Demography of Halimeda incrassata (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) in a Caribbean reef lagoon
van Tussenbroek, B.; Barba Santos, M.G. (2011). Demography of Halimeda incrassata (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) in a Caribbean reef lagoon. Mar. Biol. (Berl.) 158(7): 1461-1471. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1662-2
In: Marine Biology: International Journal on Life in Oceans and Coastal Waters. Springer: Heidelberg; Berlin. ISSN 0025-3162; e-ISSN 1432-1793, more
The fate of 100 marked recruits of the rhizophytic alga Halimeda incrassata was followed in Puerto Morelos reef lagoon, Mexican Caribbean (20°52'N, 86°51'W), until death of the last individual from April 2005–2007. Juvenile mortality was relatively high (19%), the half-life of adult thalli was 13 months and maximal lifespan was 2 years. First age of sexual reproduction was 10 months, but only 6% of the marked thalli reproduced sexually. A subsequent static life-table approach (February–April 2008) at two sites indicated low spatial variation in transition probabilities between the life stages. Recruits were found throughout the year (density 2–11 thalli m-2) and were mostly of clonal origin. In a disturbed area, the density of sexual recruits was ~0.01 thalli m2. Temporal fluctuations in population size depended on mortality rates, which increased slightly after hurricanes Emily (July 2005) and Wilma (October 2005), but might otherwise be regulated by density-dependent processes.
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