Biomass, carbonate standing stock and production of the mediterranean coralCladocora caespitosa (L.)

Abstract

The Mediterranean coralCladocora caespitosa often occurs in large beds, i.e. populations of hemispherical clonies with stock densities varying between 1.9 and 4 coloneis ·m−2. Laboratory measurements of volume, skeleton weight, surface and number of corallites per colony, coupled with mean annual growth rates evaluated through sclerochronology, allowed for the estimation of biomass, skeleton bulk density, calcimass (carbonate standing stock) and secondary production (both organic and inorganic) of twoC. caespitosa beds at 4 and 9 m depth. The mean colony biomass varied between 0.73 and 0.99 kg dw ·m−2, corresponding to a calcimass between 2 and 5 kg CaCO3·m−2. Organic secondary production was 215.5–305.4 g dw of polyps ·m−2·y−1, while the potential (mineral) production was 1.1–1.7 kg CaCO3·m−2·y−1, for the year 1996–1997.