Experimental analysis of the effects of consumer exclusion on recruitment and succession of a coral reef system along a water quality gradient in the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia

摘要: The composition of coral reef benthic communities is strongly affected by variation in water quality and consumer abundance composition. This particularly evident highly populated coastal regions where humans depend on resources terrestrial run-off can change the chemical water. We tested effects grazing pressure ambient conditions along an established eutrophication gradient recruitment successional development Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia, through caging experiments with settlement tiles. Within 1 month, community closest to land, near city Makassar, was significantly different from other sites further offshore, driven primarily differences invertebrates or turf algae. In contrast experiments, exclusion had no effect after 3 months, suggesting that larger, mobile consumers little these reefs at all sites. Despite usually favour macroalgal development, this group rarely observed tiles even 4 months exclusion. Furthermore, both caged open treatments retained high proportions space indicating possible role small-sized non-fish were not excluded experiment. These results indicate that, unlike many studies, Archipelago early succession habitat unexamined biota such as mesograzers may be significant degraded systems.