Abstract
The net effects of herbivorous and coral-predating fish on coral growth, coral condition and fouling in nurseries was investigated by a cage-exclusion experiment in Kenya. A 100-fold increase in macroalgae was found in caged nurseries, which lead to lower growth and condition of the corals. Uncaged nurseries were kept clean predominantly by the grazing of the bristletooth Ctenochaetus striatus. Only 10% of all coral fragments showed some predation marks throughout the study. Overall, this study shows that the benefits of fouling control outweigh the costs of incidental coral predation in coral nurseries. It is recommended to place coral nurseries close to reefs to make use of the benefits provided by the fish community.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 19 Jun 2023 |
Event | 11th WIOMSA Scientific Symposium - Reduit, Mauritius Duration: 1 Jul 2019 → 6 Jul 2019 |
Conference/symposium
Conference/symposium | 11th WIOMSA Scientific Symposium |
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Country/Territory | Mauritius |
City | Reduit |
Period | 1/07/19 → 6/07/19 |