Cascading predator effects in a Fijian coral reef ecosystem.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Rasher DB
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5691076 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Cascading predator effects in a Fijian coral reef ecosystem.
Rasher Douglas B DB Hoey Andrew S AS Hay Mark E ME
Scientific reports 20171116 1
Coral reefs are among Earth's best-studied ecosystems, yet the degree to which large predators influence the ecology of coral reefs remains an open and contentious question. Recent studies indicate the consumptive effects of large reef predators are too diffuse to elicit trophic cascades. Here, we provide evidence that such predators can produce non-consumptive (fear) effects that flow through herbivores to shape the distribution of seaweed on a coral reef. This trophic cascade emerged because r ...[more]
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