Few Herbivore Species Consume Dominant Macroalgae on a Caribbean Coral Reef
نویسندگان
چکیده
منابع مشابه
Impact of Herbivore Identity on Algal Succession and Coral Growth on a Caribbean Reef
BACKGROUND Herbivory is an important top-down force on coral reefs that regulates macroalgal abundance, mediates competitive interactions between macroalgae and corals, and provides resilience following disturbances such as hurricanes and coral bleaching. However, reductions in herbivore diversity and abundance via disease or over-fishing may harm corals directly and may indirectly increase cor...
متن کاملNutrient supply from fishes facilitates macroalgae and suppresses corals in a Caribbean coral reef ecosystem.
On coral reefs, fishes can facilitate coral growth via nutrient excretion; however, as coral abundance declines, these nutrients may help facilitate increases in macroalgae. By combining surveys of reef communities with bioenergetics modeling, we showed that fish excretion supplied 25 times more nitrogen to forereefs in the Florida Keys, USA, than all other biotic and abiotic sources combined. ...
متن کاملHT248 Physiology and behaviour of the long-spined sea urchin, a keystone Caribbean coral reef herbivore
It was only after an unidentified pathogen caused a mass mortality event, killing an estimated 98% of all individuals, that the true ecological importance of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum was understood. This mass mortality affected the entire Caribbean, all but wiping out this species on coral reefs throughout the region. Unfortunately D. antillarum are important herbivores on Caribbean re...
متن کاملHerbivore space use influences coral reef recovery
Herbivores play an important role in marine communities. On coral reefs, the diversity and unique feeding behaviours found within this functional group can have a comparably diverse set of impacts in structuring the benthic community. Here, using a spatially explicit model of herbivore foraging, we explore how the spatial pattern of grazing behaviours impacts the recovery of a reef ecosystem, c...
متن کاملHerbivore species richness and feeding complementarity affect community structure and function on a coral reef.
Consumer effects on prey are well known for cascading through food webs and producing dramatic top-down effects on community structure and ecosystem function. Bottom-up effects of prey (primary producer) biodiversity are also well known. However, the role of consumer diversity in affecting community structure or ecosystem function is not well understood. Here, we show that herbivore species ric...
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ژورنال
عنوان ژورنال: Frontiers in Marine Science
سال: 2020
ISSN: 2296-7745
DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00676