Nutrients induce and herbivores maintain thallus toughness, a structural anti-herbivory defense in Turbinaria ornata

Bergman, Jessica L.; Dang, Brian N.; Tabatabaee, Mariam M.; McGowan, Marilyn M.; Fong, Caitlin R.; Bittick, Sarah Joy; Fong, Peggy

doi:10.3354/meps11884

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2016), and history of herbivory (Bergman et al. 2016), explaining 30% of the variance in these populations across sites is notable.…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…S1 in the Supporting Information) in the middle of the blade surface. To measure toughness, we then added weight incrementally (<1 g in steps) to the penetrometer until the needle visibly pierced the blade surface; the weight needed to penetrate each blade was recorded (sensu Bittick et al 2016, Bergman et al 2016. A single observer conducted all thallus toughness measurements to avoid inter-observer variability.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Finally, the largest thalli were weaker than the intermediate height thalli, such that our fitted curve predicts a 28 cm tall thallus required approximately 71 g of weight to penetrate. Given that it is well established that toughness of T. ornata blades is extremely variable, responding to nutrient supply (Bittick et al 2016), and history of herbivory (Bergman et al 2016), explaining 30% of the variance in these populations across sites is notable.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Overall, Turbinaria ornata exhibits substantial variation in thallus toughness in response to environmental drivers, which has been implicated as an important contributor to their recent expansion and success (Bergman et al 2016, Sirison and Burnett 2020. Here, we empirically test one aspect of this process demonstrating that the physical defenses of T. ornata increase ontogenetically as young thalli outgrow the herbivory refuge provided by adult stands and that defenses are then decreased as thalli grow larger still, likely as energy is shifted to reproduction during the rafting portion of the life cycle.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Ontogenetic Variation in Blade Toughness May Contribute to the Spread of Turbinaria ornata Across the South Pacific

Betancourt

Fenwick

Howard

et al. 2022

Journal of Phycology

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Coral reefs are shifting from coral to algal‐dominated ecosystems worldwide. Recently, Turbinaria ornata, a marine alga native to coral reefs of the South Pacific, has spread in both range and habitat usage. Given dense stands of T. ornata can function as an alternative stable state on coral reefs, it is imperative to understand the factors that underlie its success. We tested the hypothesis that T. ornata demonstrates ontogenetic variation in allocation to anti‐herbivore defense, specifically that blade toughness varied nonlinearly with thallus size. We quantified the relationship between T. ornata blade toughness and thallus size for individual thalli within algal stands (N = 345) on seven fringing reefs along the north shore of Moorea, French Polynesia. We found that blade toughness was greatest at intermediate sizes that typically form canopies, with overall reduced toughness in both smaller individuals that refuge within the understory and older reproductive individuals that ultimately detach and form floating rafts. We posit this variation in blade toughness reduces herbivory on the thalli that are most exposed to herbivores and may facilitate reproduction in dispersing stages, both of which may aid the proliferation of T. ornata.

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Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2016), and history of herbivory (Bergman et al. 2016), explaining 30% of the variance in these populations across sites is notable.…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%