Les organismes constructeurs de l'atoll de Takapoto

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Abstract
Les organismes constructeurs de l'atoll de Takapoto. On the outer slope and on the margin of the reef, there are few differences between the reef builders of Takapoto and those of the other atolls. The coral fauna is more abundant on the west coast (leeward-side), compared to what is located on the east coast (windward-side). On the other hand, in the lagoon, the coral fauna is poor (14 genus — mainly Porites) and the populations are heterogeneous, the southern coral patches being most prosperous. The vegetable reef builders are abundant and belong to four main groups : the bulky calcareous algae (Porolithon, Chevaliericrusta), the algae sea- lawns (Jania), the consolidating algae and the Cyanophycae of the bottom. Compared to the corals, the calcareous algae enjoy a particular importance in the building process, both on the reef front and in the lagoon. That comes from the small number of functionnal channels between the lagoon and the ocean; as a result, the renewal of water is slow and the salinity is high.

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