Editing Endolith (section)

==Endolithic parasitism==
Until the 1990s [[Phototrophic autotroph|phototrophic]] endoliths were thought of as somewhat benign, but evidence has since surfaced that phototrophic endoliths (primarily [[cyanobacteria]]) have infested 50 to 80% of midshore populations of the mussel species ''[[Perna perna]]'' located in [[South Africa]]. The infestation of phototrophic endoliths resulted in lethal and sub-lethal effects such as the decrease in strength of the mussel shells. Although the rate of thickening of the shells were faster in more infested areas it is not rapid enough to combat the degradation of the mussel shells.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kaehler |first1=S. |last2=McQuaid |first2=C. D. |title=Lethal and sub-lethal effects of phototrophic endoliths attacking the shell of the intertidal mussel ''Perna perna'' |journal=Marine Biology |date=1999 |volume=135 |issue=3 |pages=497–503 |doi=10.1007/s002270050650|s2cid=84103549 }}</ref>