Can biological invasions save Caribbean coral reefs?

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• 作者：David Roy Bellwood¹ ; ² ; ^{david.bellwood@jcu.edu.au} ; Christopher Harry Robert Goatley¹
• 刊名：Current Biology
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：9 January 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：27
• 期：1
• 页码：R13-R14
• 全文大小：613 K
• 卷排序：27

文摘

It is widely accepted that coral reefs are in decline globally, due to climate change as well as more direct human impacts such as poor water quality and overharvesting 1, 2 and 3. Biological invasions are also seen as a major threat 4, 5 and 6; however, they may not all be negative. An invasion of Red Sea rabbitfishes is disrupting Mediterranean ecosystems by removing macro-algae — meanwhile, in contrast, the Caribbean is suffering from excess macro-algal growth. We suggest that an invasion of the Caribbean by rabbitfishes may prove beneficial, and that the future of Caribbean coral reefs may depend upon a rabbitfish invasion.