Herbivory and algal dynamics on the coral reef at Discovery Bay, Jamica

摘要

The cover of noncoralline macroalgae increased dramatically on Caribbean reefs during the 1980s and 1990s. A top-down hypothesis, based largely on observations at Dis - Covery Bay, Jamaica, is that this change was caused by re - Duced herbivory. Herbivory was reduced by the regional mass Mortality of the echinoid Diabema antillarum in 1983-1984 And by human exploitation of herbivorous fishes. An alterna - Tive, bottom-up explanation is that nutrient concentrations in - Creased past threshold levels for algal blooms.