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Patch dynamics of coral reef macroalgae under chronic and acute disturbance

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Abstract

The patch dynamics (colonisation rate, growth rate, and extinction rate) are quantified for two dominant species of macroalgae on a Caribbean forereef in Belize: Lobophora variegata (Lamouroux) and Dictyota pulchella (Hörnig and Schnetter). Measurements were taken on time scales of days, weeks, months, and years during which three hurricanes occurred. All patches were followed on naturally occurring ramets of dead Montastraea annularis. The first hurricane (Mitch) caused massive coral mortality and liberated space for algal colonisation. The cover of Lobophora increased throughout the study and herbivores did not appear to limit its cover within a 4 year time frame. In contrast, the cover of D. pulchella fluctuated greatly and showed no net increase, despite an increase in parrotfish biomass and settlement space. Variation in the overall percent cover of an alga is not indicative of the underlying patch dynamics. The steady rise in the cover of Lobophora took place despite a high turnover of patches (12–60% of patches per year). The patch dynamics of Dictyota were slower (7–20%), but a greater patch density and threefold higher lateral growth rate led to greater fluctuations in total cover. The dynamics of algal patches are size-specific such that larger patches are less likely to become extinct during hurricanes.

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  1. The software is available free of charge from http://www.ex.ac.uk/msel.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Royal Society and NERC (NER/A/S/2001/01127). We thank Tom Opishinski for providing meteorological data from the Smithsonian field station and Stuart Kininmonth (AIMS) for the GIS analysis. This is contribution 26 from Glovers Reef Marine Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Spatial Ecology Laboratory, School of BioSciences, University of Exeter, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK

    Peter J. Mumby & Nicola L. Foster

  2. Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, 8000 N Ocean Drive, Dania, FL, 33004, USA

    Elizabeth A. Glynn Fahy

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  1. Peter J. Mumby
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  2. Nicola L. Foster
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  3. Elizabeth A. Glynn Fahy
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Correspondence to Peter J. Mumby.

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Communicated by Biological Editor K. Sullivan Sealey

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Mumby, P.J., Foster, N.L. & Fahy, E.A.G. Patch dynamics of coral reef macroalgae under chronic and acute disturbance. Coral Reefs 24, 681–692 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-005-0058-5

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