
@article {78163,
	title = {Wave exposure reduces herbivory in post-disturbed reefs by filtering species composition, abundance and behaviour~of key fish herbivores.},
	journal = {Sci Rep},
	volume = {10},
	year = {2020},
	month = {2020 Jun 19},
	pages = {9854},
	abstract = {<p>Harsh environmental conditions limit how species use the landscape, strongly influencing the way assemblages are distributed. In the wake of repeated coral bleaching mortalities in Lakshadweep, we examined how wave exposure influences herbivory \&nbsp;in exposed and sheltered reefs. We used a combination of i. field observations of fish herbivore composition, abundance and activity across 6 exposed and 6 sheltered reefs; ii. experimental manipulations in a subset of these reefs (herbivore exclosures); and iii. opportunistic observations of fish recruitment, to determine how exposure influences herbivore biomass and herbivory. Species richness, biomass, abundance, total bite rates and species-specific per capita bite rates were lower in exposed compared to sheltered reefs, linked to strong environmental filtering of species composition, abundance and behaviour. For some critical species, this environmental filtering begins with differential recruitment and post-recruitment processes between exposures. Bite rates at sheltered sites were dominated by just a few species, most being laterally compressed surgeonfish that may find it difficult accessing or surviving in wave-battered shallow reefs. Exclosure experiments confirmed \&nbsp;that exposed reefs \&nbsp;were less controlled by herbivores than sheltered reefs. In post-disturbed reefs like Lakshadweep, environmental gradients appear to be key mediators of critical functions like herbivory by determining species composition, abundance and behaviour.</p>
},
	issn = {2045-2322},
	doi = {10.1038/s41598-020-66475-y},
	author = {Karkarey, Rucha and Rathod, Pooja and Arthur, Rohan and Yadav, Shreya and Theo, Anne and Alcoverro, Teresa}
}
@article {3570,
	title = {Choice and destiny: the substrate composition and mechanical stability of settlement structures can mediate coral recruit fate in post-bleached reefs},
	journal = {Coral Reefs},
	volume = {35},
	year = {2016},
	month = {March 2016},
	pages = {211-222},
	abstract = {<p>Increasingly frequent and intense ocean warming events seriously test the buffer and recovery capacities of tropical coral reefs. Post-disturbance, available settlement structures on a reef (often dead coral skeletons) vary considerably in their mechanical stability and substrate composition, critically influencing coral recruit settlement choice and fate. In the wake of a coral mass mortality in the Lakshadweep archipelago, we examine (1) the relative availability of recruit settlement structures (from stable to unstable: reef platform, dead massive coral, consolidated rubble, dead corymbose coral, dead tabular coral, and unconsolidated rubble) in 12 recovering reefs across three atolls in the archipelago, (2) the substrate composition [crustose coralline algae (CCA), mixed turf, macroalgae] of these structural forms, and (3) whether the choice and fate of young coral are mediated by the substrate and stability of different structural forms. For this, we measured the abundance and distribution of recruit (\&lt;1 cm), juvenile (1{\textendash}5 cm), and young adult (5{\textendash}10) corals of 24 common coral genera. Four years after the mass mortality, reefs differed considerably in composition of settlement structures. The structures themselves varied significantly in substrate cover with dead tables largely covered in CCA [60 {\textpm} 6.05 \% (SE)] and dead corymbose coral dominated by mixed turf (61.83 {\textpm} 3.8 \%). The youngest visible recruits (\&lt;1 cm) clearly preferred CCA-rich structures such as dead massives and tables. However, older size classes were rarely found on unstable structures (strongly {\textquotedblleft}avoiding{\textquotedblright} tables, Ivlev{\textquoteright}s electivity index, E = -0.5). Our results indicate that while substrate cover might mediate coral choice, the mechanical stability of settlement structures is critical in determining post-settlement coral survival. The composition and availability of settlement structures on a reef may serve as a characteristic signature of its recovery potential, aiding in assessments of reef resilience.</p>
},
	doi = {10.1007/s00338-015-1358-z},
	url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs00338-015-1358-z},
	author = {Yadav, Shreya and Rathod, Pooja and Alcoverro, Teresa and Arthur, Rohan}
}
