Hughes, T.P., Keller, B.D., Jackson, J.B.C., and Boyle, M.J. (1985) Mass mortality of the echinoid Diadema antillarum Philippi in Jamaica. Bulletin of Marine Science, 36. pp. 377-384.

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Abstract

[Extract] During the summer of 1983 Jamaican populations of the ubiquitous spiny sea urchin, Diadema antillarum Philippi, suffered mass mortalities. The die-off spread around most of the ocastline of Jamaica wihtin about 8 weeks, causing local mortality rates close to 100%. Diadema antillarum is a major herbivore (Randall et al., 1964; Ogden et al., 1973; Sammarco et al., 1974; Carpenter, 1981), whose feeding activities cause considerable amounts of bioerosion (Steam and Scoffin, 1977) and affect coral settlement (Sommarco, 1980; 1982). Therefore, the drastic decline of Diadema populations could result in far reaching changes in overall reef community structure and dynamics. Here we describe the outbreak and course of the urchin die-off along part of the north coast of Jamaica, and give a brief outline of its effect on the reef ecology so far.

Item ID:	25774
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1553-6955
Date Deposited:	11 Jul 2013 04:02
FoR Codes:	06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl Marine Ichthyology) @ 100%
SEO Codes:	96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960802 Coastal and Estuarine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 100%
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