The Fish, Algae and Coral Ecology Team (FACET) was initiated in the spring of 1999 and is sponsored by the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative Program (HCRI). Funding for the HCRI has been provided primarily by the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The primary purpose of this research program (FACET) is to examine the interacting effects of herbivory and nutrient enrichment on benthic community structure and development on a Hawaiian coral reef. Through this research we hope to gain a better understanding of the causes of phase shifts from coral to algal dominance on tropical reefs.
Cynthia Hunter is the Principal Investigator
Waikiki Aquarium
3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822
Jennifer Smith is the Web Designer
OUR GOALS: Through our research we hope to unravel the fine scale processes that lead to natural change, degradation and reduced ecosystem diversity of coral reefs in Hawaii. We will focus primarily on the interaction between reef building corals, herbivorous or coralivorous fishes and marine algae, and how these interactions may lead to coral disease . We plan to gain a better understanding of how land based activities that lead to eutrophication affect the coastal marine ecosystems. Also, we will simulate an overfished reef by selectively excluding fish to look at the effects of overfishing on coral and algal abundances.
THE SCENARIO: Since coral and algae compete for space in order to settle and grow, and most algae grow a lot faster than coral, we would expect reefs to be algae dominated. But since many herbivorous fish voraciously consume turf algae, these plants aren't generally able to overgrow coral. However, there are potentially two factors that, when present can cause this situation to be reversed. First, if herbivores are absent, the algae will grow without any restriction. Second, if land based activities are leading to coastal eutrophication, the presence of elevated nitrogen and phosphorous in the water column will increase many of the plant's growth rates, thereby giving them an even greater competitive advantage over the corals. In the worst case scenario, when both of these factors are interacting together, we see massive reductions in species diversity on reefs and eventually, almost complete domination by algae.
If you have any questions about our research or about this web page please contact the webmaster:
Jennifer Smith
