Spatial covariation in nutrient enrichment and fishing of herbivores in an oceanic coral reef ecosystem.

ABSTRACT: Both natural and anthropogenic stressors are increasing on coral reefs, resulting in large-scale loss of coral and potential shifts from coral- to macroalgae-dominated community states. Two factors implicated in shifts to macroalgae are nutrient enrichment and fishing of reef herbivores. Although either of these factors alone could facilitate establishment of macroalgae, reefs may be particularly vulnerable to coral-to-algae phase shifts in which strong bottom-up forcing from nutrient enrichment is accompanied by a weakening of herbivore control of macroalgae via intense fishing. We explored spatial heterogeneity and covariance in these drivers on reefs in the lagoons of Moorea, French Polynesia, where the local fishery heavily targets herbivorous fishes and there are spatially variable in

SUBMITTER: Holbrook SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9285716 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature