| Description: |
Biogeochemical hot spots can be driven by aggregations of animals, via excretion, that provide a concentrated source of limiting nutrients for primary producers. In a sub-tropical seagrass ecosystem, scientists characterized thresholds of ecological change associated with such hot spots surrounding artificial reef habitats. They deployed reefs of three sizes to aggregate fishes at different densities (and thus different levels of nutrient supply via excretion), and examined seagrass characteristics that reflect ecosystem processes. [Source: Ecology]
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