Effects of reproductive mode on habitat-related differences in the population structure of eight Caribbean coral species
| Autor: | Adolphe O. Debrot, Pedro R. Frade, R. I. R. Jacinto, Rolf P. M. Bak, Mark J. A. Vermeij |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2007 |
| Předmět: |
geography
geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology biology Fringing reef Coral fungi technology industry and agriculture Scleractinia Pelagic zone Aquatic Science biology.organism_classification Fishery Habitat parasitic diseases population characteristics Environmental issues with coral reefs Bay Reef geographic locations Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics |
| Zdroj: | Marine Ecology Progress Series. 351:91-102 |
| ISSN: | 1616-1599 0171-8630 |
| Popis: | We compared the population structure of 8 common coral species in 2 contrasting habi- tats, the oceanic fringing reefs and the inland bays in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. Inland bays are only partially connected to the open ocean and are characterized by a natural suite of environmental factors thought to be detrimental to coral community development. Compared with the inland bays, coral cover and coral colony density were higher on the fringing reefs (7.6 and 11.7 times, respec- tively). Coral species that release gametes in the water column ('broadcast spawners') showed a much greater difference in population structure and density between inland bay and reef habitats compared to brooding species. Our results show that (1) 'marginal' habitats are not equally marginal to all species, (2) differential susceptibility to partial mortality plays a central role in restricting colony growth in inland bay habitats, and (3) most likely, post-settlement mortality rather than larval supply plays a key role in causing differences in habitat-scale size-frequency distributions. Broadcasting species reached larger mean and maximum colony size on the fringing reefs, whereas brooders did not show this pattern. The overrepresentation of large colonies in communities that had degraded in response to anthropogenic disturbance was not observed among coral populations in inland bays. Such characteristics deserve critical attention, as they can be used to distinguish between naturally and anthropogenically stressed Caribbean coral communities. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|