Ecology of Coral Reef Communities

Another research area in our lab examines key ecological processes that are responsible for regulating the structure of marine communities. Our experimental studies on coral reefs have shown that herbivorous fish play a crucial role in mediating competition between reef-building corals and faster-growing seaweeds: as a result, increased fishing pressure threatens to severely destabilize many reef communities. We are also interested in the evolution of defensive strategies in seaweeds and corals against intense tropical predation.

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