Rates of Overgrowth by Macroalgae and Attack by Sea Anemones Are Greater for Live Coral than Dead Coral under Conditions of Nutrient Enrichment

• Published in: Limnology and oceanography Vol. 54; no. 4; pp. 1167 - 1175
• Main Authors: Liu, Pi-Jen, Lin, Shiue-Ming, Fan, Tung-Yung, Meng, Pei-Jie, Shao, Kwang-Tsao, Lin, Hsing-Juh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Waco, TX American Society of Limnology and Oceanography 01.07.2009
• Subjects: Acropora; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Codium edule; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine; Scleractinia; Sea water ecosystems; Synecology; ISEW, Taiwan, Nanwan; Growth; Algae; Coral reef; Experimental study; Marine environment; Medium enrichment; Coelenterata; Cnidaria; Vegetation; Interspecific competition; Habitat; Predation; Invertebrata
• ISSN: 0024-3590; 1939-5590
• DOI: 10.4319/lo.2009.54.4.1167

A mesocosm experiment was conducted to determine the effects of nutrient enrichment on competitive interactions between a hard coral, a green alga, and a sea anemone. In the low-nutrient controls, abundances of the green alga, Codium edule, and a sea anemone, Mesactinia genesis, remained low, and th...