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dc.contributor.authorVenera-Ponton, DE
dc.contributor.authorDiaz-Pulido, G
dc.contributor.authorMcCook, LJ
dc.contributor.authorRangel-Campo, A
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-03T15:43:58Z
dc.date.available2017-05-03T15:43:58Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.date.modified2011-08-19T06:45:47Z
dc.identifier.issn0171-8630
dc.identifier.doi10.3354/meps08869
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/40170
dc.description.abstractInhibition of early life stages of corals by benthic algae is a critical bottleneck to the recovery and resilience of corals. Increasingly frequent and severe disturbances are causing large-scale coral mortality, usually followed by colonisation and dominance by benthic algae. The capacity of corals to re-establish in such algal-dominated habitats will depend on the effects of the algae on growth and survivorship of juvenile corals. We experimentally evaluated the competition between juvenile corals Porites astreoides and algae and the effects of algae on the exposure of juvenile corals to damage by parrotfishes (family Scaridae) in a Colombian Caribbean reef. We also explored whether those effects were consistent among climatic seasons (upwelling and non-upwelling). Benthic algae had negative and positive effects on the juvenile corals. The removal of algal turfs and fleshy macroalgae enhanced coral growth. Unexpectedly, removal of algae from around the juvenile corals increased predation upon the corals by parrotfishes. When algae were removed, at least 50% of the corals were grazed by parrotfishes, but no bites were observed on corals with intact algae. Coral growth and parrotfish damage were not affected by season. However, damage by parrotfishes neither lessened survivorship nor resulted in negative growth for any of the grazed coral colonies. The beneficial effects of algae in protecting the juvenile corals from parrotfish damage seem to be outweighed by the negative effects of the algae on coral-algal competition. Understanding such complexities in the interactions between algae and early life stages of corals can provide insight into the roles of algae in coral reef resilience.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.format.extent269828 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherInter-Research
dc.publisher.placeGermany
dc.relation.ispartofstudentpublicationN
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom109
dc.relation.ispartofpageto115
dc.relation.ispartofjournalMarine Ecology Progress Series
dc.relation.ispartofvolume421
dc.rights.retentionY
dc.subject.fieldofresearchOceanography
dc.subject.fieldofresearchEcology
dc.subject.fieldofresearchMarine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
dc.subject.fieldofresearchZoology
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode3708
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode3103
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode310305
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode3109
dc.titleMacroalgae reduce growth of juvenile corals but protect them from parrotfish damage
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dc.type.codeC - Journal Articles
gro.rights.copyright© 2011 Inter Research. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
gro.date.issued2011
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
gro.griffith.authorDiaz-Pulido, Guillermo


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