Herbivore Mobility

How do different feeding types of herbivores affect algae cover on coral reefs?

Sedentary vs. Territorial vs. Roving vs. Midwater

Damselfish, Parrotfish, Surgeonfish, Chubs

Hypotheses:

H1: Roving and mid-water herbivores will have a larger territory size than sedentary and territorial herbivores
H2: Herbivores with a larger territory size will consume more fleshy than calcareous algae
H3: Reefs with greater herbivore species richness will have lower algal cover
H4: Reefs with greater herbivore species richness will have higher coral cover

Predictions: Reefs with greater diversity of herbivores should have lower algal cover due to a variety of feeding preferences. Fish with larger territory sizes will cover more of the reef -- "mobile links"

Methods

Acoustic tagging to observe territory sizes
Camera surveillance to observe feeding behaviors
Data analysis to determine fish, algal, and coral abundance

Appreciate

Credits:

Created with images by Lolame - "fish coral surgeonfish" • Pexels - "animal aquatic corals diving marine life ocean" • Saffu - "On My Way"