Macroalgae size refuge from herbivory promotes alternative stable states on coral reefs.

ABSTRACT: Coral reef systems can undergo rapid transitions from coral-dominated to macroalgae-dominated states following disturbances, and models indicate that these may sometimes represent shifts between alternative stable states. While several mechanisms may lead to alternate stable states on coral reefs, only a few have been investigated theoretically. We explore a model that illustrates that reduced vulnerability of macroalgae to herbivory as macroalgae grow and mature could be an important mechanism: when macroalgae are palatable to herbivores as juveniles, but resistant as adults, coral-dominated and algae-dominated states are bistable across a wide range of parameter space. We compare two approaches to global sensitivity analysis to rank the relative importance of the model parameters in dete

SUBMITTER: Briggs CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6143192 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature