Density, spatial distribution and size structure of sea urchins in Florida Keys coral reef and hard-bottom habitats

Chiappone, Mark; Swanson, Dione W.; Miller, Steven L.

doi:10.3354/meps235117

Cited by 34 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Indeed, macroalgal values reported in this study are lower than those reported for other Caribbean reefs (Schutte et al 2010). Considering the population of D. antillarum in the Florida Keys is still well below historical levels following its mass mortality in the 1980s (Chiappone et al 2002), the protection of herbivorous fishes may have helped avert a sustained increase in macroalgae following the 1997/1998 El Niño. However, while these management actions merit recognition, macroalgal cover did not decrease at larger spatial scales during this study (Table 1).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 62%

Temporal changes in benthic assemblages on Florida Keys reefs 11 years after the 1997/1998 El Niño

Ruzicka¹,

Colella²,

Porter³

et al. 2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

218

276

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Disturbances that result in the mass mortality of reef-building corals are changing the appearance of reefs worldwide. Many reefs are transitioning away from scleractinian-coraldominated assemblages to benthic communities composed primarily of non-scleractinian taxa. This study evaluated recovery patterns of reef communities in the Florida Keys following the mortality associated with the 1997/1998 El Niño. We examined temporal trends among the 5 most spatially abundant reef taxa and stony coral species from 1999 to 2009 at 3 spatial scales, and applied a Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) to determine whether changes in their cover resulted in a shift in community structure. Trends of decreasing stony coral cover were not identified Keys-wide between 1999 and 2009, but 2 of the 3 habitats examined -shallow and deep forereefs -did show a significant decline in cover. Concomitantly, octocoral cover significantly increased Keys-wide and in all 3 habitats. The transition to octocorals was most evident on shallow forereefs, where octocoral cover significantly increased at 9 of 12 reefs and overwhelmingly influenced the PCoA. On deep forereefs, octocoral and sponge cover did significantly increase, but did not impart a clearly defined shift in community structure like that observed on shallow forereefs. Community composition at patch reefs was relatively consistent during the study, but the increase in octocoral cover may accelerate further following a cold-water mortality event in 2010. These results demonstrate that octocorals are emerging as the predominant benthic taxa in the Florida Keys. Although the transition to octocorals may have started long ago, their apparent resilience to present-day stressors will likely allow this shift to continue into the foreseeable future.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 62%

Temporal changes in benthic assemblages on Florida Keys reefs 11 years after the 1997/1998 El Niño

Ruzicka¹,

Colella²,

Porter³

et al. 2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

218

276

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“…McClanahan (1997) reports that macroalgal primary succession on Kenyan reefs results in a climax community reached in 120 d, generally dominated by canopy-forming brown algae under a herbivory regime dominated by fish grazing (as in the Florida Keys, where minimal recovery of the keystone grazing sea urchin Diadema antillarum [Chiappone et al 2002] yields low urchin grazing pressure). Turf-dominated climax communities were reported to develop within 50 d in conditions of intense urchin grazing or in damselfish territories (McClanahan 1997), neither of which were the case for the cyanobacterial/turf-dominated RS assemblages in the current study.…”

Section: Benthic Assemblagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternate benthic assemblages on reef restoration structures and cascading effects on coral settlement

Miller¹,

Valdivia²,

Kramer³

et al. 2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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In coral reefs, restoration actions often involve artificial construction since physical structure enhances physico-chemical conditions for benthic communities and provides habitat for reef-associated fauna. We evaluated the performance of 4 restoration structures (RS, aged 5 to 12 yr) by comparing convergence of their benthic assemblages to adjacent reference reefs (REF). Multivariate clustering indicated that benthic assemblages were significantly distinct between RS and REF, as well as among sites. Differences were primarily attributable to weedy macroalgal and cyanobacterial groups, not slow-growing corals and crustose coralline algae. RS had a higher abundance of cyanobacterial turfs that can negatively affect adult and larval corals. To elucidate potential cascading effects on reef development, we tested whether exudates of the distinct RS and REF assemblages inhibit settlement by planulae of 3 coral species in laboratory assays. Relative settlement deterrence (versus seawater controls) was variable both between sites and among coral species. For example, both RS and REF exudates from one site were deterrent to settlement for Acropora palmata and Diploria strigosa, but, for Montastraea faveolata, RS (but not REF) exudates from a second site were deterrent, while RS exudates from the first site were not. Overall, results indicate that divergence of benthic assemblages is not simply attributable to incomplete succession, but appears to be a persistent, possibly stable state and that benthic algal/cyanobacterial assemblages on both RS and REF in these locations impair 'recruitment potential' for framework-building corals to some degree.

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“…Diadema antillarum populations in Akumal Bay did not significantly increase from 2008-2011, which is consistent with results reported during surveys from other sites in previous years, Panama (Lessios 2005) and the Florida Keys (Chiappone et al 2002).…”

Section: Diadema Antillarum Abundancesupporting

confidence: 81%

Herbivore and Nutrient Impact on Primary Producer Assemblages in a Tropical Marine Environment

Lacey¹

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Globally, human populations are increasing and coastal ecosystems are becoming increasingly impacted by anthropogenic stressors. As eutrophication and exploitation of coastal resources increases, primary producer response to these drivers becomes a key indicator of ecosystem stability. Despite the importance of monitoring primary producers such as seagrasses and macroalgae, detailed studies on the response of these benthic habitat components to drivers remain relatively sparse.Utilizing a multi-faceted examination of turtle-seagrass and sea urchinmacroalgae consumer and nutrient dynamics, I elucidate the impact of these drivers in Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico. In Yal Ku Lagoon, macroalgae bioindicators signified high nutrient availability, which is important for further studies, but did not consistently follow published trends reflecting decreased δ 15 N content with distance from suspected source. In Akumal Bay, eutrophication and grazing by turtles and fishes combine to structure patches within the seagrass beds. Grazed seagrass patches had higher structural complexity and productivity than patches continually grazed by turtles and fishes.v Results from this study indicate that patch abandonment may follow giving-up density theory, the first to be recorded in the marine environment. As Diadema antillarum populations recover after their massive mortality thirty years ago, the role these echinoids will have in reducing macroalgae cover and altering ecosystem state remains to be clear.Although Diadema antillarum densities within the coral reef ecosystem were comparable to other regions within the Caribbean, the echinoid population in Akumal Bay was an insufficient driver to prevent dominance of a turf-algal-sediment (TAS) state. After a four year study, declining coral cover coupled with increased algal cover suggests that the TAS-dominated state is likely to persist over time despite echinoid recovery. Studies on macroalgal diversity and nutrients within this same region of echinoids indicated diversity and nutrient content of macroalgae increased, which may further increase the persistence of the algal-dominated state.This study provides valuable insight into the variable effects of herbivores and nutrients on primary producers within a tropical coastal ecosystem. Results from this work challenge many of the currently accepted theories on primary producer response to nutrients and herbivory while providing a framework for further studies into these dynamics.vi Significant differences between winter and summer ungrazed samples were assessed with a student's t-test. Significant differences between summer ungrazed and turtle grazed were assessed with student's t-test (t-test) or Mann-Whitney t-test (M-W), depending on normality of data from the small sample size. Samples sizes are summer, winter: ungrazed (4, 11), fish grazed (0, 0) and turtle grazed (0, 4An additional driver is through herbivore grazing disturbance. In the absence of herbivory, areas experiencing high nutrient loads would be expected to shif...

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Density, spatial distribution and size structure of sea urchins in Florida Keys coral reef and hard-bottom habitats

Cited by 34 publications

References 38 publications

Temporal changes in benthic assemblages on Florida Keys reefs 11 years after the 1997/1998 El Niño

Temporal changes in benthic assemblages on Florida Keys reefs 11 years after the 1997/1998 El Niño

Alternate benthic assemblages on reef restoration structures and cascading effects on coral settlement

Herbivore and Nutrient Impact on Primary Producer Assemblages in a Tropical Marine Environment

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