Diversity, structure and demography of coral assemblages on underwater lava flows of different ages at Reunion Island and implications for ecological succession hypotheses.

ABSTRACT: Understanding colonization of new habitats and ecological successions is key to ecosystem conservation. However, studies on primary successions are scarce for reef-building corals, due to the rarity of newly formed substratum and the long-term monitoring efforts required for their long life cycle and slow growth rate. We analysed data describing the diversity, structure and demography of coral assemblages on lava flows of different ages and coral reefs at Reunion Island, to evaluate the strength and mechanisms of succession, and its agreement to the theoretical models. No significant differences were observed between the two habitats for most structure and demographic descriptors. In contrast, species richness and composition differentiated coral reefs from lava flows, but were not related

SUBMITTER: Jouval F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7705710 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature