Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Herbivory versus corallivory: are parrotfish good or bad for Caribbean coral reefs?

  • Review
  • Published:
Coral Reefs Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With coral cover in decline on many Caribbean reefs, any process of coral mortality is of potential concern. While sparisomid parrotfishes are major grazers of Caribbean reefs and help control algal blooms, the fact that they also undertake corallivory has prompted some to question the rationale for their conservation. Here the weight of evidence for beneficial effects of parrotfishes, in terms of reducing algal cover and facilitating demographic processes in corals, and the deleterious effects of parrotfishes in terms of causing coral mortality and chronic stress, are reviewed. While elevated parrotfish density will likely increase the predation rate upon juvenile corals, the net effect appears to be positive in enhancing coral recruitment through removal of macroalgal competitors. Parrotfish corallivory can cause modest partial colony mortality in the most intensively grazed species of Montastraea but the generation and healing of bite scars appear to be in near equilibrium, even when coral cover is low. Whole colony mortality in adult corals can lead to complete exclusion of some delicate, lagoonal species of Porites from forereef environments but is only reported for one reef species (Porites astreoides), for one habitat (backreef), and with uncertain incidence (though likely <<10%). No deleterious effects of predation on coral growth or fecundity have been reported, though recovery of zooxanthellae after bleaching events may be retarded. The balance of evidence to date finds strong support for the herbivory role of parrotfishes in facilitating coral recruitment, growth, and fecundity. In contrast, no net deleterious effects of corallivory have been reported for reef corals. Corallivory is unlikely to constrain overall coral cover but contraints upon dwindling populations of the Montastraea annularis species complex are feasible and the role of parrotfishes as a vector of coral disease requires evaluation. However, any assertion that conservation practices should guard against protecting corallivorous parrotfishes appears to be unwarranted at this stage.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bak RPM, Engel MS (1979) Distribution, abundance and survival of juvenile hermatypic corals (Scleractinia) and the importance of life history strategies in the parent coral community. Mar Biol 54:341–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barlow GW (1975) On the sociobiology of four Puerto Rican parrotfishes (Scaridae). Mar Biol 33:281–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellwood DR, Hughes TP, Folke C, Nystrom M (2004) Confronting the coral reef crisis. Nature 429:827–833

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Birkeland C (1977) The importance of rate of biomass accumulation in early successional stages of benthic communities to the survival of coral recruits. Proc 3rd Int Coral Reef Symp: 16–21

  • Birrell CL, McCook LJ, Willis BL (2005) Effects of algal turfs and sediment on coral settlement. Mar Pollut Bull 51:408–414

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Box SJ (2008) The dynamics of macroalgae on a Caribbean coral reef: Modelling the availability of settlement space and dominant algae and evaluation the effect of macroalgal competition on the growth and survival of juvenile corals. PhD Thesis. University of Exeter, Exeter p146

  • Box SJ, Mumby PJ (2007) The effect of macroalgal competition on the growth and survival of juvenile Caribbean corals. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 342:139–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruckner AW, Bruckner RJ (1998) Rapid-wasting disease: Pathogen or predator? Science 279:2019–2025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruckner AW, Bruckner RJ, Sollins P (2000) Parrotfish predation on live coral: ‘spot biting’ and ‘focused biting’. Coral Reefs 19:50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruggemann JH, Begeman J, Bosma EM, Verburg P, Breeman AM (1994a) Foraging by the stoplight parrotfish Sparisoma viride. II. Intake and assimilation of food, protein and energy. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 106:57–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruggemann JH, Kuyper MWM, Breeman AM (1994b) Comparative analysis of foraging and habitat use by the sympatric Caribbean parrotfish Scarus vetula and Sparisoma viride (Scaridae). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 112:51–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruggemann JH, van Kessel AM, van Rooij JM, Breeman AM (1996) Bioerosion and sediment ingestion by the Caribbean parrotfish Scarus vetula and Sparisoma viride: Implications of fish size, feeding mode and habitat use. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 134:59–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burkepile DE, Hay ME (2006) Herbivore vs. Nutrient control of marine primary producers: Context-dependent effects. Ecology 87:3128–3139

