Persistence of a sessile benthic organism promoted by a morphological strategy combining sheets and trees.

ABSTRACT: Sessile organisms exploit a life-history strategy in which adults are immobile and their growth position is determined at settlement. The morphological strategy exploited by these organisms has strong selective value, because it can allow beneficial matching of morphology to environmental and biological conditions. In benthic marine environments, a 'sheet-tree' morphology is a classic mechanism exploited by select sessile organisms, and milleporine hydrocorals provide one of the best examples of this strategy. Using 30-year analysis of Millepora sp. on the reefs of St. John, US Virgin Islands, I tested for the benefits of a sheet-tree morphology in mediating the ecological success of an important functional group of benthic space holders. The abundance of Millepora sp. chaoti

SUBMITTER: Edmunds PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9277250 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature