Science. 1979 Jan 5;203(4375):47-9. doi: 10.1126/science.203.4375.47.
The regular echinoid Eucidaris thouarsii is a conspicuous omnivore on coral bottoms in the Galápagos. Unlike Eucidaris in Panama and mainland Ecuador, Galápagos Eucidaris are large and abundant and graze heavily in the open on live corals day and night. These differences are probably due in large part to more intense predation by fishes on mainland compared with island urchin populations. An assessment of coral growth versus coral attrition from grazing shows that Eucidaris interferes with the establishment of pocilloporid reef frame and therefore reduces reef growth in the Galápagos.
常规海胆 Eucidaris thouarsii 是加拉帕戈斯珊瑚底的一种明显的杂食动物。与巴拿马和厄瓜多尔大陆的 Eucidaris 不同，加拉帕戈斯海胆体型较大且丰富，日夜在活珊瑚上大量放牧。这些差异可能主要归因于与岛屿海胆种群相比，大陆上鱼类的捕食更为强烈。对珊瑚生长与放牧导致的珊瑚磨损的评估表明，Eucidaris 干扰了雀鲷珊瑚骨架的建立，因此减少了加拉帕戈斯的珊瑚生长。
