Distribution coefficients of trace elements between Merulinidae coral aragonite skeletons and seawater in the Weizhou Island, the northern South China Sea: Species and Rayleigh dependencies

He Xiangxiang; Jiang Wei; Liu Lingdan; Liu Jin; Liu Yuchun; Yu Kefu

doi:10.12284/hyxb2023098

Volume 45 Issue 8

Aug. 2023

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He Xiangxiang，Jiang Wei，Liu Lingdan, et al. Distribution coefficients of trace elements between Merulinidae coral aragonite skeletons and seawater in the Weizhou Island, the northern South China Sea: Species and Rayleigh dependencies[J]. Haiyang Xuebao，2023, 45(8)：62–72 doi: 10.12284/hyxb2023098

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Distribution coefficients of trace elements between Merulinidae coral aragonite skeletons and seawater in the Weizhou Island, the northern South China Sea: Species and Rayleigh dependencies

doi: 10.12284/hyxb2023098

He Xiangxiang^1
,,
Jiang Wei^{1, 2
,
,},
Liu Lingdan¹,
Liu Jin¹,
Liu Yuchun¹,
Yu Kefu^{1, 2}

1.
Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
2.
Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519082, China

Received Date: 2023-01-09
Rev Recd Date: 2023-03-31

Available Online: 2023-08-18

Publish Date: 2023-08-31

Abstract

Abstract

The distribution process of trace elements between coral aragonite skeletons and seawater is a key link to control the incorporating of trace elements in seawater into coral skeletons. The distribution coefficient (K_D) characterizing this distribution process is often used to reconstruct the contents of trace elements in seawater in time series. Lacking of in situ research on corals and seawater, the limited knowledge related to the distribution behavior of trace elements between coral aragonite skeletons and seawater seriously hindered our acquisition of accurate chemical quantitative data on seawater. In this study we selected two typical reef-building coral species (Goniastrea retiformis and Platygyra yaeyamaensis) and five trace elements (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Cr) in the surrounding in-situ surface seawater of Weizhou Island in the northern South China Sea, and estimated the distribution coefficients of these trace elements between the coral aragonite skeleton and seawater. Results revealed that the K_D value of G. retiformis for Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr was 3.65, 0.57, 1.06, 0.88, 0.66 respectively; the K_D value of P. yaeyamaensis was 3.49, 0.97, 1.42, 1.01, 0.60 respectively. We found a significant difference among different coral species in the K_D values of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd, but no significant difference for Cr. The results indicate that the K_D values of trace elements are affected by the Rayleigh fractionation, which is related to the numerical values of K_D. The study provided relatively accurate K_D values for coral aragonite skeleton and seawater, represented important basic data for future research on coral reefs, and expanded our knowledge of chemical signature in biogenic lattices associated with marine organism.
- in situ seawater,
- Rayleigh fractionation,
- trace element,
- Merulinidae coral,
- South China Sea

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