Academic Journal
Inter-Habitat Variability in Parrotfish Bioerosion Rates and Grazing Pressure on an Indian Ocean Reef Platform
| العنوان: | Inter-Habitat Variability in Parrotfish Bioerosion Rates and Grazing Pressure on an Indian Ocean Reef Platform |
|---|---|
| المؤلفون: | Robert T. Yarlett, Chris T. Perry, Rod W. Wilson, Alastair R. Harborne |
| المصدر: | Diversity, Vol 12, Iss 10, p 381 (2020) |
| بيانات النشر: | MDPI AG, 2020. |
| سنة النشر: | 2020 |
| المجموعة: | LCC:Biology (General) |
| مصطلحات موضوعية: | coral reefs, parrotfish, bioerosion, grazing, ecological functions, Biology (General), QH301-705.5 |
| الوصف: | Parrotfish perform a variety of vital ecological functions on coral reefs, but we have little understanding of how these vary spatially as a result of inter-habitat variability in species assemblages. Here, we examine how two key ecological functions that result from parrotfish feeding, bioerosion and substrate grazing, vary between habitats over a reef scale in the central Maldives. Eight distinct habitats were delineated in early 2015, prior to the 2016 bleaching event, each supporting a unique parrotfish assemblage. Bioerosion rates varied from 0 to 0.84 ± 0.12 kg m−2 yr−1 but were highest in the coral rubble- and Pocillopora spp.-dominated habitat. Grazing pressure also varied markedly between habitats but followed a different inter-habitat pattern from that of bioerosion, with different contributing species. Total parrotfish grazing pressure ranged from 0 to ~264 ± 16% available substrate grazed yr-1 in the branching Acropora spp.-dominated habitat. Despite the importance of these functions in influencing reef-scale physical structure and ecological health, the highest rates occurred over less than 30% of the platform area. The results presented here provide new insights into within-reef variability in parrotfish ecological functions and demonstrate the importance of considering how these interact to influence reef geo-ecology. |
| نوع الوثيقة: | article |
| وصف الملف: | electronic resource |
| اللغة: | English |
| تدمد: | 1424-2818 |
| Relation: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/10/381; https://doaj.org/toc/1424-2818 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/d12100381 |
| URL الوصول: | https://doaj.org/article/282617c322b743c2a2ab86bae96a6c00 |
| رقم الانضمام: | edsdoj.282617c322b743c2a2ab86bae96a6c00 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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