全部 标题 作者
关键词 摘要

OALib Journal期刊
ISSN: 2333-9721
费用:99美元

查看量下载量

相关文章

更多...

Grazing Effects of Fish versus Sea Urchins on Turf Algae and Coral Recruits: Possible Implications for Coral Reef Resilience and Restoration

DOI: 10.1155/2011/960207

Full-Text   Cite this paper   Add to My Lib

Abstract:

Herbivory is an important structuring factor in coral reefs, influencing seaweed abundance, competitive interactions between seaweeds and corals, and coral reef resilience. Despite reports of a drastic increase in the cover of benthic algae and turf dominancy in the coral reefs of Eilat, Red Sea, very little is known about the factors responsible for this phenomenon or the possible effects of herbivory on turf algae and coral recruits. Here, we examine the effects of herbivory by experimentally exposing turf algae and coral recruits to grazing activities of herbivorous fish and sea urchins. Using remote video cameras to document removal of algae and coral spats, we show that the main grazing impact is due to daily grazing by fishes, whereas the significant impact of sea urchins is mainly expressed in their adverse effect on the survival of coral recruits, with a relatively low effect on algal biomass. These findings contribute to our understanding of the factors influencing turf algae establishment and proliferation, and the survival of coral recruits on the coral reefs of Eilat. The clear differences between the impact of herbivorous fish and that of sea urchins, on the Eilat reefs, have critical implications for reef resilience and restoration measures. 1. Introduction The escalating environmental threats and the concern for the future existence of the world’s coral reefs have led to increased studies and speculations on coral reef resilience. Resilience has been defined, among others, as the ability of the reefs to absorb recurrent disturbances and subsequently rebuild coral-dominated systems [1]. Resilience is critically dependent on maintaining a balance among the different reef dwellers or functional groups (e.g., algae, corals [2]). Changes in this balance can lead to a phase shift, that is, an alternative assemblage, typically characterized by algal takeover and dominancy [3]. The takeover of coral reefs by algal turf is a process that has significant ecological implications [4]. Algal communities, dominated by highly productive, small filamentous algal turf, can hinder coral settlement and overgrow coral recruits, thus contributing to the demise of a coral population [5]. The factors determining the relative abundance of either corals or algae on coral reefs are most often an outcome of the complex interactions between environmental factors (bottom-up controls such as nutrient levels) and biological factors (top-down controls such as grazing [5–7]). Herbivory, the removal of plant biomass, is one of the most important structuring factors of

References

[1]  M. Nystr?m, C. Folke, and F. Moberg, “Coral reef disturbance and resilience in a human-dominated environment,” Trends in Ecology and Evolution, vol. 15, no. 10, pp. 413–417, 2000.
[2]  T. P. Hughes, N. A. J. Graham, J. B. C. Jackson, P. J. Mumby, and R. S. Steneck, “Rising to the challenge of sustaining coral reef resilience,” Trends in Ecology and Evolution, vol. 25, no. 11, pp. 633–642, 2010.
[3]  D. R. Bellwood, T. P. Hughes, C. Folke, and M. Nystr?m, “Confronting the coral reef crisis,” Nature, vol. 429, no. 6994, pp. 827–833, 2004.
[4]  C. L. Birrell, Influences of Benthic Algae on Coral Settlement and Post-Settlement Survival: Implications for the Recovery of Disturbed and Degraded Reefs, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, 2003.
[5]  L. J. McCook, J. Jompa, and G. Diaz-Pulido, “Competition between corals and algae on coral reefs: a review of evidence and mechanisms,” Coral Reefs, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 400–417, 2001.
[6]  L. J. McCook, “Macroalgae, nutrients and phase shifts on coral reefs: scientific issues and management consequences for the Great Barrier Reef,” Coral Reefs, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 357–367, 1999.
[7]  M. M. Littler, D. S. Littler, and B. L. Brooks, “Harmful algae on tropical coral reefs: bottom-up eutrophication and top-down herbivory,” Harmful Algae, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 565–585, 2006.
[8]  J. Lubchenco and S. D. Gaines, “A unified approach to marine plant-herbivore interactions. I. populations and communities,” Annual Reviews in Ecology and Systematics, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 405–437, 1981.
[9]  T. R. Mcclanahan, A. T. Kamukuru, N. A. Muthiga, M. Gilagabher Yebio, and D. Obura, “Effect of sea urchin reductions on algae, coral, and fish populations,” Conservation Biology, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 136–154, 1996.
[10]  P. W. Glynn, “Feeding ecology of selected coral-reef macroconsumers: patterns and effects on coral community structure,” Ecosystems of the World, vol. 25, pp. 365–400, 1990.
[11]  M. E. Hay, “The ecology and evolution of seaweed-herbivore interactions on coral reefs,” Coral Reefs, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. S67–S76, 1997.
[12]  J. M. West and R. V. Salm, “Resistance and resilience to coral bleaching: implications for coral reef conservation and management,” Conservation Biology, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 956–967, 2003.
[13]  R. H. Richmond and C. L. Hunter, “Reproduction and recruitment of corals: comparisons among the Caribbean, the Tropical Pacific, and the Red Sea,” Oldendorf, vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 185–203, 1990, Marine ecology progress series.
[14]  A. Abelson, R. Olinky, and S. Gaines, “Coral recruitment to the reefs of Eilat, Red Sea: temporal and spatial variation, and possible effects of anthropogenic disturbances,” Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 50, no. 5, pp. 576–582, 2005.
[15]  T. P. Hughes, “Catastrophes, phase shifts, and large-scale degradation of a Caribbean coral reef,” Science, vol. 265, no. 5178, pp. 1547–1551, 1994.
[16]  S. M. Lewis, “The role of herbivorous fishes in the organization of a Caribbean reef community,” Ecological Monographs, vol. 56, no. 3, pp. 183–200, 1986.
[17]  M. W. Miller and M. E. Hay, “Effects of fish predation and seaweed competition on the survival and growth of corals,” Oecologia, vol. 113, no. 2, pp. 231–238, 1998.
[18]  M. W. Miller, E. Weil, and A. M. Szmant, “Coral recruitment and juvenile mortality as structuring factors for reef benthic communities in Biscayne National Park, USA,” Coral Reefs, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 115–123, 2000.
[19]  L. Penin, F. Michonneau, A. H. Baird et al., “Early post-settlement mortality and the structure of coral assemblages,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 408, pp. 55–64, 2010.
[20]  R. P. M. Bak and M. S. Engel, “Distribution, abundance and survival of juvenile hermatypic corals (Scleractinia) and the importance of life history strategies in the parent coral community,” Marine Biology, vol. 54, no. 4, pp. 341–352, 1979.
[21]  S. J. Box and P. J. Mumby, “Effect of macroalgal competition on growth and survival of juvenile Caribbean corals,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 342, pp. 139–149, 2007.
[22]  P. J. Edmunds, J. F. Bruno, and D. B. Carlon, “Effects of depth and microhabitat on growth and survivorship of juvenile corals in the Florida Keys,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 278, pp. 115–124, 2004.
[23]  P. J. Mumby, C. P. Dahlgren, A. R. Harborne et al., “Fishing, trophic cascades, and the process of grazing on coral reefs,” Science, vol. 311, no. 5757, pp. 98–101, 2006.
[24]  J. F. Bruno, H. Sweatman, W. F. Precht, E. R. Selig, and V. G. W. Schutte, “Assessing evidence of phase shifts from coral to macroalgal dominance on coral reefs,” Ecology, vol. 90, no. 6, pp. 1478–1484, 2009.
[25]  K. Bahartan, M. Zibdah, Y. Ahmed, A. Israel, I. Brickner, and A. Abelson, “Macroalgae in the coral reefs of Eilat (Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea) as a possible indicator of reef degradation,” Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 60, no. 5, pp. 759–764, 2010.
[26]  R. J. Fox and D. R. Bellwood, “Direct versus indirect methods of quantifying herbivore grazing impact on a coral reef,” Marine Biology, vol. 154, no. 2, pp. 325–334, 2008.
[27]  C. S. Mantyka and D. R. Bellwood, “Direct evaluation of macroalgal removal by herbivorous coral reef fishes,” Coral Reefs, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 435–442, 2007.
[28]  N. Odat, “Length-weight relationship of fishes from coral reefs along the coastline of Jordan (Gulf of Aqaba),” NAGA, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 9–10, 2003.
[29]  M. Kulbicki, N. Guillemot, and M. Amand, “A general approach to length-weight relationships for New Caledonian lagoon fishes,” Cybium, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 235–252, 2005.
[30]  R. Froese, D. Pauly, and M. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources, “FishBase a global information system on fishes,” FishBase, 2010.
[31]  B. a. Y. L. Rinkevich, “Reproduction of the Red-Sea coral Stylophora-Pistillata .1. Gonads and planulae,” Marine Ecology-Progress, vol. 2, pp. 133–144, 1979.
[32]  A. H. Baird, A. Salih, and A. Trevor-Jones, “Fluorescence census techniques for the early detection of coral recruits,” Coral Reefs, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 73–76, 2006.
[33]  G. A. Piniak, N. D. Fogarty, C. M. Addison, and W. J. Kenworthy, “Fluorescence census techniques for coral recruits,” Coral Reefs, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 496–500, 2005.
[34]  G. P. Jones, M. I. McCormick, M. Srinivasan, and J. V. Eagle, “Coral decline threatens fish biodiversity in marine reserves,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 101, no. 21, pp. 8251–8253, 2004.
[35]  C. L. Birrell, L. J. McCook, B. L. Willis, and G. A. Diaz-Pulido, “Effects of benthic algae on the replenishment of corals and the implications for the resilience of coral reefs,” Oceanography and Marine Biology, vol. 46, pp. 25–63, 2008.
[36]  D. E. Venera-Ponton, G. Diaz-Pulido, L. J. McCook, and A. Rangel-Campo, “Macroalgae reduce growth of juvenile corals but protect them from parrotfish damage,” Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 421, pp. 109–115, 2011.
[37]  J. C. Ogden and P. S. Lobel, “The role of herbivorous fishes and urchins in coral reef communities,” Environmental Biology of Fishes, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 49–63, 1978.
[38]  M. H. Ledlie, N. A. J. Graham, J. C. Bythell et al., “Phase shifts and the role of herbivory in the resilience of coral reefs,” Coral Reefs, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 641–653, 2007.
[39]  C. Birkeland, Life and Death of Coral Reefs, Chapman & Hall, New York, NY, USA, 1997.
[40]  D. R. Bellwood, T. P. Hughes, and A. S. Hoey, “Sleeping functional group drives coral-reef recovery,” Current Biology, vol. 16, no. 24, pp. 2434–2439, 2006.
[41]  Y. Benayahu and Y. Loya, “Seasonal occurrence of benthic-algae communities and grazing regulation by sea urchins at the coral reefs of Eilat, Red Sea,” in Proceedings of the 3rd International Coral Reef Symposium, Miami, Fla, USA, 1977.
[42]  Y. Loya, The Coral Reefs of Eilat-Past, Present and Future: Three Decades of Coral Community Structure Studies, Coral health and disease, Springer, Berlin, Germany, 2004.
[43]  G. Tolentino-Pablico, N. Bailly, R. Froese, and C. Elloran, “Seaweeds preferred by herbivorous fishes,” Journal of Applied Phycology, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 933–938, 2008.
[44]  D. G. Ochavillo, P. I. Dixon, and P. M. Alino, The Daily Food Ration of Parrotfishes in the Fringing Reefs of Bolinao, Northwestern Philippines, Pangasinan, Philippines, 1992.
[45]  M. A. Alwany, E. Thaler, and M. Stachowitsch, “Parrotfish bioerosion on Egyptian Red Sea reefs,” Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol. 371, no. 2, pp. 170–176, 2009.
[46]  Y. Bouchon-Navaro and M. L. Harmelin-Vivien, “Quantitative distribution of herbivorous reef fishes in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea),” Marine Biology, vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 79–86, 1981.
[47]  R. C. Carpenter, “Partitioning herbivory and its effects on coral reef algal communities,” Ecological Monographs, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 345–363, 1986.
[48]  J. H. Choat, “The biology of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs,” in The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs, P. F. Sale, Ed., pp. 120–155, 1991.
[49]  C. Birkeland, “The importance of rate of biomass accumulation in early successional stages of benthic communities to the survival of coral recruits,” in Proceedings of the 3rd International Coral Reef Symposium, 1977.
[50]  J. H. Bruggemann, A. M. Van Kessel, J. M. Van Rooij, and A. M. Breeman, “Bioerosion and sediment ingestion by the caribbean parrotfish Scarus vetula and Sparisoma viride: implications of fish size, feeding mode and habitat use,” Oldendorf, vol. 134, no. 1–3, pp. 59–71, 1996, Marine Ecology Progress Series.
[51]  J. E. Randall, “The effect of fishes on coral reefs,” 1974.
[52]  F. Myers and E. L. Robert, Coral Reef Guide Red Sea, H. Brocklehurst, Ed., HarperCollins, 2004.
[53]  R. D. Rotjan and J. L. Dimond, “Discriminating causes from consequences of persistent parrotfish corallivory,” Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol. 390, no. 2, pp. 188–195, 2010.
[54]  P. J. Mumby, “Herbivory versus corallivory: are parrotfish good or bad for Caribbean coral reefs?” Coral Reefs, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 683–690, 2009.
[55]  P. A. Hutchings, “Biological destruction of coral reefs,” Coral Reefs, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 239–252, 1986.
[56]  R. P. M. Bak and G. van Eys, “Predation of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum Philippi on living coral,” Oecologia, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 111–115, 1975.
[57]  P. J. Herring, “Observations on the distribution and feeding habits of some littoral echinoids from Zanzibar,” Journal of Natural History, vol. 6, pp. 169–175, 1972.
[58]  R. C. Carpenter, “Grazing by Diadema antillarum (Philippi) and its effects on the benthic algal community,” Journal of Marine Research, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 749–765, 1981.
[59]  P. W. Sammarco, “Diadema and its relationship to coral spat mortality: grazing, competition, and biological disturbance,” Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 245–272, 1980.
[60]  M. M. Littler, P. R. Taylor, and D. S. Littler, “Complex interactions in the control of coral zonation on a Caribbean reef flat,” Oecologia, vol. 80, no. 3, pp. 331–340, 1989.

Full-Text

Contact Us

service@oalib.com

QQ:3279437679

WhatsApp +8615387084133