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Intertidal macroalgae influence macroinvertebrate distribution across stress scenarios

2017; Inter-Research; Volume: 584; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3354/meps12355

1616-1599

Schery Umanzor, Lydia B. Ladah, Luis E. Calderón‐Aguilera, José A. Zertuche‐González,

Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry

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 584:67-77 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12355 Intertidal macroalgae influence macroinvertebrate distribution across stress scenarios Schery Umanzor1, Lydia Ladah1,*, Luis Eduardo Calderon-Aguilera1, José A. Zertuche-González2 1CICESE, Carretera Ensenada-Tijuana #3918, Zona Playitas, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico 2Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Km 106 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico *Corresponding author: lladah@cicese.mx ABSTRACT: Intertidal macroalgae can create or modify habitats, potentially influencing ecosystem dynamics by altering the abundance and distribution of species within their community. However, the engineering ability of these organisms and the relative importance of their bioengineering potential may change rapidly in response to environmental stress. To better understand how bioengineering might influence macroinvertebrate community composition, several scenarios were assessed. First, we evaluated the effect of different macroalgal assemblages composed of single-species cultures at different densities on the attenuation of temperature, irradiance and water loss. Subsequently, we assessed the effect that these modifications had on the abundance and distribution of macroinvertebrates. Results showed that intertidal macroalgae differentially ameliorated physical factors depending on the composition of macroalgal aggregations and the level of environmental stress. Higher macroalgal densities attenuated physical factors the most during daytime low tides, modulated by macroalgal species composition. Moreover, macroalgal species composition was found to influence the community composition of macroinvertebrates under certain environmental baseline conditions. During the day, invertebrates were abundant underneath high-density canopies, regardless of the macroalgal species. At night, however, invertebrates showed specificity towards particular macroalgal species and densities. Bioengineers can influence the strength and nature of interspecific interactions in a variety of ways. Here, the differences in the abundance and distribution of macroinvertebrates associated with macroalgae show that the presence or absence of a bioengineer can result in completely different outcomes for associated organisms (feeding vs. shelter), which may, in turn, have feedback implications at many trophic and spatial scales in the intertidal ecosystem. KEY WORDS: Amelioration · Bioengineering · Canopy · Macroalgal density · Rocky shore Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Umanzor S, Ladah L, Calderon-Aguilera LE, Zertuche-González JA (2017) Intertidal macroalgae influence macroinvertebrate distribution across stress scenarios. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 584:67-77. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12355 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 584. Online publication date: December 07, 2017 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2017 Inter-Research.