Abstract
We address the effect of several factors influencing the depth of interfaces between the shallow photophilic brown algal assemblages and Diadema antillarum urchin-dominated barrens on rocky reefs of the warm-temperate central-eastern Atlantic. By means of a multifactorial observa- tional approach, we hypothesized that it would be locally influenced by (1) the functional structure of the dominant brown algal assemblages (corticated foliose algae versus large frondose coarsely- branched fucoid species), in addition to (2) the fishing status (fished versus unfished sites) and (3) the large-scale topography of the substrate. Our results show that brown algal assemblages reach deeper waters at unfished sites, which is independent of the dominant brown algal functional group. How- ever, monospecific algal facies dominated by large frondose coarsely branched fucoid species (mainly the genera Cystoseira) reach deeper waters in comparison with corticated foliose algae, at fished sites.
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