Effects of macroalgae on corals recovering from disturbance
Author(s)
Bender, Dorothea
Diaz-Pulido, Guillermo
Dove, Sophie
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2012
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Corals have an ability to recover fromdisturbance through the regeneration of tissue, but macroalgae are believed to impede this process. In this study, the type of benthic macroalgae deposited oncoral skeleton was manipulated experimentally, and the effectson tissue regeneration and skeletal growth of two common coral species Acropora pulchra and Acropora aspera were observed after disturbance. Macroalgae, common to the study region, but from variable functional groups, were investigated for their influence oncoral growth. The green filamentous macroalga Chlorodesmis fastigiata significantly reduced tissue recovery in A. ...
View more >Corals have an ability to recover fromdisturbance through the regeneration of tissue, but macroalgae are believed to impede this process. In this study, the type of benthic macroalgae deposited oncoral skeleton was manipulated experimentally, and the effectson tissue regeneration and skeletal growth of two common coral species Acropora pulchra and Acropora aspera were observed after disturbance. Macroalgae, common to the study region, but from variable functional groups, were investigated for their influence oncoral growth. The green filamentous macroalga Chlorodesmis fastigiata significantly reduced tissue recovery in A. pulchra, but not in A. aspera. It led to the infection ofA. pulchra with ciliates. The brown seaweed, Lobophora variegata, the encrusting coralline alga Porolithon (= Hydrolithon) onkodes, and turf algae, had only minor effectsoncoral recovery. This suggests that the outcome of the regeneration process is highly variable and dependent upon both, the species ofcoral and algae involved.
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View more >Corals have an ability to recover fromdisturbance through the regeneration of tissue, but macroalgae are believed to impede this process. In this study, the type of benthic macroalgae deposited oncoral skeleton was manipulated experimentally, and the effectson tissue regeneration and skeletal growth of two common coral species Acropora pulchra and Acropora aspera were observed after disturbance. Macroalgae, common to the study region, but from variable functional groups, were investigated for their influence oncoral growth. The green filamentous macroalga Chlorodesmis fastigiata significantly reduced tissue recovery in A. pulchra, but not in A. aspera. It led to the infection ofA. pulchra with ciliates. The brown seaweed, Lobophora variegata, the encrusting coralline alga Porolithon (= Hydrolithon) onkodes, and turf algae, had only minor effectsoncoral recovery. This suggests that the outcome of the regeneration process is highly variable and dependent upon both, the species ofcoral and algae involved.
View less >
Journal Title
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
Volume
429
Subject
Environmental sciences
Biological sciences
Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Phycology (incl. marine grasses)
Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences