Distinct community dynamics at two artificial habitats in a recreational marina

Oricchio, Felipe Theocharides; Pastro, Gabriela; Vieira, Edson A.; Flores, Augusto A. V.; Gibran, Fernando Zaniolo; Dias, Gustavo Muniz

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.09.010

Cited by 46 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Low resistance to predation, as previously observed for ascidians in the study area Vieira et al, 2012Vieira et al, , 2016 and elsewhere (Jurgens, Freestone, Ruiz, & Torchin, 2017;Osman & Whitlatch, 2004) (Jackson & Hughes, 1985;Kay & Keough, 1981), which face a high risk of being dislodged or overgrown (Nandakumar, 1996;Russ, 1982). The high-survival rate observed here coupled with the wellknown resistance against predators (Lidgard, 2008;Oricchio, Pastro et al, 2016) resulted in remarkable persistence of S. errata growing colonies, rendering pervasive effects on community structure, which may last until any disturbance event results in the detachment of aged colonies.…”

Section: Source Of Variationsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…By forcing sets of experimental assemblages to be founded by functionally different sessile invertebrates, we provide here independent and novel evidence for the unique role of Schizoporella species worldwide in the determination of benthic community dynamics. In our study area, S. errata seems to be the strongest competitor in artificial hard substrates, owing both to its fast growth and resistance to predators (Vieira et al., ; Oricchio, Flores, & Dias, ; Oricchio, Pastro et al., ). Differently from earlier studies showing later Schizoporella die‐off and subsequent species replacement after 1 year (Sutherland, ; Sutherland & Karlson, ), high year‐round recruitment of S. errata likely allows this species to regain space and persist longer in the study area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…However, contrasting to our predictions, significant departures from the natural assembling process, in which chances of priority effects were not increased by any means, were only evident for only one founding species, the space-monopolizing species do not monopolizes space, and Botrylloides nigrum, that is potentially able to fast space preemption but did not persist longer, led to similar richness and structure compared to natural untouched communities, restraining growth rates of clonal species and ensuring baseline species coexistence. Negative priority effects of S. errata were shown to be pervasive over time, possibly owing to this species resistance to predators (Oricchio, Pastro et al, 2016), and long colony duration (Sutherland, 1978;Sutherland & Karlson, 1977), and should only relax when aged colonies eventually detach, creating new space available for the establishment of other species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This site is a recreational marina with a diverse fouling system growing on the sides of the floating blocks. Previous studies showed that the sessile community is dominated mostly by colonial ascidians and encrusting and arborescent bryozoans, but also sponges, barnacles, bivalves, polychaetes, and hydrozoans (Oricchio, Flores, & Dias, ; Oricchio, Pastro et al., ; Vieira, Dias, & Flores, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both time lags simulated natural stages during early colonization: The 10-to 15-day lag represented a moment when bare space is still abundant and most of the colonies are still growing with no restriction imposed by border contacts with others, while the 20-to 30-day lag represented a moment when more than 50% of the space is already covered, colonies may still find empty space to expand but contact interactions become common. Lags over 30 days were not considered as they would simulate an unrealistic scenario [i.e., colonies older than a month would hardly ever found isolated in nature (Dias, Delboni, & Duarte, 2008;Oricchio, Pastro et al, 2016;Vieira et al, 2012Vieira et al, , 2016]. Small and large ascidian colonies or encrusting bryozoans occupied an area around 0.5-1.0 and 1.5-2.0 cm 2 , respectively, while small and large erected bryozoan recruits bear 2-3 and 5-7 bifurcations, over an area of 1.0-1.5 and 3.0-3.5 mm 2 , respectively.…”

Section: Priority Effects Through Manipulation Of Initial Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

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Persistence and space preemption explain species‐specific founder effects on the organization of marine sessile communities

Vieira

Flores

Dias

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Community assembly may not follow predictable successional stages, with a large fraction of the species pool constituted by potential pioneering species and successful founders defined through lottery. In such systems, priority effects may be relevant in the determination of trajectories of developing communities and hence diversity and assemblage structure at later advanced states. In order to assess how different founder species may trigger variable community trajectories and structures, we conducted an experimental study using subtidal sessile assemblages as model. We manipulated the identity of functionally different founders and initial colony size (a proxy of the time lag before the arrival of later species), and followed trajectories. We did not observe any effects of colony size on response variables, suggesting that priority effects take place even when the time lag between the establishment of pioneering species and late colonizers is very short. Late community structure at experimental panels that started either with the colonial ascidian Botrylloides nigrum, or the arborescent bryozoan Bugula neritina, was similar to control panels allowed natural assembling. In spite of high potential for fast space domination, and hence negative priority effects, B. nigrum suffered high mortality and did not persist throughout succession. Bugula neritina provided complex physical microhabitats through conspecific clustering that have enhanced larval settlement of late species arrivals, but no apparent facilitation was observed. Differently, panels founded by the encrusting bryozoan Schizoporella errata led to different and less diverse communities compared to naturally assembled panels, evidencing strong negative priority effects through higher persistence and space preemption. Schizoporella errata founder colonies inhibited further conspecific settlement, which may greatly relax intraspecific competition, allowing resource allocation to colony growth and space domination, thus reducing the chances for the establishment of other species.

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Section: Source Of Variationsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Priority Effects Through Manipulation Of Initial Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

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Persistence and space preemption explain species‐specific founder effects on the organization of marine sessile communities

Vieira

Flores

Dias

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Habitat formation prevails over predation in influencing fouling communities

Leclerc

Viard

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Coastal human‐made structures, such as marinas and harbors, are expanding worldwide. Species assemblages described from these artificial habitats are novel relative to natural reefs, particularly in terms of the abundance of nonindigenous species (NIS). Although these fouling assemblages are clearly distinctive, the ecosystem functioning and species interactions taking place there are little understood. For instance, large predators may influence the fouling community development either directly (feeding on sessile fauna) or indirectly (feeding on small predators associated with these assemblages). In addition, by providing refuges, habitat complexity may modify the outcome of species interactions and the extent of biotic resistance (e.g., by increasing the abundance of niche‐specific competitors and predators of NIS). Using experimental settlement panels deployed in the field for 2.5 months, we tested the influence of predation (i.e., caging experiment), artificial structural complexity (i.e., mimics of turf‐forming species), and their interactions (i.e., refuge effects) on the development of sessile and mobile fauna in two marinas. In addition, we tested the role of biotic complexity—arising from the habitat‐forming species that grew on the panels during the trial—on the richness and abundance of mobile fauna. The effect of predation and artificial habitat complexity was negligible, regardless of assemblage status (i.e., native, cryptogenic, and nonindigenous). Conversely, habitat‐forming species and associated epibionts, responsible for biotic complexity, had a significant effect on mobile invertebrates (richness, abundance, and community structure). In particular, the richness and abundance of mobile NIS were positively affected by biotic complexity, with site‐dependent relationships. Altogether, our results indicate that biotic complexity prevails over artificial habitat complexity in determining the distribution of mobile species under low predation pressure. Facilitation of native and non‐native species thus seems to act upon diversity and community development: This process deserves further consideration in models of biotic resistance to invasion in urban marine habitats.

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Artificial habitats induce plasticity in colonies of the marine bryozoan Schizoporella errata

2020

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Modular organization provides flexibility for colonial animals to deal with variable and unpredictable environmental conditions since each module has specific tasks within the colony, such as feeding, defending or reproducing. Depending on the selecting pressures, sessile organisms may phenotypically adjust the morphology of each module or modify their density, increasing individual fitness. Here we used the marine bryozoan Schizoporella errata (Cheilostomata, Schizoporellidae) to test how the divergent conditions between two artificial habitats, the location inside a marina (IM) and the external wall of the breakwater (BW), affect colony size and the density of the distinct modules. The density of avicularia and ovicells, modules related to defense and reproduction, respectively, did not differ between habitats. However, colonies growing in the turbulent waters of BW were, in general, larger and had higher density of feeding autozooids than those at IM. Reciprocal transplants of bryozoan clones indicated that trait variation is genotype‐dependent but varies according to the environmental conditions at the assigned location. The occurrence of larger colonies with more zooids in BW is probably linked to the easier feeding opportunity offered by the small diffusive boundary layer around the colony at this location. Since in colonial polymorphic organisms each module (zooid) performs a specific function, the phenotypic response is not uniform across colonies, affecting only those modules that are susceptible to variations in the main selective pressures. Understanding the importance of colony‐level plasticity is relevant to predict how modularity will contribute to organisms to deal with human‐induced environmental changes in coastal habitats.

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Distinct community dynamics at two artificial habitats in a recreational marina

Cited by 46 publications

References 45 publications

Persistence and space preemption explain species‐specific founder effects on the organization of marine sessile communities

Persistence and space preemption explain species‐specific founder effects on the organization of marine sessile communities

Habitat formation prevails over predation in influencing fouling communities

Artificial habitats induce plasticity in colonies of the marine bryozoan Schizoporella errata

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