MCR LTER: Coral Reef Resilience: Assays of Turbinaria ornata and Sargassum pacificum on the North Shore Forereef in 2011

These data describe changes in biomass of two species of macroalgae, Turbinaria
ornata and Sargassum pacificum during short-term (24 to 48 h) assays. Assays were
conducted during June and July 2011 to test the palatability of these algae to
fishes on the forereef. Whole plants were collected from the reef crest and back
reef, spun dry in a salad spinner, weighed, and then out planted on the forereef at a
depth of approximately 10 m. Samples were subsequently collected, dried, and weighed
to determine the amount of algae eaten. Algae were also deployed nearby in cages and
in flow-through seawater ponds as controls. A video camera was deployed during most
of the trials to determine the species of fish feeding on the algae. *** This is an offline dataset (LTER Network Type II). Data may be made available
through arrangement with the dataset owner. ***