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burkepile DE, Hay ME (2008) Herbivore species richness and feeding complementarity affect community structure and function of a coral reef. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 42:16201–16206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bythell JC, Gladfelter EH, Bythell M (1993) Chronic and catastrophic natural mortality of three common Caribbean reef corals. Coral Reefs 12:143–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bythell JC, Hillis-Starr ZM, Rogers CS (2000) Local variability but landscape stability in coral reef communities following repeated hurricane impacts. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 204:93–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter RC (1986) Partitioning herbivory and its effects on coral reef algal communities. Ecol Monogr 56:345–363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chasqui-Velasco L, Alvarado E, Acero A, Zapata FA (2007) Effect of herbivorous and corallivorous fishes on the survival of transplanted corals in the colombian Caribbean. Rev Biol Trop 55:825–837

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Done TJ, Ogden JC, Wiebe WJ, Rosen BR (1996) Biodiversity and ecosystem function of coral reefs. In: Mooney HA, Cushman JH, Medina E, Sala OE, Schulze E-D (eds) Functional roles of biodiversity: A global perspective. John Wiley & Sons, pp 393–429

  • Edmunds PJ (2002) Long-term dynamics of coral reefs in St. John, US Virgin Islands. Coral Reefs 21:357–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmunds PJ, Elahi R (2007) The demographics of a 15-year decline in cover of the Caribbean reef coral Montastraea annularis. Ecol Monogr 77:3–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster NL, Baums IB, Mumby PJ (2007) Sexual vs. Asexual reproduction in an ecosystem engineer: The massive coral Montastraea annularis. J Anim Ecol 76:384–391

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foster NL, Box SJ, Mumby PJ (2008) Competitive effects of macroalgae on the fecundity of the reef-building coral Montastraea annularis. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 367:143–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frydl P (1979) The effect of parrotfishes (Scaridae) on coral in Barbados. W I Int Rev Ges Hydrobiol 64:737–748

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner TA, Cote IM, Gill JA, Grant A, Watkinson AR (2003) Long-term region-wide declines in Caribbean corals. Science 301:958–960

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garzon-Ferreira J, Reyes-Nivia MC (2001) Incidence of fish predation on stony corals at four atolls of the archipelago of san andres and providencia (Colombian Caribbean). Bol Inv Mar Cost 30:133–150

    Google Scholar 

  • Gygi RH (1975) Sparisoma viride (Bonnaterre), the stoplight parrotfish, a major sediment producer on coral reefs of Bermuda. Eclogae Geol Helv 68:327–359

    Google Scholar 

  • Hay ME (1981) Herbivory, algal distribution, and the maintenance of between-habitat diversity on a tropical fringing reef. Am Nat 118:520–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E, Harvell CD, Sale PF, Edwards AJ, Caldeira K, Knowlton N, Eakin CM, Iglesias-Prieto R, Muthiga N, Bradbury RH, Dubi A, Hatziolos ME (2007) Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318:1737–1742

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes TP (1994) Catastrophes, phase shifts, and large-scale degradation of a Caribbean coral reef. Science 265:1547–1551

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes TP, Jackson JBC (1985) Population dynamics and life histories of foliaceous corals. Ecol Monogr 55:141–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes TP, Rodrigues MJ, Bellwood DR, Ceccarelli D, Hoegh-Guldberg O, McCook L, Moltschaniwskyj N, Pratchett MS, Steneck RS, Willis B (2007) Phase shifts, herbivory, and the resilience of coral reefs to climate change. Curr Biol 17:360–365

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Idjadi JA, Lee SC, Bruno JF, Precht WF, Allen-Requa L, Edmunds PJ (2006) Rapid phase-shift reversal on a Jamaican coral reef. Coral Reefs 25:209–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jompa J, McCook LJ (2002) Effects of competition and herbivory on interactions between a hard coral and a brown alga. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 271:25–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knowlton N, Jackson JBC (2008) Shifting baselines, local impacts, and global change on coral reefs. Plos Biology 6:215–220

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kramer PA (2003) Synthesis of coral reef health indicators for the western Atlantic: Results of the agrra program (1997–2000). Atoll Res Bull 496:1–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis SM (1986) The role of herbivorous fishes in the organization of a Caribbean reef community. Ecol Monogr 56:183–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lirman D (2001) Competition between macroalgae and corals: Effects of herbivore exclusion and increased algal biomass on coral survivorship and growth. Coral Reefs 19:392–399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Littler MM, Taylor PR, Littler DS (1989) Complex interactions in the control of coral zonation on a Caribbean reef flat. Oecologia 80:331–340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mascarelli PE, Bunkley-Williams L (1999) An experimental field evaluation of healing in damaged, unbleached and artificially bleached star coral, Montastraea annularis. Bull Mar Sci 65:577–586

