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Competitive interactions among zoanthids (cnidaria: zoanthidae) in an intertidal zone of northeastern Brazil
| Content Provider | Scilit |
|---|---|
| Author | Rabelo, Emanuelle Fontenele Soares, Marcelo De Oliveira Matthews-Cascon, Helena |
| Copyright Year | 2013 |
| Description | Sessile organisms that live in consolidated substrates frequently compete for space. Coral species have many strategies to face this competition, including harming their opponents or hindering their growth. In the present study, the competitive interactions between three species of zoanthids were investigated in the intertidal zone of a sandstone reef environment in northeastern Brazil. The competitive abilities of the three species were evaluated by periodic observation of the natural fringes of contact and experimental evaluation of their growth rate through removal of 100 cm² of colonies of each species. Palythoa caribaeorum and Zoanthus sociatus had similar growth rates, and both species grew faster than Protopalythoa variabilis. The recolonization strategy seems to differ among species. The contact fringes between P. caribaeorum and Z. sociatus remained unchanged over time, without any type of aggressive interaction between them, suggesting that stand-off was the strategy used by these organisms. Palythoa caribaeorum and Z. sociatus grew among the polyps of P. variabilis, often killing its colonies. The coexistence of zoanthids reveals a capacity for survival in the face of competition for limited resources such as free substrate, which led to the colonization and establishment of zoanthids in intertidal environments. |
| Related Links | http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bjoce/v61n1/a04v61n1.pdf http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&pid=S1679-87592013000100004&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en |
| Ending Page | 42 |
| Page Count | 8 |
| Starting Page | 35 |
| ISSN | 16798759 |
| e-ISSN | 1982436X |
| DOI | 10.1590/s1679-87592013000100004 |
| Journal | Brazilian Journal of Oceanography |
| Issue Number | 1 |
| Volume Number | 61 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | FapUNIFESP (SciELO) |
| Publisher Date | 2013-03-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Brazilian Journal of Oceanography Biodiversity Conservation Marine and Freshwater Biology |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
| Subject | Oceanography |
