學術資源整合系統-相關推薦

 
作者Carolin Nieder, Siobhan Jean Heatwole, Chen-Pan Liao, Chen-Lu Lee, Chaolun Allen Chen, Shao-Lun Liu
出版日期2024
著作名稱 Testing sea urchin and green sea turtle consumption of the allelopathic macroalga Galaxaura divaricata.
刊名Ecology and Evolution
14
4
頁數e11324
被收錄索引SCI
主題動物;植物
關鍵字allelopathic, coral reefs, feeding preference, Gracilaria edulis, herbivory, macroalgae
摘要Galaxaura divaricata is a partially calcified macroalga that hampers coral recruitment, growth, and recovery via the excretion of allelopathic secondary metabolites. Herbivorous fishes are not major consumers of Galaxaura spp. and there is a need to understand feeding preferences for Galaxaura divaricata in other macroherbivores, like sea urchins and green sea turtles that could act as potential controlling agents. Under certain environmental conditions, G. divaricata can proliferate and overgrow degraded reefs for several years, as documented for several coral patch reefs in the lagoon of Dongsha Atoll, South China Sea. This study aimed to experimentally test the feeding preferences of five species of sea urchin and two individual green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, for G. divaricata. Specifically, we quantified and compared the consumption rates of the allelopathic G. divaricata with Gracilaria edulis, a nonallelopathic, fleshy red alga, known to be highly favored by herbivores. Results showed that the five urchin species fed on both G. edulis and G. divaricata. However, urchins consumed 2–8 times less wet weight of G. divaricata (range 0.3–3.1 g urchin−1 24 h−1) compared to G. edulis (range 0.6–18 g urchin−1 24 h−1), suggesting that urchin grazing may exert some control on G. divaricata abundance but is likely ineffective for a large-scale removal of the alga. Further, both green sea turtles avoided G. divaricata and selectively fed on G. edulis. More experiments are needed to test the potential role of herbivores in controlling the overgrowth of coral competitive and allelopathic macroalgae, like Galaxaura on coral reefs.
系統號NO000007567

May 10 2024 17:17:25
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