Effects of wave exposure on the community structure of a plant-dominated, fringing-reef platform: intermediate disturbance and disturbance-mediated competition

Effects of wave-exposure on a fore-reef community were investigated by quantitative biomass sampling and field manipulations at Galeta Point, Caribbean Panama. Three predictions of Connell's (1978) intermediate-disturbance hypothesis are examined: (1) community diversity should be low in highly disturbed habitats, as few species can tolerate extreme biotic and abiotic conditions; (2) community diversity should be low in benign habitats, as most species are excluded by the competitive dominants; and (3) maximal community diversity should occur at intermediate conditions, as neither competition nor disturbance exert a dominating influence.