Abstract
MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 452:81-88 (2012) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09586 Effects of turf algae on recruitment and juvenile survival of gorgonian corals Cristina Linares1,*, Emma Cebrian2, Rafel Coma3 1Departament d’Ecologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain 2Departament de Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain 3Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, Accés Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain *Email: cristinalinares@ub.edu ABSTRACT: During the last 2 decades, the widespread temperate gorgonian Eunicella singularis has been among the species most affected by climate-induced mortalities. Recruitment and juvenile survival play crucial roles in the recovery process of this species, but turf algae may affect these early life history processes. We investigated the effects of turf algae on recruitment and juvenile survival of E. singularis using in situ turf-removal and turf-exposure experiments. The experiments were performed at a depth of 15 to 20 m off the island of Menorca (Balearic Islands, NW Mediterranean Sea) between April 2008 and July 2009. The turf-removal experiment indicated that exposure to turf algae caused up to a 5-fold reduction in the recruitment of the gorgonian species. The turf-exposure experiment revealed that transplanted juveniles exposed to turf algae overgrowth lost biomass and exhibited a threefold increase in juvenile mortality. These results demonstrate the negative effects that turf algae can exert on early stages of gorgonian species; in turn, this may affect their recovery capacity and population dynamics. Given that most Mediterranean invasive algae form a persistent turf, an increase in turf algae abundance may exacerbate these negative effects. KEY WORDS: Turf algae · Gorgonian coral · Early life history stages · Recruitment · Survival · Mediterranean Sea Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Linares C, Cebrian E, Coma R (2012) Effects of turf algae on recruitment and juvenile survival of gorgonian corals. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 452:81-88. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09586 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 452. Online publication date: April 25, 2012 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2012 Inter-Research.
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
