Community structure of coral-associated fauna of reefs in the Chagos Archipelago

Thesis

The aim of this study is to assess the biodiversity of the reef cryptofauna (with a focus on the decapods, Crustacea) on dead coral microhabitats, and to begin to understand the processes underpinning their community structure in the Chagos Archipelago. The majority of reef biodiversity is comprised of the cryptofauna, defined as small, often cryptic, mainly invertebrates, which inhabit the reef structure. Despite this the cryptofauna are severely understudied relative to the fish and cora...

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Authors: Head, C

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Barcoding; coral reefs; Cryptofauna; community phylogenetics; Chagos Archipelago; biodiversity
• Subjects: Marine biodiversity; Evolution (Biology); Coral reef ecology; Biodiversity conservation