@article {Lacey:2013:0007-4977:603,
title = "Increased Algal Dominance Despite Presence of Diadema Antillarum Populations on a Caribbean Coral Reef",
journal = "Bulletin of Marine Science",
parent_itemid = "infobike://umrsmas/bullmar",
publishercode ="umrsmas",
year = "2013",
volume = "89",
number = "2",
publication date ="2013-04-01T00:00:00",
pages = "603-620",
itemtype = "ARTICLE",
issn = "0007-4977",
url = "https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/umrsmas/bullmar/2013/00000089/00000002/art00014",
doi = "doi:10.5343/bms.2012.1015",
author = "Lacey, Elizabeth A and Fourqurean, James W and Collado-Vides, Ligia",
abstract = "Populations of Diadema antillarum (philippi, 1845) have been slow to recover after their 1983 caribbean-wide massive mortality. The continued absence of this important coral reef herbivore as well as further impacts on local and regional-scales have severely threatened the health
of coral reefs. from 2008 to 2011, the population of D. antillarum and structure of the benthic community were monitored within Akumal Bay, Mexico, a heavily impacted ecosystem. Across the 4 yrs of the study, densities of adult D. antillarum did not significantly change and were
highest on backreef sites (mean 1.30 and 1.44 m2). Coral cover was low at all sites (maximum 14%) and decreased during the 4 yrs of the study. Changes in crustose coralline algae (CCA) cover varied by year but was significantly higher on forereef sites, while cover by turf-algal-sediment
(TAS) increased at all four sites. Diadema antillarum densities correlated positively with coral and CCA cover in the backreef sites where sea urchin densities were higher but no correlation occurred with TAS and turf. Where Echinometra lucunter (Linnaeus, 1758) sea urchins were
more prevalent, their densities correlated negatively with coral and positively with CCA. Although densities of adult D. antillarum were comparable to other regions of the Caribbean, increases in TAS over the 4 yrs of this study may be evidence that even an important herbivore cannot
prevent continued decline of a reef in an impacted ecosystem.",
}