Co-occurrence of a reef-building coral and canopy-forming macroalgae in the Mediterranean Sea

Canopy-forming macroalgae are amongst the main competitors of corals by affecting coral recruitment, growth recruits and adults, fecundity in worst-case scenario causing bleaching necrosis. However, potentially reef-building Cladocora caespitosa (Linnaeus, 1767) canopy-forming order Fucales (Cystoseira sensu lato) known to concur a few places Mediterranean Sea. Here we look at small-scale relationships between abundance Cystoseira s. l. densities three different where they coexist. Relationships have turned out be both species site-specific even though most neutral, pointing predominant concurrence small scale. These findings shed new information on relationship fleshy temperate environment serve as starting point for future studies addressing interactions C.