Beyond the border: Effects of an expanding algal habitat on the fauna of neighbouring habitats

Lanham, Brendan S.; Gribben, Paul E.; Poore, Alistair G. B.

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.02.006

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Abundance, however, is not simply a function of the complexity of an individual alga, but can be influenced by the spatial arrangement of suitable habitat. For example, in habitats of the brown alga Sargassum linearifolium, copepod crustaceans and polychaete worms were more abundant in isolated habitats in contrast to patch edges (Lanham et al 2015) and crustaceans more abundant in small, isolated patches in contrast to large patches (Roberts and Poore 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In bare sediments, mollusks are mostly individuals (i.e., they do not form reefs such as oysters or mussels) that provide discontiguous substrata (hereafter referred to as patchy habitat), albeit over large areas of soft sediment, which might result in altered density, patch size, and spatial arrangement of algae in contrast to contiguous reefs, altering the neighboring habitats and connectivity among patches (Roberts and Poore 2006). For example, on subtidal rocky reefs the identity of habitats neighboring the brown macroalga, Sargassum linearifolium (coralline turfs or Caulerpa filiformis), altered the epifaunal community with some neighboring algae by acting as a dispersal barrier and reducing the connectivity of S. linearifolium patches for some species (Lanham et al 2015). In other vegetated marine habitats, epifauna can be exposed to higher predation by fish at patch edges in contrast to patch interiors and open sediments (Guidetti 2000, Smith et al 2011, while in macroalgal beds, smaller fish species and juveniles are more abundant within patches (Eggertsen et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Facilitation cascades create a predation refuge for biodiversity in a novel connected habitat

2020

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Communities structured via facilitation cascades whereby one habitat-forming species promotes a secondary habitat-forming species with synergistic effects on biodiversity are increasingly documented. Habitat-formers can also extend the realized niche of other habitat-forming species by facilitating their recruitment into novel environments across heterogeneous landscapes. However, further understanding of whether secondary habitat-formers in these novel environments differ in their structure or support different communities from those settled in their natal habitat is required. Here, we investigated whether abiotic and biotic conditions in a novel connected habitat influence biodiversity within a secondary habitat-former facilitated outside its natal habitat. We contrasted the morphology of the habitat-forming alga, Sirophysalis trinodis, and its associated fish and epifaunal community occurring on rocky reef (natal habitat) and on nearby a biogenic hard substrate, live clam shells (novel habitat) in soft sediments. The algae on clams had a different morphology to those on the rocky shore and supported increased abundance of some epifaunal species. A reciprocal transplant experiment of S. trinodis individuals among habitats found that differences in the abundance of epifauna were explained by the increased abundance and consumption rates of predatory fish on the reef habitat compared to soft-sediment habitats, and not by differences in algal morphology between habitats. We demonstrate that facilitation promotes a secondary habitat-former into a novel habitat, which then enhances the abundance of associated epifauna by providing a predation refuge. This study contributes to a small but growing body of research demonstrating landscape-scale effects of facilitation cascades, and that basal habitat-formers can extend the realized niche of secondary habitat-formers and their associated communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facilitation cascades create a predation refuge for biodiversity in a novel connected habitat

2020

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“…Similarly, it is hypothesized that loss of Phyllospora in the Sydney region (Coleman, Kelaher, et al., ) may have facilitated a local proliferation of the range expanding, Caulerpa filiformis which exclusively occupies Phyllospora's former habitat (Glasby, Gibson, West, Davies, & Voerman, ). Interestingly, expanding beds of C. filiformis can then have cascading effects on nearby Sargassum beds, negatively influencing photosynthetic condition (Zhang, Glasby, Ralph, & Gribben, ) and decreasing the abundance of epifauna (Lanham, Gribben, & Poore, ).…”

Section: Threats and Declines Of Australia's Fucoid Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forgotten underwater forests: The key role of fucoids on Australian temperate reefs

Coleman

Wernberg

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Kelp forests dominated by species of Laminariales are globally recognized as key habitats on subtidal temperate rocky reefs. Forests characterized by fucalean seaweed, in contrast, receive relatively less attention despite being abundant, ubiquitous, and ecologically important. Here, we review information on subtidal fucalean taxa of Australia's Great Southern Reef, with a focus on the three most abundant and widely distributed genera (Phyllospora, Scytothalia, and Sargassum) to reveal the functionally unique role of fucoids in temperate reef ecology. Fucalean species span the entire temperate coastline of Australia (~71,000 km2) and play an important role in supporting subtidal temperate biodiversity and economic values on rocky reefs as well as in adjacent habitats. Climatic and anthropogenic stressors have precipitated significant range retractions and declines in many fucoids, with critical implications for associated assemblages. Such losses are persistent and unlikely to be reversed naturally due to the life history of these species and colonization of competitors and grazers following loss. Active restoration is proving successful in bringing back some fucoid species (Phyllospora comosa) lost from urban shores and will complement other passive and active forms of conservation. Fucalean forests play a unique role on subtidal temperate reefs globally, especially in Australia, but are comparatively understudied. Addressing this knowledge gap will be critical for understanding, predicting, and mitigating extant and future loss of these underwater forests and the valuable ecosystem services they support.

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“…assemblage to the co-occurring alga Sargassum linearfolium and chemical extracts from C. filiformis also deter feeding in several invertebrate and fish species (Cummings & Williamson, 2008;Davis et al, 2005;Lanham et al, 2015). Moreover, the spread of closely related invasive algae from the Caulerpa genus is correlated to changes in fish community structure.…”

Section: Caulerpa Filiformis Houses a Functionally Different Invertebmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between the spread of Caulerpa filiformis and fish communities on temperate rocky reefs

Bradley

Gladstone

Gribben

2018

Journal of Fish Biology

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The previously sub-dominant native marine macrophyte Caulerpa filiformis is now dominant on many sub-tidal rocky reefs in New South Wales (NSW), Australia and is expanding its distribution. As C. filiformis is highly chemically defended and structurally different to co-occurring habitat-forming macrophytes, two key attributes that govern fish assemblages, we hypothesized that fish assemblages, particularly herbivorous fishes, would be different at sites where C. filiformis occurred from where it was previously absent and within sites, fish community structure would be correlated to the cover of C. filiformis. We investigated these hypotheses by determining reef-associated fish assemblage attributes (assemblage structure, species richness, total abundance, Shannon-Weiner diversity, abundance of herbivorous species) along transects within sites where C. filiformis was present and absent. Surprisingly, despite large patches and very high densities of C. filiformis on the reefs we sampled, at larger spatial scales (i.e., among sites) no fish assemblage metrics differed between sites with large stands of C. filiformis and sites without the alga. Moreover the abundance of one dominant herbivore, the rock cale Aplodactylus lophodon, was greater at sites within large beds of C. filiformis. At smaller spatial scales, however, i.e. within sites where C. filiformis was present, fish assemblages did vary as a function of C. filiformis cover along transects, although this was not consistent across sampling times. Overall, our results suggest that the potential effects of the spread of this alga on faunal communities warrants further investigation.

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Beyond the border: Effects of an expanding algal habitat on the fauna of neighbouring habitats

Cited by 19 publications

References 50 publications

Facilitation cascades create a predation refuge for biodiversity in a novel connected habitat

Facilitation cascades create a predation refuge for biodiversity in a novel connected habitat

Forgotten underwater forests: The key role of fucoids on Australian temperate reefs

Relationships between the spread of Caulerpa filiformis and fish communities on temperate rocky reefs

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