Ecology of Coral Reef Algae, Fish, and Herbivory

Fish abundance research highlights from TCRMP

  • Fish census data between 2003 and 2009 showed that many species that were relatively common on St. Thomas-St. John reefs were in low abundance on St. Croix reefs
  • Analysis showed that this was not an effect of habitat, but likely different fishery pressure. Fishing pressure was approximately 4x greater per area on St. Croix vs St. Thomas-St. John
  • Shallow St. Croix waters also allowed more intensive netting and spearing on SCUBA

Relevant References

Fong PW, Smith TB, Muthukrishnan R (in press) Algal dynamics: alternate stable states of reefs in the eastern tropical Pacific. Invited book chapter for “Coral Reefs of the World: Coral Reef of the Eastern Tropical Pacific” Glynn PW, Manzello D, Enochs, I (eds.) Springer-Verlag

Loeffler C, Richlen M, Smith TB (in press) In situ effects of grazing, nutrients, and depth on the ciguatera-causing dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Marine Ecology Progress Series

Schärer-Umpierre MT, Mateos-Molina D, Appeldoorn R, Bejarano I, Hernández-Delgado EA, Nemeth RS, Nemeth M,

Valdés-Pizzini M, Smith TB (2014) Marine managed areas and associated fisheries in the US Caribbean. In: Johnson ML, Sandell J (eds) Advances in Marine Biology: Marine Managed Areas and Fisheries. Elsevier, pp416

Robertson A, Garcia AC, Flores Quintana HA, Smith TB, Castillo BF, Reale-Munroe K, Gulli JA, Olsen DA, Jester ELE,

Hooe-Rollman JI, Jester ELE, Klimek BJ, Plakas SM (2013) Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans): A potential human health threat for Ciguatera Fish Poisoning in tropical waters. Marine Drugs 12:88-97

Kadison E, Nemeth RS, Blondeau J, Smith TB, Calnan JM (2010) Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, with evidence for a spawning aggregation site recovery. Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute 62:273-279

Vermeij MJA, Smith TB, Dailer M, Smith C (2009) Release from native herbivores facilitates the persistence of invasive marine algae: a biogeographical comparison of the relative contribution of nutrients and herbivory to invasion success. Biological Invasions 11:1463-1474

Nemeth RS, Kadison E, Blondeau J, Idrisi N, Watlington R, Brown K, Smith TB, Carr L (2008) Regional coupling of red hind spawning aggregations to oceanographic processes in the Eastern Caribbean. In: Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series NMSP-08-07 Belize City, pp. 170-183

Smith, TB (2007) Temperature effects on herbivory for an Indo-Pacific parrotfish in Panamá: implications for coral-algal competition. Coral Reefs 27:397-405

Fong P, Smith TB, Wartian MJ (2006) Protection by epiphytic cyanobacteria maintain shifts to macroalgal-dominated communities after the 1997-98 ENSO disturbance on coral reefs with intact herbivore populations. Ecology 87(5):1162-1168

Smith, TB (2006) Benthic algal production in an upwelling coral reef environment (Gulf of Panamá): evidence for control by fish herbivores. Proceedings of the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa, Japan 1:854-861

2005

Smith, TB (2005) Dynamics of Coral Reef Algae in an Upwelling System. Ph. D. Dissertation. University of Miami