Comparative metabolic ecology of tropical herbivorous echinoids on a coral reef.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The metabolic rate of consumers is a key driver of ecosystem dynamics. On coral reefs, herbivorous echinoids consume fleshy algae, facilitating the growth of reef-building calcified organisms; however, little is known about differences among species in their metabolic and functional ecology. Here, we used log-linear (log-log) regression models to examine the allometric scaling of mass and routine metabolic rate for five common herbivorous echinoids on a Hawaiian coral reef: Echinothrix calamaris, E. diadema, Echinometra matthaei, Heterocentrotus mammillatus, and Tripneustes gratilla. Scaling relationships were then contrasted with empirical observations of echinoid ecology and general metabolic theory to broaden our understanding of diversity in the metabolic and functio

SUBMITTER: Lewis LS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5773235 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature