Overgrazing of Seagrasses by a Regular Urchin, "Lytechinus variegatus"

Camp, David K.; Cobb, Stephen P.; Breedveld, Jack F. van

doi:10.2307/1296366

Cited by 105 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…In the study area, the average density of Tripneustes gratilla was moderate compared with that of other species recorded in other parts of the world (e.g. Camp et al 1973, Maciá & Lirman 1999, Rose et al 1999. Severe grazing occurred because sea urchins easily remove the exposed canopy and the apical meristems of T. ciliatum.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…Nevertheless, in the tropical western Atlantic, studies have reported sea urchin overgrazing of large meadows of Thalassia testudinum (Camp et al 1973) and Syringodium filiforme (Maciá & Lirman 1999, Rose et al 1999. Whether these patterns of overgrazing represent a general trend along tropical ecosystems outside of the western Atlantic is unknown, as most of the tropical seagrass systems remain still unexplored (see review by Duarte 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of sea urchin grazing on seagrass (Thalassodendron ciliatum) beds of a Kenyan lagoon

Alcoverro

Mariani²

2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of sea urchin grazing on seagrass (Thalassodendron ciliatum) beds of a Kenyan lagoon

Alcoverro

Mariani²

2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Wyda et al 2002, andreferences in Mattila et al 2008). Overall, it seems likely that if the abundance and size of seagrass herbivores such as parrotfishes, green turtles, and manatees increases, seagrass meadows that already can experience overgrazing by sea urchins (Camp et al 1973, Valentine & Heck 1991 will become much smaller in average canopy height and structural complexity and support fewer juvenile finfish and shellfish than at present. This 'mowed lawn' appearance is likely the way seagrass meadows looked during much of their history, and as recently as several hundred years ago when megaherbivores were still abundant in the GOM (Jackson et al 2001).…”

Section: Historical Comparisons and The Future Of Gom Seagrass Meadowsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seagrass consumption by native and a tropically associated fish species: potential impacts of the tropicalization of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Heck¹,

Fodrie²,

Madsen³

et al. 2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Temperatures are rising in most temperate and polar environments, and a welldocumented effect of this change is a poleward range shift by a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic species. In the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), an increasing number of tropical species have recently become established among the extant warm-temperate fauna. These include a diversity of tropical fishes, manatees, green turtles, warm-water corals, and black mangroves. The impact of these species may be profound, primarily because temperate species are restricted from shifting northward by the North American land mass. Thus, as tropical species expand northward in the GOM, they must interact with the extant species and potentially compete for essential resources or become prey for each other. Here we focus on tropical immigrants capable of transforming the vast and highly productive seagrass systems of the northern GOM, emphasizing herbivorous parrotfishes and comparing their impact with endemic seagrass-resident fishes. Increased numbers of these herbivores (plus green turtles and manatees) would likely shift detritus-based food webs in seagrass meadows to webs dominated by direct consumption of seagrasses. We provide estimates of some expected consumption rates and effects of these tropically associated seagrass herbivores and predict that the consequences of the increased tropicalization of northern GOM seagrass meadows will be: substantially reduced standing crops and structural complexity of seagrass meadows; increased energy flux through grazing food webs; and a greatly reduced nursery role that will result in much smaller adult populations of those finfish and shellfish species that rely on seagrasses as nurseries.

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“…Experimental manipulations have suggested that sea-urchin densities > 20 sea urchins m-' have the potential to completely denude seagrass beds of Thalassia testudinum Banks ex König in some areas of the Caribbean Sea and the northern Gulf of Mexico (Greenway 1976, Valentine & Heck 1991. In one of the more extraordinary reports of overgrazing, ca 20 Y0 of a large meadow of T. testudinum in the northeast Gulf of Mexico was denuded by the sea urchin Lytechinus vanegatus (Lamarck) with densities as high as 636 sea urchins m-' (Camp et al 1973). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overgrazing of a large seagrass bed by the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus in Outer Florida Bay

Rose¹,

Sharp²,

Kenworthy³

et al. 1999

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

121

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Unusually dense aggregations of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus overgrazed at least 0.81 kmz of seagrass habitat in Outer Florida Bay (USA) between August 1997 and I\,Iay 1998. Initially, sea-urchin densities were as high as 364 sea urchins m-', but they steadily declined to within a range of 20 to 50 sea urchins m-2 by December 1998. Prior to this event, sea-urchin densities were <1 sea urchin m-2 in this area of Outer Florida Bay. Seagrasses in Outer Florida Bay consist primarily of manatee grass Syringodium filiforme. of which 82% or 390 g dry weight rn-2 of total seagrass biornass and >95% of the short-shoot apical menstems were removed by sea-urchin grazing in our study area. Such extensive loss may severely limit recovery of this seagrass comrnunity by vegetative reproduction. Effects of the removal of seagrass biomass have already resulted in the depletion of epifaunal-infaunal mollusk assemblages and resuspension of fine-grained (<64 pm) surface sediments-which have caused significant changes in cornrnunity structure and in the physical properties of the Sediments. These changes, coupled with the loss of essential fishery habitat, reductions in primary and secondary production, and degradation of water quality, may lead to additional, longer-term, indirect effects that may extend beyond the boundaries of the grazed areas and into adjacent coastal ecosystems.

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Overgrazing of Seagrasses by a Regular Urchin, "Lytechinus variegatus"

Cited by 105 publications

References 2 publications

Effects of sea urchin grazing on seagrass (Thalassodendron ciliatum) beds of a Kenyan lagoon

Effects of sea urchin grazing on seagrass (Thalassodendron ciliatum) beds of a Kenyan lagoon

Seagrass consumption by native and a tropically associated fish species: potential impacts of the tropicalization of the northern Gulf of Mexico

Overgrazing of a large seagrass bed by the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus in Outer Florida Bay

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