TY - JOUR
T1 - Stable nitrogen isotopes in octocorals as an indicator of water quality decline from the northwestern region of Cuba
AU - Rey-Villiers, Néstor
AU - Sánchez, Alberto
AU - González-Díaz, Patricia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - Eutrophication is one of the causes of the degradation of reefs worldwide. The aim of this research is to determine if sewage discharge reaches the fore reefs at northwest of Cuba using δ15N in tissues of the octocorals Eunicea flexuosa and Plexaura kuekenthali and the concentration of microbiological and physical-chemical variables. Thirteen reefs at 10-m depth were selected near river basins and far from the urban and industrial development of Havana City. Branch tips of both species were collected, the concentrations of nutrient and microorganisms in water samples were quantified, and horizontal visibility in the water (Vis) was determined. Overall, δ15N of E. flexuosa ranged from 1.5 to 6.3‰ and P. kuekenthali from 1.7 to 6.7‰. The tissue of both species was significantly enriched in 15N in reefs near polluted watersheds compared with reefs far from pollution by anthropogenic activities. The δ15N of both species showed a positive and significant correlation with the concentration of fecal and total coliform bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, and NH4+ and a negative and significant correlation with the Vis. The δ15N of the two species and microbiological and physical-chemical variables evidenced water quality decline by sewage discharge that reached reefs near polluted watersheds.
AB - Eutrophication is one of the causes of the degradation of reefs worldwide. The aim of this research is to determine if sewage discharge reaches the fore reefs at northwest of Cuba using δ15N in tissues of the octocorals Eunicea flexuosa and Plexaura kuekenthali and the concentration of microbiological and physical-chemical variables. Thirteen reefs at 10-m depth were selected near river basins and far from the urban and industrial development of Havana City. Branch tips of both species were collected, the concentrations of nutrient and microorganisms in water samples were quantified, and horizontal visibility in the water (Vis) was determined. Overall, δ15N of E. flexuosa ranged from 1.5 to 6.3‰ and P. kuekenthali from 1.7 to 6.7‰. The tissue of both species was significantly enriched in 15N in reefs near polluted watersheds compared with reefs far from pollution by anthropogenic activities. The δ15N of both species showed a positive and significant correlation with the concentration of fecal and total coliform bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, and NH4+ and a negative and significant correlation with the Vis. The δ15N of the two species and microbiological and physical-chemical variables evidenced water quality decline by sewage discharge that reached reefs near polluted watersheds.
KW - Coral reefs
KW - Eunicea flexuosa
KW - Eutrophication
KW - Plexaura kuekenthali
KW - Sewage discharge
KW - Stable nitrogen isotopes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087511070&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11356-020-09956-x
DO - 10.1007/s11356-020-09956-x
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 32623667
AN - SCOPUS:85087511070
SN - 0944-1344
VL - 28
SP - 18457
EP - 18470
JO - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
JF - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
IS - 15
ER -