Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorBennett, S.
dc.contributor.authorWernberg, T.
dc.contributor.authorHarvey, Euan
dc.contributor.authorSantana-Garcon, J.
dc.contributor.authorSaunders, Ben
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-30T11:27:04Z
dc.date.available2017-01-30T11:27:04Z
dc.date.created2015-06-22T20:00:44Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.identifier.citationBennett, S. and Wernberg, T. and Harvey, E. and Santana-Garcon, J. and Saunders, B. 2015. Tropical herbivores provide resilience to a climate-mediated phase shift on temperate reefs. Ecology Letters. 18 (7): pp. 714-723.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/11826
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/ele.12450
dc.description.abstract

Climate-mediated changes to biotic interactions have the potential to fundamentally alter global ecosystems. However, the capacity for novel interactions to drive or maintain transitions in ecosystem states remains unresolved. We examined temperate reefs that recently underwent complete seaweed canopy loss and tested whether a concurrent increase in tropical herbivores could be maintaining the current canopy-free state. Turf-grazing herbivorous fishes increased in biomass and diversity, and displayed feeding rates comparable to global coral reefs. Canopy-browsing herbivores displayed high (~ 10 000 g 100 m−2) and stable biomass between 2006 and 2013. Tropical browsers had the highest abundance in 2013 and displayed feeding rates approximately three times higher than previously observed on coral reefs. These observations suggest that tropical herbivores are maintaining previously kelp-dominated temperate reefs in an alternate canopy-free state by grazing turfs and preventing kelp reestablishment. This remarkable ecosystem highlights the sensitivity of biotic interactions and ecosystem stability to warming and extreme disturbance events.

dc.publisherEcological Society of America
dc.subjectcoral reef
dc.subjectkelp
dc.subjectClimate change
dc.subjectfishes
dc.subjecttropicalisation
dc.subjectregime shift
dc.titleTropical herbivores provide resilience to a climate-mediated phase shift on temperate reefs
dc.typeJournal Article
dcterms.source.volume2015
dcterms.source.issn1461-023X
dcterms.source.titleEcology Letters
curtin.departmentDepartment of Environment and Agriculture
curtin.accessStatusFulltext not available


Files in this item

Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record