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Subsidy by Ascophyllum nodosum increases growth rate and survivorship of Patella vulgata

2008; Inter-Research; Volume: 366; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3354/meps07453

1616-1599

Andrew J. Davies, Mark P. Johnson, Christine A. Maggs,

Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 366:43-48 (2008) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07453 Subsidy by Ascophyllum nodosum increases growth rate and survivorship of Patella vulgata Andrew J. Davies1,2,*, Mark P. Johnson1,3, Christine A. Maggs1 1School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK 2Present address: Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK 3Present address: The Martin Ryan Marine Science Institute, National University of Ireland, University Road, Galway, Ireland *Email: andrew.davies@sams.ac.uk ABSTRACT: Limpets, predominantly Patella vulgata, have been associated with damaged or receding canopies of Ascophyllum nodosum. Although damage results from limpet grazing, the benefits that limpets gain from this behaviour are unclear as A. nodosum is thought to be well defended from grazers by anti-herbivore compounds. In the present study, P. vulgata individuals were enclosed at densities between 80 and 320 m–2 at 2 sites within Strangford Lough, Northern Island. Limpet growth and limpet survival were compared between unsubsidised controls and treatments in which limpet diets were subsidised by fronds of A. nodosum. When subsidised, limpet residual growth rates were significantly higher and mortality was lower than in unsubsidised control treatments. Individual limpets consumed a similar amount of A. nodosum regardless of limpet density. Higher densities of limpets, therefore, consumed more A. nodosum per replicate. The effects of A. nodosum in maintaining limpet densities could resonate through sheltered rocky communities. The importance of a macroalgal subsidy in supporting limpet populations may have been underestimated or overlooked in earlier studies. Therefore, the extensive and productive macroalgal canopies that characterise many sheltered temperate rocky shores could be more sensitive to increased limpet abundances than previously thought. KEY WORDS: Limpets · Grazing · Fucoid · Subsidy · Biomass · Phlorotannin Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Davies AJ, Johnson MP, Maggs CA (2008) Subsidy by Ascophyllum nodosum increases growth rate and survivorship of Patella vulgata. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 366:43-48. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07453 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 366. Online publication date: August 29, 2008 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2008 Inter-Research.