Effects of Vegetative Reproduction on the Distribution and Abundance of Marine Benthic Invertebrates

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Colonial species, unlike aclonal species, often generate new colonies asexually through fission or fragmentation. In some communities this vegetative propagation plays an important role in determining species abundances. Understanding vegetative propagation and the conditions under which it is successful is necessary in the study of many marine communities. This requires quantitative data on the rates of vegetative propagation and the relative costs and yields of both vegetative propagation and the production of larvae. This research continues quantifying the production costs and success of vegetative propagules among three Caribbean gorgonian corals. The costs and benefits will be compared with new data on larval production, dispersal and survival.//