Coral species composition drives key ecosystem function on coral reefs.

ABSTRACT: Rapid and unprecedented ecological change threatens the functioning and stability of ecosystems. On coral reefs, global climate change and local stressors are reducing and reorganizing habitat-forming corals and associated species, with largely unknown implications for critical ecosystem functions such as herbivory. Herbivory mediates coral-algal competition, thereby facilitating ecosystem recovery following disturbance such as coral bleaching events or large storms. However, relationships between coral species composition, the distribution of herbivorous fishes and the delivery of their functional impact are not well understood. Here, we investigate how herbivorous fish assemblages and delivery of two distinct herbivory processes, grazing and browsing, differ among three taxonomically dis

SUBMITTER: Richardson LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7062023 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature