The relative importance of nutrient enrichment and herbivory on macroalgal communities near Norman's Pond Cay, Exumas Cays, Bahamas: a “natural” enrichment experiment

Lapointe, Brian E.; Barile, Peter J.; Yentsch, Charles S.; Littler, Mark M.; Littler, Diane S.; Kakuk, Brian

doi:10.1016/s0022-0981(03)00363-0

Cited by 96 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…1 in Littler and Littler, 2007)-because the ambient nutrient concentrations (as determined next to the non-enriched control diffusers) were already at or above the suggested 0.1 mM SRP and 1.0 mM DIN tipping-point levels for release of macroalgal growth. We further suggest (as did Lapointe et al, 2004) that in situ enrichment studies in such nutrient-replete systems should not show macroalgal stimulation, because the concentrations conducive to macroalgal growth have already been exceeded. This was definitely the case in the present study (supported by the tissue analyses, Table 3), as well as in relatively short-term (<4 mo) fertilization studies in the Florida Keys Furman and Heck, 2008), Guam (Thacker et al, 2001) and Glovers Atoll (McClanahan et al, 2002), which were mostly carried out in nutrient-sufficient study areas characterized by minimal coral cover and abundant algae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…2a in Bellwood et al, 2004]. Understanding the effects of herbivore inclusion/exclusion-cage experiments (e.g., Lapointe et al, 2004;Bellwood et al, 2006) and feeding-preference studies (top-down control), in addition to much-needed data from nutrient-enrichment manipulations (bottom-up control), on lagoonal and coral-reef ecosystems is central to the elucidation of mechanisms that determine relative dominances, phase shifts and stable states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effects of nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment on algal community development: Artificial mini-reefs on the Belize Barrier Reef sedimentary lagoon

Littler

Brooks

2010

Harmful Algae

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment on algal community development: Artificial mini-reefs on the Belize Barrier Reef sedimentary lagoon

Littler

Brooks

2010

Harmful Algae

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“…The data relevant for long-term reef management consist of (1) many important short-term caging and feeding experiments (in the case of exceedingly well-documented top-down herbivory effects), (2) circumstantial evidence (Hallock et al, 1993), (3) correlative biogeographic surveys contrasting oligotrophic versus eutrophic systems (Littler et al, 1991;Verheij, 1993;Mora, 2008), (4) comparative experiments on systems containing natural nutrient gradients (Lapointe et al, 2004(Lapointe et al, , 2005bVroom et al, 2005), (5) physiological assays (Littler and Littler, 1990;Lapointe et al, 1997), and (6) logistically complicated, in situ, long-term, experimental/causality studies, in the case of bottom-up nutrient controls (Smith et al, 2001;Littler et al, 2006a). Top-down control by abundant populations FIGURE 1.…”

Section: Coral-reef Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbivory, Nutrients, Stochastic Events, and Relative Dominances of Benthic Indicator Groups on Coral Reefs: A Review and Recommendations

Littler

Littler²,

Brooks³

2009

Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences

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ABSTRACT.Threshold levels (i.e., tipping points where the probability of community phase shifts is increased and the potential for recoverability is reduced) for critical bottomup interactions of productivity (e.g., nutrients) and those for top-down disturbances (e.g., herbivory) must be known to manage the competitive interactions determining the health of coral-dominated reefs. We further posit that latent trajectories (reduced resiliencies/ recoverability from phase shifts) are often activated or accelerated by large-scale stochastic disturbances such as tropical storms, cold fronts, warming events, diseases, and predator outbreaks. In highly diverse and productive reef ecosystems, much of the overall diversity at the benthic primary producer level is afforded by the interaction of opposing nutrient-limiting/nutrient-enhancing and herbivory controls with the local physical and spatial variability, such that a mosaic of environmental conditions typically occur in close proximity. Although the relative dominance model (RDM) appears straightforwardly simple, because of the nature of direct/indirect and stimulating/limiting factors and their interactions it is extremely complex. For example, insuffi cient nutrients may act directly to limit fl eshy algal domination (via physiological stress); conversely, abundant nutrients enhance fl eshy algal growth, with the opposite effect on reef-building corals (via toxic inhibition or increased diseases). Furthermore, the effects of controls can be indirect, by infl uencing competition. Even this seemingly indirect control can have further levels of complexity because competition between algae and corals can be direct (e.g., overgrowth) or indirect (e.g., preemption of substrate). High herbivory (via physical removal) also acts indirectly on fl eshy algae through reduced competitive ability, whereas lowered herbivory and elevated nutrients also indirectly inhibit or control corals and coralline algae by enhancing fl eshy algal competition. Other ecologically important bottom-up factors, such as reduced light, abrasion, allelopathy, disease vectoring, and sediment smothering, also result from indirect side effects of fl eshy algal competition. These factors tend to selectively eliminate the long-lived organisms in favor of weedy fast-growing species, thereby reducing desirable complexity and biodiversity.

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“…Disturbances from nutrients and organic matter (OM) enrichment include shifts in coral-to algal-dominated reefs (Abram et al 2003, Lapointe et al 2004, decreased recruitment and growth of corals (Kinsey & Davies 1979, Tomascik 1991, Ferrier-Pagés et al 2000, Ward & Harrison 2000, higher incidence of coral diseases (Harvell et al 1999, Kuta & Richardson 2002, Bruno et al 2003, increased macroborer abundance (Highsmith 1980, Rose & Risk 1985, Sammarco & Risk 1990, Risk et al 1995, Holmes et al 2000, Ward-Paige et al 2005, and reduced reef accretion rates (Hallock 1988, Edinger et al 2000. Elevated inorganic nutrients (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of inorganic nutrients and organic matter on microbial euendolithic community composition and microbioerosion rates

Carreiro‐Silva

McClanahan²,

Kiene³

2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Closed cages were used in Glovers Atoll, Belize to test the effects of organic matter (OM) and inorganic nutrient (N + P) additions on microbial euendolithic communities (bacteria, fungi, and algae) and their rates of bioerosion of Strombus gigas shells during a 49 d fertilization experiment. We hypothesized that the addition of OM would release heterotrophic microborers from C-limitation and at the same time reduce light levels for euendolithic microalgae, thus changing the microborers' community composition and their bioerosion rates. The addition of OM increased the abundance of heterotrophs (particularly fungi), but only when OM was added alone, not when it was combined with inorganic nutrients. In contrast, both cyanobacteria and green algae were stimulated by the addition of inorganic nutrients, but were not affected by OM; these taxa were 4 times more abundant in treatments with inorganic nutrients than in control and OM treatments. Green algae dominated the control, N + P and N + P + OM treatments (77 to 87% green algae, 6 to 8% cyanobacteria, 4 to 16% heterotrophs), whereas in the OM treatment, heterotrophs represented nearly 50% of the total area colonized (52% green algae, 4% cyanobacteria, 44% heterotrophs). Bioerosion rates in treatments with added inorganic nutrients (396 g CaCO 3 m -2 yr -1 in the N + P treatment and 370 g CaCO 3 m -2 yr -1 in the N + P + OM treatment) were 9-fold greater than bioerosion rates in the control and OM treatments (43 and 48 g CaCO 3 m -2 yr -1 , respectively), and were not affected by OM addition. We conclude that inorganic nutrients are a major factor controlling the microbioerosion rates and the abundance of euendolithis algae over fungi in carbonate substrata. Microborers act in synergy with the grazers that feed on them and with macroborers that increase the internal surfaces available for microborers to colonize. As a result, increased nutrients can initiate a feedback loop where bioerosion processes reinforce one another, leading to accelerated erosion of the reef framework.KEY WORDS: Calcium carbonate balance · Coral reefs · Microbial euendoliths · Nitrogen · Pollution · Phosphorus · Water quality Colored SEM image of microborings made by the green alga Phaeophila sp. (green), and the fungi Dodgella priscus (red) and Ostracoblabe implexa (purple). Borings within mollusc shell were filled with resin and the substratum was then dissolved in acid.

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The relative importance of nutrient enrichment and herbivory on macroalgal communities near Norman's Pond Cay, Exumas Cays, Bahamas: a “natural” enrichment experiment

Cited by 96 publications

References 49 publications

The effects of nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment on algal community development: Artificial mini-reefs on the Belize Barrier Reef sedimentary lagoon

The effects of nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment on algal community development: Artificial mini-reefs on the Belize Barrier Reef sedimentary lagoon

Herbivory, Nutrients, Stochastic Events, and Relative Dominances of Benthic Indicator Groups on Coral Reefs: A Review and Recommendations

Effects of inorganic nutrients and organic matter on microbial euendolithic community composition and microbioerosion rates

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