[Coral-List] Herbivore Exclusion Cages, Mesh size

[James Herlan]

To Coral List,

I am conducting an herbivore exlusion cage experiment in Rapa Nui that will
exlude individuals of the species *Kyphosus sandwicensis*, *Acanthurus
leucopareius*, and the sea urchin *Diadema savignyi*.

I am seeking recommendations for papers that describe the foraging
behaviors of these herbivores with respect to size class/biomass.

Specifically, I want to know at what size do the individuals graze
macroalgae extensively, in order to use the correct mesh size for the
exclusion cages. I have seen a range of 0.5 to 2.5 cm^2 used for other
species of herbivorous fish and urchins.

Although I think any mesh size in this range will suffice for adult
individuals, perhaps people can share any personal experiences/
observations with different mesh sizes.

Thank you for your time.

James J. Herlan
P.O. Box 37
St. John, USVI
00831-0037
www.unionave.net

Check out my crowdfunding project on experiment.com:
https://experiment.com/projects/digitizing-the-coral-reefs-of-easter-island-and-salas-y-gomez

James J. Herlan
Graduate Student Researcher

Millennium Nucleus for Ecology and

Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands (ESMOI)

www.esmoi.cl


Universidad Católica del Norte

Departamento de Biología Marina

Doctorado en Biología y Ecología Aplicada

Larrondo 1281
Casilla 117
Coquimbo, Chile
www.dr-bea.cl/