Award: OCE-1948622

The overarching goal of this project was to quantify the how predation and resource availability regulate the accumulation of biomass in animal communities. Past research has shown that artificial reefs effectively mimic native patch reef ecosystems and provide shelter that helps fish avoid predation. Further research has shown that if the reefs are built in seagrass they also increase the availability of food resources to fish because aggregating fishes excrete fertilizing nutrients that enhance seagrass productivity, and in turn invertebrate densities that live in the seagrass. We created an experiment that used different configurations of artificial reefs that disproportionately (1) increased shelter, or (2) increased seagrass productivity to understand which factor has a greater effect on fish production. Our preliminary findings suggest that reefs constructed closer together, thus providing getter shelter, yield fish communities that are more species rich, but not necessarily more productive. In fact, the biomass of fish species that are of commercial importance appears to be slightly higher on reefs build to promote greater seagrass production and thus food resources for fish. An additional finding is that coral colonization and productivity is substantially greater on reefs that are close together, presumably because the coral benefit from two things: (1) a more diverse fish community that provide greater rates of herbivory and clear areas for coral colonization and growth, and (2) higher nutrient supply from the overall greater density of fish aggregations, which has previously been shown to also promote faster coral growth. 

In sum, this research has contributed to fundamental understanding of the factors that regulate animal production in a highly diverse ecosystem by demonstrating how the architecture of the habitat can have profound and complex outcomes for the entire community. This research is important for applied science because it provides insight as to how artificial reefs can potentially be used to achieve different conservation outcomes. Adding to 15 years of past research using this model system by the PI, findings from this study support that artificial reefs built in tropical seagrass beds can be a useful tool for fisheries restoration and potentially coral reef restoration. Importantly, this research has also supported: (1) aspects of four PhD dissertations and one MS thesis, (2) undergraduate research opportunities for 33 undergraduates and one high school student, and (3) independent research experience for seven undergraduate students (4 women, 3 men, 1 underrepresented minority) three of which are resulting in student-lead peer-reviewed publications.

Last Modified: 05/13/2026
Modified by: Jacob Allgeier