Rapidly increasing macroalgal cover not related to herbivorous fishes on Mesoamerican reefs.

ABSTRACT: Long-term phase shifts from coral to macroalgal dominated reef systems are well documented in the Caribbean. Although the impact of coral diseases, climate change and other factors is acknowledged, major herbivore loss through disease and overfishing is often assigned a primary role. However, direct evidence for the link between herbivore abundance, macroalgal and coral cover is sparse, particularly over broad spatial scales. In this study we use a database of coral reef surveys performed at 85 sites along the Mesoamerican Reef of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, to examine potential ecological links by tracking site trajectories over the period 2005-2014. Despite the long-term reduction of herbivory capacity reported across the Caribbean, the Mesoamerican Reef region displayed rela

SUBMITTER: Suchley A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4893329 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature