Ecomorphology of the temperate scleractinian Astrangia poculata: Coral-macroalgal interactions in Narragansett Bay

TL;DRAbstract

Corals and macroalgae often co-occur on temperate reefs, where macroalgae provide a majority of the bio-complexity and small scleractinian corals occur in low abundance. Macroalgae typically outcompete adjacent organisms for resources such as space, light, and nutrients, and one mechanism for this competitive success is abrasion. This study explores factors that may influence the interactions between corals and macroalgae, in particular macroalgal abrasion, on a temperate reef in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Chapter One examines how exposure, depth and orientation influence the abundance and morphology of the coral Astrangia poculata, as well as the percent cover of macroalgae and other invertebrates. Coral colony density increased, and algal percent cover decreased, with depth and from horizontal to vertical substrates. The morphology of corals at shallow depths and on horizontal substrates, where macroalgae dominated, were more commonly short, rather than tall. Both short and tall

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