Abstract
Lobophora variegata occurs in the eulittoral zone and in deep water on coral reefs in Curaçao. An analysis of the long-term (1979–2006) changes in the vertical distribution of the macroalga in permanent quadrats indicated a significant increase in cover of the deepwater community. In 1998, Lobophora covered 1 and 5% of the quadrats at 20 and 30 m, respectively. By 2006, these values had risen to 25 and 18%, precipitating a shift in abundance of corals and macroalgae at both depths. This increase coincided with losses in coral cover, possibly linked to bleaching, disease and storm-related mortality in deep water plating Agaricia corals. In contrast, macroalgae remained relatively rare (<6% cover) on shallower (10 m) and deeper (40 m) reefs despite declines in coral cover also occurring at these depths, illustrating the depth-dependent dynamics of coral reefs. Several hypotheses are suggested to explain these changes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Aronson RB, Precht WF (2000) Herbivory and algal dynamics on the coral reef at Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Limnol Oceanogr 45:251–255
Bak RPM, Nieuwland G, Meesters EH (2005) Coral reef crisis in deep and shallow reefs: 30 years of constancy and change in reefs of Curaçao and Bonaire. Coral Reefs 24:475–479
de Ruyter van Steveninck ED, Bak RPM (1986) Changes in abundance of coral-reef bottom components related to mass mortality of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 34:87–94
de Ruyter van Steveninck ED, Breeman AM (1987a) Deep water vegetations of Lobophora variegata (Phaeophyceae) in the coral reef of Curaçao: influence of grazing and dispersal on distribution patterns. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 38:241–250
de Ruyter van Steveninck ED, Breeman AM (1987b) Deep water vegetations of Lobophora variegata (Phaeophyceae) in the coral reef of Curaçao: population dynamics in relation to mass mortality of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 36:81–90
Hughes TP, Baird AH, Bellwood DR, Card M, Connolly SR, Folke C, Grosberg R, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Jackson JBC, Kleypas J, Lough JM, Marshall P, Nyström M, Palumbi SR, Pandolfi JM, Rosen B, Roughgarden J (2003) Climate change, human impacts, and the resilience of coral reefs. Science 301:929–933
Kobluk DR, Lysenko MA (1994) ‘‘Ring’’ bleaching in southern Caribbean Agaricia agaricites during a rapid water cooling. Bull Mar Sci 54:142–150
Leichter JJ, Helmuth B, Fisher AM (2006) Variation beneath the surface: quantifying complex thermal environments on coral reefs in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida. J Mar Res 64:563–588
Mumby PJ, Foster NL, Glynn PW, Fahy EA (2005) Patch dynamics of coral reef macroalgae under chronic and acute disturbance. Coral Reefs 24:681–692
Nugues MM, Bak RPM (2006) Differential competitive abilities between Caribbean coral species and a brown alga: a year of experiments and a long-term perspective. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 315:75–86
Peckol P, Searles RB (1984) Temporal and spatial patterns of growth and survival of invertebrate and algal populations of a North Carolina continental shelf community. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 18:133–143
Precht WF, Aronson RB (2006) Death and resurrection of Caribbean reefs: a palaeoecological perspective. In: Côté I, Reynolds J (eds) Coral reef conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 40–77
Quinn GP, Keough MJ (2002) Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Stimson J, Larned ST, Conklin E (2001) Effects of herbivory, nutrient levels, and introduced algae on the distribution and abundance of the invasive macroalgae Dictyosphaeria cavernosa in Kanoehe Bay, Hawaii. Coral Reefs 19:343–357
van den Hoek C, Breeman AM, Bak RPM, van Buurt G (1978) The distribution of algae, corals and gorgonians in relation to depth, light attenuation, water movement and grazing pressure in the fringing coral reef of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. Aquat Bot 5:1–46
Williams ID, Polunin NVC, Hendrick VJ (2001) Limits to grazing by herbivorous fishes and the impact of low coral cover on macroalgal abundance on a coral reef in Belize. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 222:187–196
Acknowledgments
Authors thank the CARMABI foundation and personnel for continuous support. Authors are very grateful to G. Nieuwland, M. Vermeij and E. Meesters for help in the field and to E. de Ruyter van Steveninck and A. Szmant for discussions.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by P. J. Mumby.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nugues, M.M., Bak, R.P.M. Long-term dynamics of the brown macroalga Lobophora variegata on deep reefs in Curaçao. Coral Reefs 27, 389–393 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0346-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0346-3