Strong linkage between parrotfish functions and habitat characteristics.

Phase shifts from hard coral to macroalgae have led to the formulation of a top-down herbivory paradigm, whose assumption is that a reduction in herbivory is the primary driver of these changes. Caribbean parrotfish from Scarus and Sparisoma genera are usually known as main reef herbivorous. Yet, they are a diverse group of organisms that perform multiple functions, including the bioerosion of reef structures.

Linear breakwater reefs of the greater Caribbean: Classification, distribution & morphology.

Geomorphic differences among Caribbean reefs have long been noted. These differences are considered to reflect the presence of reefs in different stages of development, following an incomplete recovery from rapid deglacial sea-level rise. But the possibility that these reflect real developmental differences caused by variation in wind, wave, and climate regime, has never been fully considered.

The role of coral diseases in the flattening of a Caribbean Coral Reef over 23 years.

Coral diseases acting synergistically with other environmental stressors are a growing problem for Caribbean reefs. Hard coral cover, coral traits, and coral diseases were examined from 1999 to 2021 for Akumal reef, located in the Northern Mexican Caribbean. The 45 recorded coral species were classified into life-history strategies: competitive, stress-tolerant, and weedy, associated with different framework-building capacities.

A coral-algal phase shift in Mesoamerica not driven by changes in herbivorous fish abundance.

Coral-algal phase shifts in which coral cover declines to low levels and is replaced by algae have often been documented on coral reefs worldwide. This has motivated coral reef management responses that include restriction and regulation of fishing, e.g.