Temporal and spatial variation of hermatypic coral assemblages during glacial-interglacial climate changes

为了了解在冰期-间冰期循环期间，纹状珊瑚如何因应全球气候变化而扩大/缩小其地理分布范围，通过浅层钻探收集了位于珊瑚礁北端附近的琉球群岛基凯岛的冰川珊瑚礁沉积物。这些珊瑚礁沉积物的岩石学和地层学研究表明，珊瑚礁是在40-70KYR B.P.和140KYR B.P.冰期低海平面期间发育的。此外，化石珊瑚的分类研究表明，这些冰川生物礁的部分组成是以日本群岛沿岸现代温带地区为主的珊瑚。

To understand how hermatypic corals expanded/shrunk their geographical distribution ranges in response to the global climate changes during glacial-interglacial cycles, glacial coral reef deposits in Kikai Island of Ryukyu Islands, located near the northern limit of coral reefs, were collected by the shallow drillings. Lithologic and stratigraphic investigations of these reef deposits indicate that coral reefs were developed during the glacial low sea levels at 40-70 kyr B. P. and 140 kyr B. P. Further, taxonomic studies of fossil corals demonstrated that these glacial reefs were partly comprised of corals dominated in the modern temperate regions along the Japanese archipelago.