Sea-urchins exert top-down control of macroalgae on Jamaican coral reefs (2)

Woodley, J. D.; Gayle, Peter M. H.; Judd, Neil M.

doi:10.1007/s003380050180

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, in 1992 there were small patches of Diadema on the forereef of Discovery Bay (15), and by 1995-96, Diadema had become locally abundant (e.g., 1.8 per m 2 , ref. 16) in shallow water (Ͻ6-m depth) and formed larger patches of macroalgal-free substratum (P.J.E., unpublished observations). Typically, these patches were scalloped-shaped, tens of meters in width, and contained locally dense populations of the herbivorous echinoids Diadema and Tripneustes ventricosus (12,16).…”

Section: Any Coral Reefs Throughout the Western Atlantic Regionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…16) in shallow water (Ͻ6-m depth) and formed larger patches of macroalgal-free substratum (P.J.E., unpublished observations). Typically, these patches were scalloped-shaped, tens of meters in width, and contained locally dense populations of the herbivorous echinoids Diadema and Tripneustes ventricosus (12,16). Tripneustes normally is rare or absent in forereef habitats (16), and its co-occurrence with Diadema in 1995-96 suggested that it might play a pivotal role in initiating the removal of macroalgae (12,16).…”

Section: Any Coral Reefs Throughout the Western Atlantic Regionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Typically, these patches were scalloped-shaped, tens of meters in width, and contained locally dense populations of the herbivorous echinoids Diadema and Tripneustes ventricosus (12,16). Tripneustes normally is rare or absent in forereef habitats (16), and its co-occurrence with Diadema in 1995-96 suggested that it might play a pivotal role in initiating the removal of macroalgae (12,16). By January 2000, the expansion and coalescence of macroalgal-free areas formed contiguous zones hundreds of meters in length, suggestive of a reversal in community structure.…”

Section: Any Coral Reefs Throughout the Western Atlantic Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Recovery of Diadema antillarum reduces macroalgal cover and increases abundance of juvenile corals on a Caribbean reef

Edmunds

Carpenter²

2001

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

347

260

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The transition of many Caribbean reefs from coral to macroalgal dominance has been a prominent issue in coral reef ecology for more than 20 years. Alternative stable state theory predicts that these changes are reversible but, to date, there is little indication of this having occurred. Here we present evidence of the initiation of such a reversal in Jamaica, where shallow reefs at five sites along 8 km of coastline now are characterized by a sea urchin-grazed zone with a mean width of 60 m. In comparison to the seaward algal zone, macroalgae are rare in the urchin zone, where the density of Diadema antillarum is 10 times higher and the density of juvenile corals is up to 11 times higher. These densities are close to those recorded in the late 1970s and early 1980s and are in striking contrast to the decade-long recruitment failure for both Diadema and scleractinians. If these trends continue and expand spatially, reefs throughout the Caribbean may again become dominated by corals and algal turf.

show abstract

Section: Any Coral Reefs Throughout the Western Atlantic Regionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Any Coral Reefs Throughout the Western Atlantic Regionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Any Coral Reefs Throughout the Western Atlantic Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Recovery of Diadema antillarum reduces macroalgal cover and increases abundance of juvenile corals on a Caribbean reef

Edmunds

Carpenter²

2001

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

347

260

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Finally, we predict that macroalgal abundances will once more decline on Caribbean reefs in the event that populations of Diadema recover, contrary to the notion that algae are limited primarily by nutrients. Preliminary evidence supports this prediction (e.g., Hughes et al 1987, p. 53;Woodley et al 1999 …”

mentioning

confidence: 88%

Algal blooms on coral reefs: What are the causes?

Hughes

Szmant

Steneck

et al. 1999

Limnology & Oceanography

173

110

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The sea urchin Tripneustes ventricosus is an ecologically important grazer of seagrass beds and coral reefs of the tropical western Atlantic, and in some areas is the dominant invertebrate herbivore (Moore and McPherson 1965;Keller 1983;Tertschnig 1989;Woodley et al 1999;Haley and Solandt 2001). Tripneustes ventricosus is a large urchin, reaching a test diameter of 130 mm (Tertschnig 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat-dependent growth in a Caribbean sea urchin Tripneustes ventricosus: the importance of food type

Maciá

Robinson

2008

Helgol Mar Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The sea urchin Tripneustes ventricosus is a common, yet relatively poorly known, grazer of seagrass beds and coral reefs throughout the Caribbean. We compared the size and abundance of urchins between adjacent seagrass and coral reef habitats (where macroalgae are the dominant primary producers). We also conducted a laboratory experiment comparing the growth rate of juvenile urchins fed a diet of either macroalgae or seagrass. Reef urchins had signiWcantly larger test diameter than those in the seagrass on some sampling dates. This size diVerence may be at least partially explained by diet, because laboratory-reared urchins fed macroalgae grew signiWcantly faster than those fed seagrass. The seagrass population, however, was stable over time, whereas the reef population exhibited strong Xuctuations in abundance. Overall, our study indicates that both the seagrass and coral reef habitats are capable of supporting healthy, reproductive populations of T. ventricosus. Each, however, appears to oVer a distinct advantage: faster growth on the reef and greater population stability in the seagrass.

show abstract

Sea-urchins exert top-down control of macroalgae on Jamaican coral reefs (2)

Cited by 18 publications

References 3 publications

Recovery of Diadema antillarum reduces macroalgal cover and increases abundance of juvenile corals on a Caribbean reef

Recovery of Diadema antillarum reduces macroalgal cover and increases abundance of juvenile corals on a Caribbean reef

Algal blooms on coral reefs: What are the causes?

Habitat-dependent growth in a Caribbean sea urchin Tripneustes ventricosus: the importance of food type

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About