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Overgrowth and killing of corals by the brown alga L obophora hederacea ( D ictyotales, P haeophyceae) on healthy reefs in N ew C aledonia: A new case of the epizoism syndrome
Author(s) -
Vieira Christophe,
Payri Claude,
De Clerck Olivier
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
phycological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.438
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1440-1835
pISSN - 1322-0829
DOI - 10.1111/pre.12082
Subject(s) - biology , coral reef , reef , coral , aquaculture of coral , algae , ecology , resilience of coral reefs , allelopathy , competition (biology) , herbivore , botany , germination
Summary Coral reef degradation is often associated with regime shifts from coral‐ to macroalgal‐dominated reefs. These shifts demonstrate that under certain conditions (e.g. coral mortality, decrease in herbivory, increased nutrients supply) some macroalgae may overgrow corals. The outcome of the competition is dependent on algal aggressiveness and the coral susceptibility. In undisturbed reefs, herbivore grazing is regulating macroalgal cover, thus preventing the latter from overgrowing corals. However, some macroalgae have evolved strategies not only to outcompete corals but also to escape herbivory to some extent, allowing overgrowth of some coral species in undisturbed reefs. Epizoism represents one of those successful strategies, and has been previously documented with red algae, cyanobacteria and L obophora variegata ( D ictyotales, Phaeophyceae). Here we report a new case of epizoism leading to coral mortality, involving a recently described species of L obophora , L . hederacea , overgrowing the coral S eriatopora caliendrum (Pocilloporidae) in undisturbed reefs in N ew C aledonia.