Chemistry of the consumption and excretion of the bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), a coral reef mega-consumer
Dr. Young collaborated on a new paper out in Coral Reefs looking at the effects of fish excretion of the world's largest parrotfish - the Bumphead Parrotfish - on water chemistry in pristine reef ecosystems.
"The next time you find yourself luxuriating in some exotic, Instagrammable vacation spot, thank a parrotfish. That white sand slithering between your toes? It consists mostly of their excrement.
But here’s another thing for which we can be grateful: our enhanced understanding of their environment’s system chemistry and system ecology.
In a study focused on the chemistry of the consumption and excretion of the bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), UC Santa Barbara marine scientists sought to understand the relationship between the the massive, coral mega-consumers and the reef environments that serve as the fishes’ habitats as well as their sources of sustenance."
