Effects of herbivory, nutrients, and reef protection on algal proliferation and coral growth on a tropical reef

Oecologia

Volumn 169, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 187-198

  Rasher, Douglas B ^a   Engel, Sebastian ^a   Bonito, Victor ^b   Fraser, Gareth J ^c   Montoya, Joseph P ^a   Hay, Mark E ^a  

^a GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY   (United States)

^b Reef Explorer Fiji   (Fiji)

^c UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Eutrophication; Fiji; MPA; Overfishing; Plant herbivory

Indexed keywords

NITROGEN;

ALGA; BIOACCUMULATION; BIOMASS; COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT; CORAL REEF; CYANOBACTERIUM; DISTURBANCE; GROWTH RATE; HABITAT CONSERVATION; HERBIVORY; HUMAN ACTIVITY; MACROALGA; NUTRIENT CYCLING; NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT; OVERFISHING;

ANIMAL; ANTHOZOA; ARTICLE; BIOMASS; BROWN ALGA; CORAL REEF; EUTROPHICATION; FOOD CHAIN; GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND AGING; HERBIVORY; METABOLISM; PHYSIOLOGY; POPULATION DYNAMICS; SEDIMENT; TROPIC CLIMATE;

ANIMALS; ANTHOZOA; BIOMASS; CORAL REEFS; EUTROPHICATION; FOOD CHAIN; GEOLOGIC SEDIMENTS; HERBIVORY; NITROGEN; PHAEOPHYTA; POPULATION DYNAMICS; TROPICAL CLIMATE;

FIJI;

ACROPORA MILLEPORA; ALGAE; ANTHOZOA; CYANOBACTERIA; PORITES CYLINDRICA;

EID: 84859649526     PISSN: 00298549     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2174-y     Document Type: Article

References (61)

