Direct and indirect effects of Gracilaria vermiculophylla on native Fucus vesiculosus

Hammann, Mareike; Buchholz, Björn; Karez, Rolf; Weinberger, Florian

doi:10.3391/ai.2013.8.2.01

Cited by 25 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Introduced populations can outcompete native macroalgae (Hammann et al . ), provide novel habitat for invertebrates (Nyberg et al . ) and alter community structure, species interactions and trophic pathways (Byers et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasion of novel habitats uncouples haplo‐diplontic life cycles

et al. 2016

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Baker's Law predicts uniparental reproduction will facilitate colonization success in novel habitats. While evidence supports this prediction among colonizing plants and animals, few studies have investigated shifts in reproductive mode in haplo-diplontic species in which both prolonged haploid and diploid stages separate meiosis and fertilization in time and space. Due to this separation, asexual reproduction can yield the dominance of one of the ploidy stages in colonizing populations. We tested for shifts in ploidy and reproductive mode across native and introduced populations of the red seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla. Native populations in the northwest Pacific Ocean were nearly always attached by holdfasts to hard substrata and, as is characteristic of the genus, haploid-diploid ratios were slightly diploid-biased. In contrast, along North American and European coastlines, introduced populations nearly always floated atop soft-sediment mudflats and were overwhelmingly dominated by diploid thalli without holdfasts. Introduced populations exhibited population genetic signals consistent with extensive vegetative fragmentation, while native populations did not. Thus, the ecological shift from attached to unattached thalli, ostensibly necessitated by the invasion of soft-sediment habitats, correlated with shifts from sexual to asexual reproduction and slight to strong diploid bias. We extend Baker's Law by predicting other colonizing haplo-diplontic species will show similar increases in asexuality that correlate with the dominance of one ploidy stage. Labile mating systems likely facilitate colonization success and subsequent range expansion, but for haplo-diplontic species, the long-term eco-evolutionary impacts will depend on which ploidy stage is lost and the degree to which asexual reproduction is canalized.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasion of novel habitats uncouples haplo‐diplontic life cycles

et al. 2016

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“…Macroalgae play a role in the small-scale distribution and abundance of several decapod species because they provide shelter and food support (e.g. Hines 1982, García-Raso and Fernández-Muñoz 1987, Robinson and Tully 2000, Moksnes 2002, López De La Rosa et al 2006, Cruz-Rivera and Friedlander 2011, Hammann et al 2013. Habitat selection and feeding preferences are closely related, particularly in small herbivores (mesograzers) (Nicotri 1980, Duffy and Hay 1994, Mancinelli and Rossi 2001.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and associated mesograzers are variable. Some mesograzers exploit Gracilaria as a food resource, while others prefer feeding on epiphytes or associated macroalgae (Anderson et al 1998, Mancinelli and Rossi 2001, Smit et al 2003, Cruz-Rivera and Friedlander 2011, Hammann et al 2013. Feeding primarily on epiphytes is a feeding behavior that helps to maintain the structural complexity of shelters Hay 1996, Boström andMattilla 1999) and can be indirectly beneficial to Gracilaria spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the use of algae as shelter and food can impose constraints on the amount of food available for consumption in order to maintain the integrity of the shelter Hay 1991, Stachowicz andHay 1996). In particular, beds of Gracilaria spp., which are widely distributed around the world, provide refuge and food to a wide variety of mesograzers such as amphipods, isopods, and crabs (Mancinelli and Rossi 2001, Cruz-Rivera and Friedlander 2011, Hammann et al 2013. Trophic interactions between Gracilaria spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food and habitat choice in the spider crab <em>Leucippa pentagona</em> (Majoidea: Epialtidae) in Bahía Bustamante, Patagonia, Argentina

Varisco¹,

Martín²,

Zaixso³

et al. 2015

Sci. Mar.

