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

Autor:	J. F. Valentine, William C. Sharp, Paula E. Whitfield, William G. Lyons, W. J. Kenworthy, John H. Hunt, E. J. Prager, Margaret O. Hall, C. D. Rose, James W. Fourqurean
Rok vydání:	1999
Předmět:	Biomass (ecology) Ecology biology urogenital system Syringodium filiforme Aquatic Science biology.organism_classification Seagrass Oceanography Habitat biology.animal embryonic structures Ecosystem Sea urchin Bay Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Lytechinus variegatus
Zdroj:	Marine Ecology Progress Series. 190:211-222
ISSN:	1616-1599 0171-8630
DOI:	10.3354/meps190211
Popis:	Unusually dense aggregations of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus overgrazed at least 0.81 km 2 of seagrass habitat in Outer Florida Bay (USA) between August 1997 and May 1998. Initially, sea-urchin densities were as high as 364 sea urchins m -2 , 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 95 % of the short-shoot apical meristems were removed by sea-urchin grazing in our study area. Such extensive loss may severely limit recovery of this seagrass community 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 (
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::bfb25e3b76c410dfebe8098abcccacfa https://doi.org/10.3354/meps190211 Zobrazit plný text záznamu