Algal Succession on Artificial Reefs in a Marine Lagoon Environment in Guam1,2

SUMMARY Algal succession on artificial reefs constructed of tires has been studied over a 26‐mo period. Filamentous algae, ie, Calothrix crustacea, Feldmannia indica, and Sphacelaria tribuloides, are the primary colonizers; the fleshy brown alga, Dictyota bartayresii, appears soon after. Lobophora variegata is the only alga present which occurs seasonally. Low light penetration through the silly lagoon water and selective browsing by herbivorous fishes favor the blue‐greens Calothrix crustacea and Microcoleus lyngbyaceus to be the dominant algae in the climax community which, occurs within a 1‐year period.