Density-dependent succession in Caribbean seagrass communities

Abstract

It is important to understand the patterns of succession and competition in seagrass beds as a way of explaining recovery processes after disturbances. This project studies macroalgae-seagrass succession dynamics in the Caribbean, and tests the importance of interspecific density-dependence (competition) in predicting the successional sequence of species in a wave-disturbed ecosystem. Competition and gap disturbances seem to be the dominant factors influencing species coexistence in offshore regions whereas habitat partitioning driven by differences in depth, disturbance and wave action creates distinct zones of macroalgae and seagrass inshore. In general, density dependent processes across our study site were influenced by major physical gradients. This study has important consequences for predicting dramatic shifts in large-scale seagrass ecosystems, which act as ecological engineers and provide many ecosystem services.