    Google Scholar 

  • Meesters EH, Wesseling I, Bak RPM (1996) Partial mortality in three species of reef-building corals and the relation with colony morphology. Bull Mar Sci 58:838–852

    Google Scholar 

  • Meesters EH, Wesseling I, Bak RPM (1997) Coral colony tissue damage in six species of reef-building corals: Partial mortality in relation with depth and surface area. J Sea Res 37:131–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MW, Hay ME (1998) Effects of fish predation and seaweed competition on the survival and growth of corals. Oecologia 113:231–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ (2006) The impact of exploiting grazers (Scaridae) on the dynamics of Caribbean coral reefs. Ecol Appl 16:747–769

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ, Steneck RS (2008) Coral reef management and conservation in light of rapidly-evolving ecological paradigms. Trends Ecol Evol 23:555–563

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ, Dahlgren CP, Harborne AR, Kappel CV, Micheli F, Brumbaugh DR, Holmes KE, Mendes JM, Box S, Broad K, Sanchirico JN, Buch K, Stoffle RW, Gill AB (2006) Fishing, trophic cascades, and the process of grazing on coral reefs. Science 311:98–101

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ, Hastings A, Edwards HJ (2007a) Thresholds and the resilience of Caribbean coral reefs. Nature 450:98–101

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mumby PJ, Harborne AR, Williams J, Kappel CV, Brumbaugh DR, Micheli F, Holmes KE, Dahlgren CP, Paris CB, Blackwell PG (2007b) Trophic cascade facilitates coral recruitment in a marine reserve. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:8362–8367

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Newman MJH, Paredes GA, Sala E, Jackson JBC (2006) Structure of Caribbean coral reef communities across a large gradient of fish biomass. Ecol Lett 9:1216–1227

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nystrom M, Graham NAJ, Lokrantz J, Norstrom A (2008) Capturing the cornerstones of coral reef resilience: Linking theory to practice. Coral Reefs 27:795–809

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Randall JE (1965) Grazing effect on sea grasses by herbivorous fishes in the West Indies. Ecology 46:255–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reyes-Nivia MC, Garzon-Ferreira J, Rodriquez-Ramirez A (2003) Depradación de coral vivo por peces en el Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, Caribe Colombiano. Rev Biol Trop 52:883–895

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotjan RD, Lewis SM (2005) Selective predation by parrotfishes on the reef coral Porites astreoides. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 305:193–201

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rotjan RD, Lewis SM (2006) Parrotfish abundance and selective corallivory on a belizean coral reef. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 335:292–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rotjan RD, Lewis SM (2008) Impact of coral predators on tropical reefs. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 367:73–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rotjan RD, Dimond JL, Thornhill DJ, Leichter JJ, Helmuth B, Kemp DW, Lewis SM (2006) Chronic parrotfish grazing impedes coral recovery after bleaching. Coral Reefs 25:361–368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez JA, Gil MF, Chasqui LH, Alvarado EM (2004) Grazing dynamics on a Caribbean reef-building coral. Coral Reefs 23:578–583

    Google Scholar 

  • Steneck RS (1988) Herbivory on coral reefs: A synthesis. Proc 6th Int Coral Reef Symp 1:37–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Steneck RS (1997) Crustose corallines, other algal functional groups, herbivores and sediments: Complex interactions along reef productivity gradients. Proc 8th Int Coral Reef Symp 1:695–700

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanner JE (1995) Competition between scleractinian corals and macroalgae: An experimental investigation of coral growth, survival and reproduction. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 190:151–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weil E, Smith G, Gil-Agudelo DL (2006) Status and progress in coral reef disease research. Dis Aquat Org 69:1–7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams DE, Miller MW (2005) Coral disease outbreak: Pattern, prevalence and transmission in Acropora cervicornis. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 301:119–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams ID, Polunin NVC (2000) Large-scale associations between macroalgal cover and grazer biomass on mid-depth reefs in the Caribbean. Coral Reefs 19:358–366

    Google Scholar 

  • 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

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I thank the Marine Spatial Ecology Lab for stimulating discussions on this topic and the helpful comments of Laurence McCook and two anonymous referees. Andy Bruckner kindly provided photographs to illustrate the article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of BioSciences, Hatherly Laboratory, University of Exeter, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK

    Peter J. Mumby

Authors
  1. Peter J. Mumby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter J. Mumby.

Additional information

Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Philip Munday

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mumby, P.J. Herbivory versus corallivory: are parrotfish good or bad for Caribbean coral reefs?. Coral Reefs 28, 683–690 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-009-0501-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-009-0501-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation