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Crustose coralline algae can suppress macroalgal growth and recruitment on Hawaiian coral reefs

2010; Inter-Research; Volume: 422; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3354/meps08964

1616-1599

Mark J. A. Vermeij, ML Dailer, CM Smith,

Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 422:1-7 (2011) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08964 FEATURE ARTICLE Crustose coralline algae can suppress macroalgal growth and recruitment on Hawaiian coral reefs M. J. A. Vermeij1,2,3,*, M. L. Dailer1, C. M. Smith1 1Department of Botany, University of Hawai'i, 3190 Maile Way, St. John 101, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA 2CARMABI, Piscaderabaai z/n, PO Box 2090, Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles 3Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands *Email: vermeij@hawaii.edu ABSTRACT: Crustose coralline algae are important components of tropical reef communities because they promote successful settlement by corals and contribute to solidification of the reef framework. We show experimentally that crustose coralline algae are also capable of suppressing the growth and recruitment potential of an abundant Hawaiian reef macroalga, Ulva fasciata. When mixed communities of crustose coralline algae were absent, relative growth rates of U. fasciata increased by 54.6%. When experimental nutrient additions were used to induce algal spore release, effective recruitment of U. fasciata approached zero only when crustose coralline algae were present. Mixed communities of crustose coralline algae are thus capable of limiting the local abundance of already-established macroalgae by reducing both their growth rate and recruitment success. This experimental observation was confirmed by field surveys. Because crustose coralline species also induce settlement and metamorphosis in a large number of scleractinian coral species, their abundance and species composition are expected to affect the (future) abundance of macroalgae and corals, which are often used to characterize degraded and 'healthy' reefs, respectively. KEY WORDS: Ulva fasciata · Crustose coralline algae · CCA · Rhodophyta · Hawaii · Recruitment · Allelopathy · Phase shift Full text in pdf format Information about this Feature Article NextCite this article as: Vermeij MJA, Dailer ML, Smith CM (2011) Crustose coralline algae can suppress macroalgal growth and recruitment on Hawaiian coral reefs. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 422:1-7. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08964 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 422. Online publication date: January 31, 2011 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2011 Inter-Research.