珊瑚藻是钙化红藻中的主要类群,是珊瑚礁中的重要组分,并在珊瑚礁发育过程中发挥重要作用:1)珊瑚藻为珊瑚礁体建造提供大量的钙质物源,壮大了珊瑚礁钙质体;2)珊瑚藻具强依附粘结等作用,能将破碎的生物残体等进行裹覆胶合和绑结,构建成抵御强风浪的珊瑚礁体格架;3)珊瑚藻坚硬的钙质面为珊瑚幼虫的附着生长提供硬质基底;4)珊瑚藻通过光合作用,提升珊瑚礁生态系统的能量流动;5)珊瑚藻的高初级生产力,维持珊瑚礁生态系统的高效物质循环。当前珊瑚藻的研究重点包括珊瑚藻对全球变暖、海洋酸化等环境胁迫的响应,以及珊瑚藻的群落结构、种类多样性、时空变化与环境变化的关系等。对珊瑚藻的深入研究将有助于揭示其在珊瑚礁生态系统中的多重功能。
Coralline algae are common in calcified red algal groups and an essential component of coral reefs. In addition, they play an important role in the process of coral reef development: 1) Coralline algae provide calcium for building the reef body; 2) coralline algae have strong binding and gluing ability to glue the broken biological fragments together and build coral reefs that can withstand strong winds; 3) coralline algae's hard calcareous surfaces provide rigid basements for coral larvae to attach and grow; 4) coralline algae promote energy flow in coral reef ecosystems through photosynthesis; 5) coralline algae's high primary productivity helps to maintain the efficiency of material cycle in coral reef ecosystems. Current research on coralline algae is focused on coralline algae's responses to environmental stresses such as global warming and ocean acidification, and on the relations between the community structure, species diversity and spatial and temporal variations of coralline algae and environment changes. Further studies will be conducive to reveal the multiple functions of coralline algae in coral reef ecosystems.