Seaweed Adaptations to Herbivory

Chemical, structural, and morphological defenses are often adjusted to spatial or temporal patterns of attack Herbivory on seaweeds can be intense, with nearly 100% of production being consumed in some habitats (Carpenter 1986).Seaweeds minimize damage from herbivores by any of three strategies (Lubchenco and Gaines 1981).They can escape in space or time so they do not co-occur with important herbivores or are not detected when they do co-occur.They can deter feeding by herbivores that encounter and recognize the plant.And they can minimize the decrease in fitness that results from herbivore attack.Herbivory's profound effects on the organization of seaweed communities has been extensively reviewed (Carpenter 1986, Dayton 1975, Hay 1985, Lewis 1986, Lubchenco and Gaines 1981).In this article, we describe seaweed characteristics that diminish losses to herbivores.Seaweeds are consumed by a diverse assemblage of herbivores that includes fishes, urchins, gastropods, crabs, and numerous smaller herbivores such as amphipods, isopods, and polychaetes (collectively termed mesograzers).In tropical habitats, fish and urchins have the greatest effect on seaweed community struc-