspended sediment from the Yellow River estuary to the open sea, wave action accounts for 38.02 %, which is greater than the tidal current (29.26 %). However, the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) is unfavorable to the transportation of suspended sediment from the Yellow River estuary outward, with a contribution rate of −3.57 %.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109551"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of land reclamation effects on material transport in the Bohai Bay based on information entropy theory","authors":"Bao Zhang ,&nbsp;Xusheng Xiang ,&nbsp;Zilong Chen ,&nbsp;Xueqing Zhang ,&nbsp;Jie Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109544","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109544","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study quantitatively assesses the impact of large-scale land reclamation on material transport dynamics in Bohai Bay, China. We developed a hydrodynamic model using the Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM), incorporating both tidal currents and wind-tide coupling, alongside Lagrangian particle tracking. The novel application of information entropy theory within Lagrangian Flow Networks (LFNs) enabled the characterization of material transport patterns. Specifically, input entropy was used to measure material aggregation, while output entropy characterized diffusion capacity. Results revealed distinct seasonal variations in transport patterns driven by wind fields: “north aggregation and south dispersion” in summer contrasting with “south aggregation and north dispersion” in winter. After land reclamation, the input entropy near Caofeidian Port increased by approximately 160 %, indicating a more concentrated material aggregation pattern, and the output entropy near Tianjin Port decreased by about 167 %, suggesting a reduced diffusion capacity. These areas exhibited marked changes in input and output entropy values after reclamation, indicating increased uncertainty in both the aggregation and diffusion of materials. This research demonstrates that information entropy within LFNs provides an effective quantitative framework for evaluating the ecological impacts of coastal engineering projects. The findings offer critical insights for marine environmental management and sustainable coastal development planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109544"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimating potential greenhouse gas emissions from degraded seagrass meadows: A case study from Thailand's seagrass ecosystems","authors":"Muhammad Halim ,&nbsp;Milica Stankovic ,&nbsp;Anchana Prathep","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109548","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109548","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Seagrass meadows are critical organic carbon sinks and play a significant role in mitigating climate change. However, the ongoing degradation of seagrass meadows in Thailand reduces their ability to sequester carbon effectively, potentially contributing to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study examines variations in carbon storage, carbon metabolism, and GHG emissions across degraded, healthy seagrass and bare sand areas along the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand. The average carbon storage within the surface sediment (top 10 cm) varies across seagrass categories, with the highest carbon storage in heavily degraded areas (365.2 ± 206 g C m⁻²), followed by bare sand (289.5 ± 236 g C m⁻²) and healthy seagrass areas (86.47 ± 5.8 g C m⁻²). Furthermore, degraded seagrass and bare sand exhibited heterotrophic ecosystem functions with an average Net Community Production (NCP) value of 0.44 ± 0.49 and 0.13 ± 0.79 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively. Conversely, healthy seagrass maintained autotrophic ecosystem functions with an NCP of 1.30 ± 0.508 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹. The average total carbon sequestration varied among seagrass categories, with the highest sequestration in degraded seagrass areas (4328 ± 2395 CO₂-eq m⁻² d⁻¹), compared to bare sand (3981 ± 4120 CO₂-eq m⁻² d⁻¹) and healthy seagrass areas (1630 ± 0 CO₂-eq m⁻² d⁻¹). The study also revealed that methane (CH₄) emissions dominated GHG emissions in all seagrass categories, with the highest mean CH₄ emissions recorded in degraded seagrass meadows (1.16 ± 0.51 μmol m⁻² h⁻¹), followed by bare sand areas (1.02 ± 0.41 μmol m⁻² h⁻¹) and healthy seagrass meadows (0.48 ± 0.07 μmol m⁻² h⁻¹). On the other hand, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and dinitrogen (N₂) emissions remained consistently low in both healthy and degraded seagrass meadows and in bare sand areas. These findings are important indicators and provide the baseline of GHG emissions for degraded tropical seagrass meadows.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109548"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In-situ measurements reveal alkalinity release from cold-temperate seagrass meadows","authors":"Samuel Scott-Askin ,&nbsp;Isaac R. Santos ,&nbsp;Gerli Albert ,&nbsp;Maria E. Asplund ,&nbsp;Diana Deyanova ,&nbsp;Sara C. Forsberg ,&nbsp;Aurora M. Ricart ,&nbsp;Martin Gullström ,&nbsp;Mats Björk ,&nbsp;Gloria M.S. Reithmaier","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109550","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109550","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the carbon sequestration potential of blue carbon ecosystems is important to inform climate policies and to guide restoration and protection efforts. Alkalinity generation is an often overlooked carbon sequestration mechanism, especially in seagrass meadows. Here, we quantified total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fluxes in two cold-temperate <em>Zostera marina</em> seagrass meadows in Sweden using 24-h in-situ chamber incubations at the end of the high-productivity season. The seagrass meadows were similar net sources of TA (16 ± 45 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ in Smalsund, 17 ± 16 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ in Bökevik), whereas DIC fluxes were highly variable (34 ± 59 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ in Smalsund, −43 ± 35 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ in Bökevik). Fluxes followed a diurnal cycle consistent with photosynthesis-respiration cycles. As a result, seagrass meadows ameliorated ocean acidification locally during the day, but not during the night. The large CO₂ uptake provided higher buffering levels compared to mangroves and saltmarshes. The TA fluxes were comparable to those reported for Mediterranean and tropical seagrass meadows, but 16-times lower than in mangrove forests and 5-times lower than in saltmarshes. Alkalinity generation in these cold-temperate seagrasses exceeded soil organic carbon stocks accumulation by fourfold, potentially contributing to their carbon sequestration potential and warranting inclusion in seagrass meadow carbon budgets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109550"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial distributions and foraging substrates of 11 surgeonfish species (family Acanthuridae) in an Okinawan coral reef","authors":"Atsushi Nanami","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109540","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109540","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Surgeonfishes (family Acanthuridae) are a main fish group in coral reefs. This study aimed to examine the species-specific and size-related spatial distribution, and foraging substrates of 11 surgeonfish species in relation to topographical features and substrate diversity. Six species (<em>Ctenochaetus striatus, Acanthurus nigrofuscus, A. lineatus, A. japonicus, Naso lituratus</em>, and <em>Zebrasoma scopas</em>) showed a greater density in the outer reefs with a higher coverage of rock. The former five species showed a significant positive utilization of rock as foraging substrate, whereas <em>Z. scopas</em> positively utilized dead corals and rock. For <em>A</em>. <em>dussumieri</em> and <em>N. unicornis</em>, greater densities of smaller-sized individuals were found in the inner reefs with higher coverage of coral rubble and sand, whereas larger-sized individuals were found in the outer reefs with a higher coverage of rock. <em>Naso unicornis</em> showed a significantly positive utilization of rock as foraging substrate. <em>Ctenochaetus binotatus</em> tended to show greater density in the outer reefs and a significant positive utilization of rock as a foraging substrate. <em>Acanthurus nigricauda</em> tended to show greater density in the inner reefs and a significant positive utilization of sand as foraging substrate. <em>Zebrasoma velifer</em> showed greater density of smaller-sized individuals in the inner reefs with higher coverage of live corals and dead corals, whereas larger-sized individuals tended to be greater in the outer reefs with a higher coverage of rock. <em>Zebrasoma velifer</em> showed a significant positive utilization of dead corals as foraging substrate. These results indicated that non-coralline substrates are the main indicator for maintaining surgeonfish species diversity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109540"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}