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Grazing And Control Of Coral Reef Community Structure By Diadema Antillarum Philippi (Echinodermata: Echinoidea): A Preliminary Study, P. Sammarco, J. S. Levinton, John C. Ogden

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

The grazing activities of the tropical echinoid Diadema antillarum Philippi can markedly influence the structure of the shallow-water epibenthic coral reef community. The elimination of an entire Diadema population from a patch reef in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands resulted in a great increase in macro-algal biomass, alterations in species composition, shifts in dominance, an increase in species numbers, and a decrease in equitability. The increase noted in number of species may be indicative of either initial pre-competitive phases of succession or the creation of a new habitat- the micro-canopy. Experiments involving the caging of Diadema have shown that the …