page_title: Mesograzer
section_title: Diet
hierarchical_section_title: Mesograzer / Diet
caption_attribution_description: English: Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) holdfast torn from the bottom by a storm. California Channel Islands NMS.
context_page_description: Mesograzers are defined as small invertebrate herbivores less than 2.5 cm in length, and can include juveniles of some larger species. The feeding behaviour of these small invertebrate herbivores is what classifies them as mesograzers. They are commonly found abundantly on Microalgae, Seagrass beds, Giant Kelp, and Coral reefs globally, since these are their main food sources and habitats. Their foraging behaviour is grazing on the organism they are living on, where there are typically masses reaching tens of thousands of mesograzers per meter of habitat. They experience predation from micro-carnivorous fish that help regulate the population of kelp and other common food sources of mesograzers by controlling the population of mesograzers; consequently, grazing is an important process linking aquatic vegetation to higher trophic level. Mesograzers show important top-down effect on marine communities, depending on the diversity and presence of predators. Mesograzers are typically overlooked in scientific research however their foraging effects have been suggested to have extreme effects on the population of their common food sources.
context_section_description: Mesograzers consume a variety of marine vegetation. They typically use the same marine plant as both their habitat and food source. Many mesograzers have been found on sea grass beds. They are also quite known for destroying large populations of giant kelp, as this is another popular source for mesograzers. Other common food sources of mesograzers are coral reefs and macroalgal. They can be found living and feeding on these marine plants worldwide. Mesograzers have even been shown to consume invasive species of microalgae.
caption: Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) holdfast torn from the bottom by a storm. California Channel Islands NMS.
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