@article{fdi:010095424,
  title = {{M}acroalgal-coral interactions in {N}ew {C}aledonia {S}outh {W}est lagoon : diversity, abundance, and spatial patterns},
  author = {{V}ieira, {C}. and {P}eignon, {C}hristophe and {D}e {C}lerck, {O}. and {P}ayri, {C}laude},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{S}imple {S}ummary {C}oral reefs host both corals and macroalgae (seaweeds) that often live in close contact. {W}hile these interactions are well studied on degraded reefs, much less is known about how they occur in healthy reef systems. {W}e surveyed macroalgal-coral interactions ({MCI}) across 26 habitats in the {S}outh {W}est {L}agoon of {N}ew {C}aledonia and found that these interactions are common and varied. {O}n average, they covered 16% of the reef surface, involving 43 combinations of coral and macroalgal genera. {T}he most frequent interactions involved {L}obophora, {H}ypnea and {H}alimeda macroalgae with {A}cropora, {M}ontipora, {S}eriatopora and {P}orites corals. {S}ome interactions were far more common than others-for example, {L}obophora-{A}cropora represented almost a third of all interactions. {T}heir distribution also depended on habitat type, showing that these interactions are not random but shaped by the local environment and the identity of the taxon involved. {W}e also describe six main forms of association between macroalgae and corals and introduce a new framework, the {C}oralgal {B}iotic {I}nteraction {C}ompass, to guide future studies. {T}hese findings show that {MCI} are a normal and structured feature of undisturbed reefs, providing essential baseline data for understanding coral reef ecology and resilience.{A}bstract {M}acroalgal-coral interactions ({MCI}) are an integral yet understudied component of coral reef ecology, particularly in healthy systems where they may represent stable coexistence rather than competition. {T}his study provides the first comprehensive assessment of {MCI} diversity, abundance, and spatial patterns in the {S}outh {W}est {L}agoon of {N}ew {C}aledonia ({SWLNC}). {A}cross 26 coral-dominated habitats, {MCI} accounted for an average of 16.4% of the benthic cover, with local values reaching 70% in high-interaction areas. {A} total of 43 unique macroalgal-coral genus pairings were documented, involving 16 macroalgal and 10 coral genera. {L}obophora (47%), {H}alimeda (20%), and {H}ypnea (9%) were the dominant macroalgae, while {A}cropora (61%), {M}ontipora (19%), {S}eriatopora (13%), and {P}orites (5%) were the most frequent coral interactants. {T}he most abundant specific interactions were {L}obophora-{A}cropora (29%), {H}ypnea-{A}cropora (15%), {H}alimeda-{M}ontipora (10%), {L}obophora-{S}eriatopora (10%), and {H}alimeda-{A}cropora (10%). {MCI} abundance varied markedly among habitat levels, differing across reef types, zonation, and benthic cover. {S}ix recurrent typologies of physical association were identified, and the {C}oralgal {B}iotic {I}nteraction {C}ompass ({CBIC}) is introduced as a conceptual framework to distinguish the nature of macroalgal-coral associations. {O}verall, the study demonstrates that {MCI} in the {SWLNC} are diverse, structured, and non-random, shaped by both interactant identity and habitat filtering rather than ubiquity, providing a robust ecological baseline for future analyses of macroalgal-coral dynamics in {I}ndo-{P}acific reef systems.},
  keywords = {seaweeds ; macoralgae ; coral reefs ; biotic interactions ; competition ; {S}outh {P}acific ; healthy reefs ; interaction typology ; {C}oralgal {B}iotic {I}nteraction {C}ompass ({CBIC}) ; {NOUVELLE} {CALEDONIE} ; {PACIFIQUE} {SUD}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{B}iology},
  volume = {14},
  numero = {10},
  pages = {1419 [26 p.]},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.3390/biology14101419},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010095424},
}