Herbivores strongly influence algal recruitment in both coral- and algal-dominated coral reef habitats

Doropoulos, Christopher; Hyndes, Glenn A.; Abecasis, D.; Vergés, Adriana

Publication

Herbivores strongly influence algal recruitment in both coral- and algal-dominated coral reef habitats

2013Journal article

dc.contributor.author	Doropoulos, Christopher
dc.contributor.author	Hyndes, Glenn A.
dc.contributor.author	Abecasis, D.
dc.contributor.author	Vergés, Adriana
dc.date.accessioned	2017-01-17T11:08:37Z
dc.date.available	2017-01-17T11:08:37Z
dc.date.issued	2013
dc.description.abstract	Coral reefs can exist as coral- and macroalgae-dominated habitats often separated by only a few hundred metres. While herbivorous fish are known to depress the abundance of algae and help maintain the function of coral-dominated habitats, less is known about their influence in algae-dominated habitats. Here, we quantified herbivorous fish and benthic algal communities over a 6 mo period in coral-dominated (back-reef) and algal-dominated (lagoon) habitats in a relatively undisturbed fringing coral reef (Ningaloo, Western Australia). Simulta - neously, we tested the effects of herbivorous fish on algal recruitment in both habitats using recruitment tiles and fish exclusion cages. The composition of established algal communities differed consistently between habitats, with the back-reef hosting a more diverse community than the Sargassum-dominated lagoon. However, total algal biomass and cover only differed between habitats in autumn, coinciding with maximum Sargassum biomass. The back-reef hosted high coral cover and a diverse herbivorous fish community, with herbivore biomass an order of magnitude greater than the lagoon. Despite these differences in herbivore composition, exclusion of large herbivores had a similar positive effect to foliose macroalgae recruitment on experimental tiles in both back-reef and lagoon habitats. Additionally, territorial damselfish found in the backreef increased turf algae cover and decreased crustose coralline algae cover on recruitment tiles. Collectively, our results show that disparate herbivorous fish communities in coral- and algaedominated habitats are similarly able to limit the recruitment of foliose macroalgae, but suggest that when herbivorous fish biomass and diversity are relatively low, macroalgal communities are able to escape herbivore control through increased growth.	pt_PT
dc.description.version	info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion	pt_PT
dc.identifier.doi	10.3354/meps10325	pt_PT
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/8937
dc.language.iso	eng	pt_PT
dc.peerreviewed	yes	pt_PT
dc.publisher	Inter Research	pt_PT
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	pt_PT
dc.subject	Functional group	pt_PT
dc.subject	Recruitment	pt_PT
dc.subject	Macroalgae	pt_PT
dc.subject	Sargassum	pt_PT
dc.subject	Turf algae	pt_PT
dc.subject	Crustose coralline algae	pt_PT
dc.subject	Ecosystem function	pt_PT
dc.subject	Ningaloo	pt_PT
dc.title	Herbivores strongly influence algal recruitment in both coral- and algal-dominated coral reef habitats	pt_PT
dc.type	journal article
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.citation.endPage	164	pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPage	153	pt_PT
oaire.citation.title	Marine Ecology Progress Series	pt_PT
oaire.citation.volume	486	pt_PT
person.familyName	Abecasis
person.givenName	David
person.identifier	298405
person.identifier.ciencia-id	7E1E-B2F7-B966
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0002-9802-8153
person.identifier.rid	B-2871-2012
person.identifier.scopus-author-id	23017767300
rcaap.rights	openAccess	pt_PT
rcaap.type	article	pt_PT
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	ef3e9a91-cff1-419d-af31-4bc2800897dd
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	ef3e9a91-cff1-419d-af31-4bc2800897dd