Effects of predator exclusion on recruit survivorship in an octocoral ( Briareum asbestinum ) and a scleractinian coral
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Effects of predator exclusion on recruit survivorship in an octocoral (Briareum asbestinum) and a scleractinian coral (Porites astreoides) M. J. Evans • M. A. Coffroth • H. R. Lasker
Received: 6 February 2012 / Accepted: 14 December 2012 / Published online: 10 January 2013 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Abstract Recruits of the Caribbean scleractinian coral Porites astreoides and the octocoral Briareum asbestinum were established on artificial substrata and reared on a reef in cages designed to exclude various classes of organisms known to feed on corals. Post-settlement survivorship of recruits was measured for periods of 2 weeks (B. asbestinum) and 1 month (P. astreoides) on East Turtle Reef in the Florida Keys during May and June 2010. Predator exclusion did not affect survivorship among P. astreoides recruits during the study. Recruits of B. asbestinum experienced lower survivorship in treatments that allowed access by fish compared with fish exclusion treatments. The results indicate that predation may be an important determinant of post-settlement mortality among B. asbestinum recruits, and fishes are the primary contributors to predation-induced mortality. B. asbestinum recruit survivorship differed by an order of magnitude between recruits in the control condition and those in the predator exclusion (0.087 and 0.372, respectively). The findings illustrate the need to consider the effects of interactions early in life on the survival, propagation, and recovery of coral populations. Keywords
Coral Recruit Survivorship Predation
Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Mark Vermeij M. J. Evans (&) M. A. Coffroth H. R. Lasker Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA e-mail: [email protected] M. A. Coffroth H. R. Lasker Department of Geology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
Introduction Predation can be an important factor in determining the growth and abundance of populations (Peckarsky 1993; Hik 1995), as well as the structure of communities (Paine 1974). For species with multiple life history phases, the significance of predation may vary across stages, and predation during a single stage can have great effects on population dynamics and community structure (Louda 1982; Paine and Beck 2007; Denham 2008). As the primary biogenic constructors of reefs, corals’ role as ecosystem engineers make their population dynamics critically important to the health and biodiversity of reef communities, and the effects of predation on their populations could affect the entire reef ecosystem. Due to the dramatic degradation of reefs worldwide (Hughes and Tanner 2000; Bruno and Selig 2007; Thompson and Dolman 2010), understanding the relative importance and effects of the factors that structure coral assemblages is imperative to formulating effective protection and recovery strategies for these ecosystems. Predation on early life stages can play a major role in shaping community assemblages of plants, fish, and marine invertebra
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