1. Baker AC, Glynn PW, Riegl B (2008) Climate change and coral reef bleaching: an ecological assessment of long-term impacts, recovery trends and future outlook. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 80: 435-471.
2. Belliveau SA, Paul VJ (2002) Effects of herbivory and nutrients on the early colonization of crustose coralline and fleshy algae. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 232: 105-114.
3. Bellwood DR, Fulton CJ (2008) Sediment-mediated suppression of herbivory on coral reefs: decreasing resilience to rising sea levels and climate change? Limnol Oceanogr 53: 2695-2701.
4. Bellwood DR, Hughes TP, Folke C, Nystrom M (2004) Confronting the coral reef crisis. Nature 429: 827-833.
5. Birrell CL, McCook LJ, Willis BL (2005) Effects of algal turfs and sediment on coral settlement. Mar Poll Bull 51: 408-414.
6. Birrell CL, McCook LJ, Willis BL, Diaz-Pulido GA (2008) Effects of benthic algae on the replenishment of corals and the implications for the resilience of coral reefs. Oceanogr Mar Biol Annu Rev 46: 25-63.
7. Bruno JF, Petes LE, Harvell CD, Hettinger A (2003) Nutrient enrichment can increase the severity of coral diseases. Ecol Lett 6: 1056-1061.
8. Bruno JF, Selig ER, Casey KS, Page CA, Willis BL, Harvell CD, Sweatman H, Melendy AM (2007) Thermal stress and coral cover as drivers of coral disease outbreaks. PLoS Biology 5: e124.
9. Burkepile DE, Hay ME (2006) Herbivore versus nutrient control of marine primary producers: context-dependent effects. Ecology 87: 3128-3139.
10. Burkepile DE, Hay ME (2008) Herbivore species richness and feeding complementarity affect community structure and function on a coral reef. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105: 16201-16206.
11. Burkepile DE, Hay ME (2009) Nutrient versus herbivore control of macroalgal community development and coral growth on a Caribbean reef. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 389: 71-84.
12. Burkepile DE, Hay ME (2010) Impact of herbivore identity on algal succession and coral growth on a Caribbean reef. PLoS One 5: e8963.
13. Carilli JE, Norris RD, Black BA, Walsh SM, McField M (2009) Local stressors reduce coral resilience to bleaching. PLoS One 4: e6324.
14. Cheal A, MacNeil M, Cripps E, Emslie M, Jonker M, Schaffelke B, Sweatman H (2010) Coral-macroalgal phase shifts or reef resilience: links with diversity and functional roles of herbivorous fishes on the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 29: 1005-1015.
15. Diaz-Pulido G, McCook LJ (2003) Relative roles of herbivory and nutrients in the recruitment of coral-reef seaweeds. Ecology 84: 2026-2033.
16. Elmhirst T, Connolly SR, Hughes TP (2009) Connectivity, regime shifts and the resilience of coral reefs. Coral Reefs 28: 949-957.
17. Folke C, Carpenter S, Walker B, Scheffer M, Elmqvist T, Gunderson L, Holling CS (2004) Regime shifts, resilience, and biodiversity in ecosystem management. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 35: 557-581.
18. Harvell D, Jordan-Dahlgren E, Merkel S, Rosenberg E, Raymundo L, Smith G, Weil E, Willis B (2007) Coral disease, environmental drivers, and the balance between coral and microbial associates. Oceanography 20: 172-195.
19. Hauri C, Fabricius KE, Schaffelke B, Humphrey C (2010) Chemical and physical environmental conditions underneath mat- and canopy-forming macroalgae, and their effects on understorey corals. PLoS One 5: e12685.
20. Heck KL, Valentine JF (2007) The primacy of top-down effects in shallow benthic ecosystems. Estuar Coasts 30: 371-381.
21. Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E, Harvell CD, Sale PF, Edwards AJ, Caldeira K, Knowlton N, Eakin CM, Iglesias-Prieto R, Muthiga N, Bradbury RH, Dubi A, Hatziolos ME (2007) Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318: 1737-1742.
22. Hoey AS, Bellwood DR (2011) Suppression of herbivory by macroalgal density: a critical feedback on coral reefs? Ecol Lett 14: 267-273.
23. Houk P, Musburger C, Wiles P (2010) Water quality and herbivory interactively drive coral-reef recovery patterns in American Samoa. PLoS One 5: e13913.
24. Hughes TP (1994) Catastrophes, phase-shifts, and large-scale degradation of a Caribbean coral reef. Science 265: 1547-1551.
25. Hughes TP, Szmant AM, Steneck RS, Carpenter R, Miller S (1999) Algal blooms on coral reefs: what are the causes? Limnol Oceanogr 44: 1583-1586.
26. Hughes TP, Baird AH, Bellwood DR, Card M, Connolly SR, Folke C, Grosberg R, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Jackson JBC, Kleypas J, Lough JM, Marshall P, Nystrom M, Palumbi SR, Pandolfi JM, Rosen B, Roughgarden J (2003) Climate change, human impacts, and the resilience of coral reefs. Science 301: 929-933.
27. Hughes TP, Rodrigues MJ, Bellwood DR, Ceccarelli D, Hoegh-Guldberg O, McCook L, Moltschaniwskyj N, Pratchett MS, Steneck RS, Willis B (2007) Phase shifts, herbivory, and the resilience of coral reefs to climate change. Curr Biol 17: 360-365.
28. Hughes TP, Graham NAJ, Jackson JBC, Mumby PJ, Steneck RS (2010) Rising to the challenge of sustaining coral reef resilience. Trends Ecol Evol 25: 633-642.
29. Jackson JBC, Kirby MX, Berger WH, Bjorndal KA, Botsford LW, Bourque BJ, Bradbury RH, Cooke R, Erlandson J, Estes JA, Hughes TP, Kidwell S, Lange CB, Lenihan HS, Pandolfi JM, Peterson CH, Steneck RS, Tegner MJ, Warner RR (2001) Historical overfishing and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems. Science 293: 629-637.
30. Jompa J, McCook LJ (2002) The effects of nutrients and herbivory on competition between a hard coral (Porites cylindrica) and a brown alga (Lobophora variegata). Limnol Oceanogr 47: 527-534.
