On the Challenges of Identifying Benthic Dominance on Anthropocene Coral Reefs.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Tebbett SB
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10020827 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
On the Challenges of Identifying Benthic Dominance on Anthropocene Coral Reefs.
Tebbett Sterling B SB Crisp Samantha K SK Evans Richard D RD Fulton Christopher J CJ Pessarrodona Albert A Wernberg Thomas T Wilson Shaun K SK Bellwood David R DR
Bioscience 20230301 3
The concept of dominance is frequently used to describe changes in rapidly reconfiguring ecosystems, but the definition of dominance can vary widely among studies. Using coral reefs as a model, we use extensive benthic composition data to explore how variability in applying dominance concepts can shape perceptions. We reveal that coral dominance is sensitive to the exclusion of key algal groups and the categorization of other benthic groups, with ramifications for detecting an ecosystem phase sh ...[more]
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