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Effects of frond length on diverse gastropod assemblages in coralline turf

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2003

Brendan P. Kelaher
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities, Marine Ecology Laboratories A11, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolution, Life Sciences Building, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11974-5245, USA, E-mail: bkelaher@life.bio.sunysb.edu
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Abstract

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Habitat mimics were used to investigate the role of coralline algal frond length in determining spatial patterns in diverse gastropod assemblages on a rocky shore near Sydney, Australia. Frond length represents the vertical scale component of habitat structure, which is rarely experimentally manipulated. Length of fronds did not explain differences between gastropod assemblages at different tidal heights or among patches of turf separated by tens of metres in mid-shore areas. In contrast, changes in frond length caused large differences in the structure of gastropod assemblages in low-shore areas. Contrary to previous studies, the total abundance and diversity of gastropods was greater in turf with short fronds than with long fronds. Possible mechanisms for this negative relationship are discussed. Overall, the vertical scale component of habitat structure can have strong effects on associated faunal assemblages, but the magnitude of these effects depend heavily on local environmental conditions (e.g. different tidal heights).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2003 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom