Initially, three-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to explore the effects of slide position on the two continuous response variables (surface-area growth rate and number of immature gonozooids) after 90 days of growth.
For both surface-area growth rate and number of immature gonozooids, two ANOVA models were explored for the effects of slide position.
The number of immature gonozooids differed remarkably as a function of intercolony spacing for four out of five experimental colonies.
All instances of augmented production of immature gonozooids involved poor competitors (I, II, III) exhibiting mat or mat-like (intermediate) growth forms (Fig.
Although production of immature gonozooids was higher in colonies encountering less formidable opponents (i.e., mat or mat-like intermediate growth forms), production in some cases was even higher than in the controls.
The greater production of immature gonozooids observed in some encounters in the 12-mm treatment might be attributable to the timing of contact between competitors such that more recently contacting colonies showed less reduction in production.