Whole-Community Facilitation Regulates Biodiversity on Patagonian Rocky Shores

Whole-Community Facilitation Regulates Biodiversity on Patagonian Rocky Shores

BACKGROUND Understanding the factors that generate and maintain biodiversity is a central goal in ecology. While positive species interactions (i.e., facilitation) have historically been underemphasized in ecological research, they are increasingly recognized as playing important roles in the evolution and maintenance of biodiversity. Dominant habitat-forming species (foundation species) buffer...

Spatial variability in community composition on a granite breakwater versus natural rocky shores: lack of microhabitats suppresses intertidal biodiversity.

Strong differences have been observed between the assemblages on artificial reefs and on natural hard-bottom habitats worldwide, but little is known about the mechanisms that cause contrasting biodiversity patterns. We examined the influence of spatial attributes in relation to both biogenic and topographic microhabitats, in the distribution and composition of intertidal species on both artific...

Depth-stratified community zonation patterns on Gulf of Alaska rocky shores

Zonation patterns along elevation and depth gradients are common in rocky intertidal and subtidal ecosystems (Underwood 1985; Foster & Schiel 1985; Hawkins et al. 1992; Bertness et al. 2006; and many others) and universal patterns in taxon composition, richness and abundance have been suggested (e.g. Stephenson & Stephenson

Effects of eutrophication, grazing, and algal blooms on rocky shores

Eutrophication can profoundly change rocky shore communities. These changes often cause the replacement of perennial, canopy-forming algae such as Fucus spp. with annual, bloom-forming algae such as Enteromorpha spp. Grazing, however, can counteract eutrophication by eliminating the annual algae’s susceptible recruits. We examine these generalizations across large scales. We use replicated ‘‘bi...

Predation by Crabs on Rocky Shores in North-east Atlantic