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Summary:The aim of the present study was to analyse the feeding strategy and spatial distribution of the spider crab Leucippa pentagona in Bahía Bustamante (Patagonia, Argentina). Several microhabitat variables that could influence the spatial distribution of this crab were related to its different life stages by using redundancy analysis. Regarding its feeding preferences, we found that the sphacelariales Halopteris spp. and Sphacelaria fusca, epiphytes of the alga Gracilaria gracilis, represented over 70% of its diet. Conversely, consumption of G. gracilis was low throughout the year. These feeding preferences can be related to the higher proportion of ash-free dry mass of sphacelariales. A close association was observed between G. gracilis biomass and recruits and mature crabs; this relationship was stronger at critical periods of the crab's life cycle such as incubation or moult. Intermolt juveniles were related to G. gracilis as well as to other species of macroalgae. Our results suggest that G. gracilis plays a key role in the small-scale distribution of L. pentagona in Bahía Bustamante, providing food and shelter. The consumption of G. gracilis epiphytes allows L. pentagona to maintain high foraging rates at safe living sites, minimizing the damage to G. gracilis.Keywords: Leucippa pentagona; Gracilaria gracilis; microhabitat; subtidal beds; epiphyte consumption; Sphacelariales.Alimentación y selección del hábitat en el cangrejo araña Leucippa pentagona (Majoidea: Epialtidae) en Bahía Bustamante, Patagonia, Argentina Resumen: En este trabajo se analiza la alimentación y distribución especial del cangrejo araña Leucippa pentagona en Bahía Bustamante (Patagonia, Argentina). La distribución espacial de distintos estadios del ciclo de vida de la especie se relacionó con variables ambientales mediante un análisis de redundancias. La especie presenta una dieta especializada, las sphacelariales Halopteris spp. y Sphacelaria fusca, epifitas de Gracilaria gracilis, representan más del 70% de la dieta. Por otra parte, se observó una baja incidencia de G. gracilis en la dieta durante todas las estaciones del año. Estos resultados pueden estar relacionados con el alto contenido de materia orgánica que tienen las sphacelariales. Respecto de la distribución espacial, se observó una relación significativa entre la biomasa de G. gracilis y reclutas y adultos de L. pentagona; esta relación es más significativa en periodos críticos del ciclo de vida del cangrejo como la muda o la incubación de los huevos. Los juveniles de tallas más grandes, en intermuda, están asociados tanto a G. gracilis como a otras macroalgas disponibles en el área. Nuestros resultados sugieren que G. gracilis tiene un rol importante en la distribución a pequeña escala del cangrejo L. pentagona en Bahía Bustamante, proveyéndole alimento y refugio. El alto consumo de epifitas de G. gracilis permite a L. pentagona alimentarse en el complejo microhabitat que le provee el alga, minimizando el daño sobre G. gracilis.

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“…There, G. vermiculophylla competes with F. vesiculosus for limiting nutrients and enhances grazer densities that prefer to eat F. vesiculosus rather than G. vermiculophylla (Weinberger et al 2008;Hammann et al 2013a). …”

Section: Shallow Subtidal Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gracilaria vermiculophylla in the Virginia Coastal Bays: Documenting the Distributionand Effects of a Non-Native Species

Gulbransen¹

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Non-native species are of worldwide concern in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. Macroalgal introductions in coastal environments can have varied and often harmful effects, especially when surrounding habitats are altered by the invasion. Gracilaria vermiculophylla is a red macroalga that is native to East Asia and has been introduced to temperate estuaries around the world. It cannot be easily identified based on morphology alone, and is frequently mistaken for native congeners if genetic testing is not used. Mats of the macroalga can accumulate on subtidal and intertidal substrate within the Virginia coastal bays, USA and are held in place by tube decorating polychaetes on the order of months to years.The broad goals of this dissertation were to determine how widespread the G. vermiculophylla invasion was in the Virginia coastal bays and to document potential effects of G. vermiculophylla mats on biogeochemistry, trophic cascades, and on public health in the region. I found that the introduction was widespread in both subtidal and intertidal habitats, with higher intraspecific genetic richness and diversity than currently documented in other invasions. In addition, I found that intertidal sediment, marsh cordgrass, and mudflat invertebrates all incorporated nitrogen of G. vermiculophylla origin, which indicates that the macroalga is an important mediator of nutrient transfers in the system. Work on intertidal mudflats showed that the presence of G.ii vermiculophylla in this system, at moderate densities, could increase oxic-anoxic heterogeneity in the sediment and thus increase coupled nitrificationdenitrification. In addition, although G. vermiculophylla was associated with an overall increase in invertebrate biomass, shorebirds chose to forage on bare mudflats. Lastly, I found that G. vermiculophylla was a reservoir for the pathogenic bacteria, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus which can cause gastroenteritis, severe wound infections, septicemia, and death in humans. In addition, oysters, sediment, and water collected in close proximity to mats of G. vermiculophylla had higher concentrations of both bacterial species when compared to samples collected on bare mudflats. Taken together, data collected within the Virginia coastal bays indicate that this widespread habitat modifier can have important effects on nitrogen availability, food web interactions, and shellfish sanitation.iii

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Direct and indirect effects of Gracilaria vermiculophylla on native Fucus vesiculosus

Cited by 25 publications

References 45 publications

Invasion of novel habitats uncouples haplo‐diplontic life cycles

Invasion of novel habitats uncouples haplo‐diplontic life cycles

Food and habitat choice in the spider crab <em>Leucippa pentagona</em> (Majoidea: Epialtidae) in Bahía Bustamante, Patagonia, Argentina

Gracilaria vermiculophylla in the Virginia Coastal Bays: Documenting the Distributionand Effects of a Non-Native Species

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