中光层珊瑚礁生态系统的研究现状与发展趋势

doi:10.11978/2025YG2025011

Abstract

Abstract: Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) specifically refer to coral reef ecosystems distributed in the ocean at depths ranging from 30 to 150 meters. As one of the habitats with the richest marine biodiversity globally, MCEs not only serve as hotspots for the discovery of new species, genetic resources, natural products, and pharmaceuticals but also function as critical nurseries for fishery resources. Consequently, they have been identified as a research focus and priority area in global marine conservation. The research on MCEs has long lagged behind that on shallow-water coral reefs, primarily due to the depth limitations of scuba diving and the insufficient application of deep-water observation technologies such as Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Currently, the scientific community remains divided on the hypothesis that mesophotic coral reefs can serve as effective "refugia" for shallow-water corals in the context of climate change, the deep reef refugia hypothesis (DRRH). In this study, bibliometric analysis tools including CiteSpace and VOSviewer were employed, with literature indexed in the Web of Science database from 2005 to 2024 as the analytical sample. A systematic analysis was conducted on the current research status and hot topics in the field of MCEs, followed by an outlook on its development trends. It is proposed that future research should proceed from three dimensions, integration of science and technology, combination of qualitative assessment and quantitative research, and interdisciplinary cooperation, to understand the diversity and plasticity of nutritional strategies in mesophotic corals, to explore the co-adaptive strategy of mesophotic coral-zooxanthellae, to deepen the understanding of the ecological resilience thresholds and adaptive potential of MCEs. This will provide a theoretical basis for predicting the response and resilience of MCEs under climate change.

Key words: Mesophotic coral, mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs): coral reef, bibliometrics, biodiversity, depth diversity, coral-zooxanthellae

WANG Xiaoxue, FEI Xingyi, WANG Weiquan, TANG Kaihao. Mesophotic coral ecosystems: current understanding and future directions[J].Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 0, (): 1-2025011.

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Mesophotic coral ecosystems: current understanding and future directions

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