Eich Andreas, Ford Amanda K, Nugues Maggy M, McAndrews Ryan S, Wild Christian, Ferse Sebastian C A
Department of Ecology, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany.
Department of Marine Ecology, FB2 Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
PeerJ. 2019 Feb 8;7:e6380. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6380. eCollection 2019.
Observations of coral-algal competition can provide valuable information about the state of coral reef ecosystems. Here, we report contact rates and apparent competition states for six shallow lagoonal reefs in Fiji. A total of 81.4% of examined coral perimeters were found to be in contact with algae, with turf algae (54.7%) and macroalgae of the genus (16.8%) representing the most frequently observed contacts. Turf algae competitiveness was low, with 21.8% of coral-turf contacts being won by the algae (i.e. overgrowth or bleaching of coral tissue). In contrast, competitiveness against corals was high, with 62.5% of contacts being won by the alga. The presence of epiphytic algae on was associated with significantly greater algal competitiveness against corals, with 75.8% and 21.1% of interactions recorded as algal wins in the presence and absence of epiphytes, respectively. Sedimentation rate, herbivorous fish biomass, and coral colony size did not have a significant effect on -coral interactions. This research indicates a novel and important role of epiphytes in driving the outcome of coral-algal contacts.
对珊瑚与藻类竞争的观察可以为珊瑚礁生态系统的状况提供有价值的信息。在此，我们报告了斐济六个浅泻湖珊瑚礁的接触率和明显的竞争状态。在所检查的珊瑚边缘中，总共81.4%被发现与藻类接触，其中丝状藻类（54.7%）和 属大型藻类（16.8%）是最常观察到的接触类型。丝状藻类的竞争力较低，藻类赢得了21.8%的珊瑚与丝状藻类的接触（即藻类过度生长或珊瑚组织白化）。相比之下， 对珊瑚的竞争力较高，藻类赢得了62.5%的接触。 上附生藻类的存在与藻类对珊瑚的竞争力显著增强有关，在有附生藻类和没有附生藻类的情况下，记录为藻类获胜的相互作用分别为75.8%和21.1%。沉积速率、草食性鱼类生物量和珊瑚群体大小对 与珊瑚的相互作用没有显著影响。这项研究表明附生藻类在驱动珊瑚与藻类接触结果方面具有新的重要作用。
