Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition
The marine gastropod, Coralliophila abbreviata, is an obligate corallivore that causes substantial mortality in Caribbean Acropora spp. Considering the imperiled status of Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, a better understanding of ecological interactions resulting in tissue loss may enable more...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2015-09-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/1239.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797419775916244992 |
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| author | Allan J. Bright Caitlin M. Cameron Margaret W. Miller |
| author_facet | Allan J. Bright Caitlin M. Cameron Margaret W. Miller |
| author_sort | Allan J. Bright |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The marine gastropod, Coralliophila abbreviata, is an obligate corallivore that causes substantial mortality in Caribbean Acropora spp. Considering the imperiled status of Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, a better understanding of ecological interactions resulting in tissue loss may enable more effective conservation strategies. We examined differences in susceptibility of A. cervicornis to C. abbreviata predation based on coral tissue condition. Coral tissue condition was a strong determinant of snail prey choice, with snails preferring A. cervicornis fragments that were diseased or mechanically damaged over healthy fragments. In addition, snails always chose fragments undergoing active predation by another snail, while showing no preference for a non-feeding snail when compared with an undisturbed prey fragment. These results indicate that the condition of A. cervicornis prey influenced foraging behavior of C. abbreviata, creating a potential feedback that may exacerbate damage from predation in coral populations compromised by other types of disturbance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:52:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6a440d8103ea420b87e1b8247a3630c8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:52:05Z |
| publishDate | 2015-09-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a440d8103ea420b87e1b8247a3630c82023-12-03T10:22:34ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592015-09-013e123910.7717/peerj.1239Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised conditionAllan J. Bright0Caitlin M. Cameron1Margaret W. Miller2Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USACooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USANational Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, FL, USAThe marine gastropod, Coralliophila abbreviata, is an obligate corallivore that causes substantial mortality in Caribbean Acropora spp. Considering the imperiled status of Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, a better understanding of ecological interactions resulting in tissue loss may enable more effective conservation strategies. We examined differences in susceptibility of A. cervicornis to C. abbreviata predation based on coral tissue condition. Coral tissue condition was a strong determinant of snail prey choice, with snails preferring A. cervicornis fragments that were diseased or mechanically damaged over healthy fragments. In addition, snails always chose fragments undergoing active predation by another snail, while showing no preference for a non-feeding snail when compared with an undisturbed prey fragment. These results indicate that the condition of A. cervicornis prey influenced foraging behavior of C. abbreviata, creating a potential feedback that may exacerbate damage from predation in coral populations compromised by other types of disturbance.https://peerj.com/articles/1239.pdfCoralliophila abbreviataAcropora cervicornisFlorida KeysCoral diseaseAcroporidCorallivore |
| spellingShingle | Allan J. Bright Caitlin M. Cameron Margaret W. Miller Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition PeerJ Coralliophila abbreviata Acropora cervicornis Florida Keys Coral disease Acroporid Corallivore |
| title | Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition |
| title_full | Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition |
| title_fullStr | Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition |
| title_short | Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition |
| title_sort | enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition |
| topic | Coralliophila abbreviata Acropora cervicornis Florida Keys Coral disease Acroporid Corallivore |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/1239.pdf |
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