Nutrient enrichment and overfishing are two of the most common man-induced perturbations of coastal systems.
Eutrophication can produce many undesirable effects in coastal systems.
Alternatively, reductions in the abundance and composition of predator populations also can produce profound effects in aquatic systems. This is being tested through a series of treatment combinations in experimental cages of Halodule wrightii. The experiment began in May with deployment of the enclosures and our initial sampling of shoot density, shoot biomass, epiphyte biomass, and invertebrate grazer density and biomass. Suction samples were taken for invertebrate grazer density and biomass. All enclosures were seined to look at fish composition within each enclosure.