The relationship between fish abundance and algal biomass in a seagrass-drift algae community

Repetitive seine and monthly drop net samples taken in a seagrass bed in the Indian River, Florida, indicate that significant relationships exist between the abundances of both the code goby Gobiosoma robustum and the gulf pipefish Syngnathus scovelli and drift algae biomass. We suggest that drift algae provides a refuge from predation which increases in effectiveness with increased algal biomass, and that this interaction, in concert with habitat preference and food availability, is responsible for the relationships observed.