Reversal of digestive interactions between Pacific reef corals: Mediation by sweeper tentacles.

Aggressive interactions among reef corals involving direct interference through extracoelenteric digestion has previously been considered as a potential mechanism for the maintenance of high species diversity. In this report I show that induced development of sweeper tentacles can reverse initial digestive interactions. In the eastern Pacific these reversals contribute to resource monopolization by fast growing pocilloporid corals. This suggests that other mechanisms must account for the maintenance of local species diversity.