31. Knowlton N, Jackson JBC (2008) Shifting baselines, local impacts, and global change on coral reefs. PLoS Biol 6: e54.
32. Lapointe BE (1997) Nutrient thresholds for bottom-up control of macroalgal blooms on coral reefs in Jamaica and southeast Florida. Limnol Oceanogr 42: 1119-1131.
33. Lapointe BE, Barile PJ, Yentsch CS, Littler MM, Littler DS, Kakuk B (2004) The relative importance of nutrient enrichment and herbivory on macroalgal communities near Norman's Pond Cay, Exumas Cays, Bahamas: a "natural" enrichment experiment. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 298: 275-301.
34. Lewis SM (1986) The role of herbivorous fishes in the organization of a Caribbean reef community. Ecol Monogr 56: 183-200.
35. Littler MM, Littler DS (1984) Models of tropical reef biogenesis: the contribution of algae. In: Round FE, Chapman DJ (eds) Progress in phycological research. Biopress, Bristol, pp 323-364.
36. Littler MM, Littler DS, Brooks BL, Lapointe BE (2006a) Nutrient manipulation methods for coral reef studies: a critical review and experimental field data. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 336: 242-253.
37. Littler MM, Littler DS, Brooks BL (2006b) Harmful algae on tropical coral reefs: bottom-up eutrophication and top-down herbivory. Harmful Algae 5: 565-585.
38. McClanahan TR, Sala E, Stickels PA, Cokos BA, Baker AC, Starger CJ, Jones SH (2003) Interaction between nutrients and herbivory in controlling algal communities and coral condition on Glover's Reef, Belize. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 261: 135-147.
39. McCook LJ (1996) Effects of herbivores and water quality on Sargassum distribution on the central great barrier reef: cross-shelf transplants. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 139: 179-192.
40. Miller MW, Hay ME (1998) Effects of fish predation and seaweed competition on the survival and growth of corals. Oecologia 113: 231-238.
41. Miller MW, Hay ME, Miller SL, Malone D, Sotka EE, Szmant AM (1999) Effects of nutrients versus herbivores on reef algae: a new method for manipulating nutrients on coral reefs. Limnol Oceanogr 44: 1847-1861.
42. Montoya JP (2008) Nitrogen stable isotopes in marine environments. In: Capone DG, Carpenter EJ, Mulholland MR, Bronk DA (eds) Nitrogen in the marine environment. Academic, London, pp 1277-1302.
43. Mumby PJ, Harborne AR (2010) Marine reserves enhance the recovery of corals on Caribbean reefs. PLoS One 5: e8657.
44. Mumby PJ, Steneck RS (2008) Coral reef management and conservation in light of rapidly evolving ecological paradigms. Trends Ecol Evol 23: 555-563.
45. Mumby PJ, Hastings A, Edwards HJ (2007a) Thresholds and the resilience of Caribbean coral reefs. Nature 450: 98-101.
46. Mumby PJ, Harborne AR, Williams J, Kappel CV, Brumbaugh DR, Micheli F, Holmes KE, Dahlgren CP, Paris CB, Blackwell PG (2007b) Trophic cascade facilitates coral recruitment in a marine reserve. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104: 8362-8367.
47. Nugues MM, Roberts CM (2003) Coral mortality and interaction with algae in relation to sedimentation. Coral Reefs 22: 507-516.
48. Rasher DB, Hay ME (2010) Chemically rich seaweeds poison corals when not controlled by herbivores. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107: 9683-9688.
49. Rasher DB, Stout EP, Engel S, Kubanek J, Hay ME (2011) Macroalgal terpenes function as allelopathic agents against reef corals. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. doi: 10. 1073/pnas. 1108628108.
50. Raymundo LJ, Halford AR, Maypa AP, Kerr AM (2009) Functionally diverse reef-fish communities ameliorate coral disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106: 17067-17070.
51. Selig ER, Bruno JF (2010) A global analysis of the effectiveness of marine protected areas in preventing coral loss. PLoS One 5: e9278.
52. Smith JE, Smith CM, Hunter CL (2001) An experimental analysis of the effects of herbivory and nutrient enrichment on benthic community dynamics on a Hawaiian reef. Coral Reefs 19: 332-342.
53. Smith JE, Morrigan S, Edwards RA, Obura D, Pantos O, Sala E, Sandin SA, Smriga S, Hatay M, Rohwer FL (2006) Indirect effects of algae on coral: algae-mediated, microbe-induced mortality. Ecol Lett 9: 835-845.
54. Smith JE, Hunter CL, Smith CM (2010) The effects of top-down versus bottom-up control on benthic coral reef community structure. Oecologia 163: 497-507.
55. Sotka EE, Hay ME (2009) Effects of herbivores, nutrient enrichment, and their interactions on macroalgal proliferation and coral growth. Coral Reefs 28: 555-568.
56. Stamski RE, Field ME (2006) Characterization of sediment trapped by macroalgae on a Hawaiian reef flat. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 66: 211-216.
57. Steneck RS (1988) Herbivory on coral reefs: a synthesis. Proceedings of 6th International Coral Reef Symposium 1: 37-49.
58. Steneck RS (1997) Crustose corallines, other algal functional groups, herbivores and sediment: complex interactions along reef productivity gradients. Proceedings of 8th International Coral Reef Symposium 1: 695-700.
59. Thacker RW, Ginsburg DW, Paul VJ (2001) Effects of herbivore exclusion and nutrient enrichment on coral reef macroalgae and cyanobacteria. Coral Reefs 19: 318-329.
60. Umezawa Y, Miyajima T, Yamamuro M, Kayanne H, Koike I (2002) Fine-scale mapping of land-derived nitrogen in coral reefs by delta N-15 in macroalgae. Limnol Oceanogr 47: 1405-1416.
61. Umezawa Y, Miyajima T, Tanaka Y, Koike I (2007) Variation in internal delta N-15 and delta C-13 distributions and their bulk values in the brown macroalga Padina australis growing in subtropical oligotrophic waters. J Phycol 43: 437-448.