Distribution of a marginal population of Mytilus edulis: responses to biotic and abiotic processes at different spatial scales

Westerbom, Mats; Mustonen, Olli; Kilpi, Mikael

doi:10.1007/s00227-007-0886-7

Cited by 26 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Consequently, differences in the composition of species in mussel beds are likely to be due to large-scale processes, while variation in relative abundance is driven by medium-scale processes. Salinity gradients at large scales and wave exposure gradients at intermediate scales are good predictors for the distribution of mussels (Westerbom et al 2008). One of the most frequently identified drivers of the distribution of species is temperature, which is related to latitudinal gradients (Gray 2001).…”

Section: Environmental Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic distribution of two mussel species and associated assemblages along the northern Argentinean coast

Arribas¹,

Bagur²,

Salas³

et al. 2013

Aquat. Biol.

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Ecosystem engineers can modify habitat, creating structural microhabitats. This structural complexity can affect species richness. Marine ecosystem engineers are able to produce local effects in combination with environmental variables (e.g. to create more humid habitat during low tides). We tested the hypotheses that if there is a relationship between mussel morphology and environmental factors, mussels would be larger at warmer than at cooler locations, and in areas where 2 species of mussels overlap, size and biomass will decrease and density will increase. At a smaller scale, we predicted that there is a relationship between the assemblage structure and hardness of the substratum and sediment content of a mussel bed. Using a nested design, we measured density, biomass and size of 2 species of mussels, Brachidontes rodriguezii and Perumytilus (Brachidontes) purpuratus, and diversity of species associated with mussel beds at 2 rocky intertidal sites at each of 4 shores along the northern Argentinean coast. These variables were correlated with oceanographic conditions and local characteristics. Significant correlations were found between intertidal assemblages and local factors. The largest specimens of B. rodriguezii and P. purpuratus were found at the warmer shores. In areas where they overlapped, size, biomass and density of P. purpuratus were lower, although B. rodriguezii did not change. The mean abundance of invertebrates associated with a mussel bed showed significant differences among shores. These 2 species of mytilids coexist over a small area, and although these species are very similar in their biological and ecological function, the fauna associated with their matrices are very different. KEY WORDS: Spatial variations · Rocky shores · Ecosystem engineers · Environmental factors · Benthos · Southwest AtlanticResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher Aquat Biol 18: 91-103, 2013 physically harsh conditions (Murray et al. 2002). In addition, local meteorological conditions such as wind, precipitation and climate anomalies can cause large impacts on ecosystems (Mantua & Hare 2002). The species that live in these habitats survive in variable and sometimes extreme physical conditions. One factor that correlates well with the abundance and diversity of species is water temperature, particularly over latitudinal gradients (Rohde 1992). Many other factors also correlate with species distributions and patterns of abundance (e.g. physical interactions between organisms and their habitats, behavioural and physiological adaptations; Burrows & Hughes 1989).Changes in the structure of assemblages of intertidal species at the scales of hundreds of kilometres and hundreds of metres may be attributed to differences in topography, substrate type, hydrodynamic conditions, intertidal elevation, wave exposure, climatic differences or variation in primary productivity (Araujo et al. 2005, Liuzzi & López Gappa 2008, Burrows et al. 2009. Spatial variability at the scale of t...

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Section: Environmental Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic distribution of two mussel species and associated assemblages along the northern Argentinean coast

Arribas¹,

Bagur²,

Salas³

et al. 2013

Aquat. Biol.

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“…Increased ocean acidification represents an additional stress on marine organisms that can cause corresponding increases in maintenance and physiological costs (Pörtner et al 2004;Pörtner 2008). This 'acidification stress' will operate in concert with other stressors that limit the distribution and function of species-particularly salinity, which is a major determinant of mussel size and distribution in the Baltic Sea (Tedengren and Kautsky 1987;Westerbom et al 2008). Food-dependent tolerance to ocean acidification has not only been observed in the mussel (Melzner et al 2011), but also in barnacle, Balanus improvisus, from the Baltic Sea (Pansch, unpublished results), as well as in other species elsewhere.…”

Section: Macrozoobenthosmentioning

confidence: 99%

How will Ocean Acidification Affect Baltic Sea Ecosystems? An Assessment of Plausible Impacts on Key Functional Groups

Havenhand

2012

AMBIO

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Increasing partial pressure of atmospheric CO 2 is causing ocean pH to fall-a process known as 'ocean acidification'. Scenario modeling suggests that ocean acidification in the Baltic Sea may cause a B3 times increase in acidity (reduction of 0.2-0.4 pH units) by the year 2100. The responses of most Baltic Sea organisms to ocean acidification are poorly understood. Available data suggest that most species and ecologically important groups in the Baltic Sea food web (phytoplankton, zooplankton, macrozoobenthos, cod and sprat) will be robust to the expected changes in pH. These conclusions come from (mostly) single-species and single-factor studies. Determining the emergent effects of ocean acidification on the ecosystem from such studies is problematic, yet very few studies have used multiple stressors and/or multiple trophic levels. There is an urgent need for more data from Baltic Sea populations, particularly from environmentally diverse regions and from controlled mesocosm experiments. In the absence of such information it is difficult to envision the likely effects of future ocean acidification on Baltic Sea species and ecosystems.

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“…The species pool is small, but species often occur in great density. The coastline of the study area, the western Gulf of Finland, is dominated by sublittoral rocks and reefs that typically are covered by dense blue mussel beds extending from the water surface down to more than 30 m depth with densities sometimes exceeding 10 5 individuals/m 2 (Westerbom et al 2008). Fucus is the largest perennial alga in the study area, and it is typically belt-forming at shallow depths or organized in patches maintained by a combination of availability of light, ice abrasion, herbivory, and competition (Korpinen et al 2007, Kraufvelin et al 2007.…”

Section: Study Area and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wave stress and biotic facilitation drive community composition in a marginal hard‐bottom ecosystem

et al. 2019

Self Cite

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Ecological patterns are inherently scale‐dependent and driven by the interplay of abiotic gradients and biotic processes. Despite the fundamental importance of such gradients, there are many gaps in our understanding of how abiotic stress gradients interplay with biotic processes and how these collectively affect species distributions. Using a hierarchical design, we sampled two communities separated by depth along wave exposure and salinity gradients to elucidate how these two gradients affect species composition in habitats formed by the foundation species Mytilus trossulus and Fucus vesiculosus. Specifically, we looked at the impacts of regional salinity and temperature, local wave exposure, and site‐dependent facilitation effects on the associated community composition. Wave exposure was the best predictor for species assembly structure, which was also affected by Mytilus biomass and by salinity and water temperature. While the tested variables provided robust explanations for community structure and density, they did not provide conclusive explanations for variation in species richness or evenness. Mytilus biomass had a stronger effect on the associated community with increasing wave exposure at the deeper depth, but the patterns were less obvious at the shallower depth. The latter was also the case for Fucus. These findings comply partly with theoretical predictions suggesting stronger facilitation effects in physically harsh environments. Our results indicate that environmental drivers are the main structuring forces that affect species assembly structure, but also foundation species are important. Thus, predicting changes in species distributions and biodiversity requires the simultaneous consideration of environmental gradients, as well as the structure and composition of foundation species and the interplay between these factors. This work advances our understanding of the processes that modulate species distributions in a marginal marine area and broadens the knowledge of how biological and environmental factors interplay and have an influence on hard‐bottom community structure in brackish water seas.

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Distribution of a marginal population of Mytilus edulis: responses to biotic and abiotic processes at different spatial scales

Cited by 26 publications

References 33 publications

Geographic distribution of two mussel species and associated assemblages along the northern Argentinean coast

Geographic distribution of two mussel species and associated assemblages along the northern Argentinean coast

How will Ocean Acidification Affect Baltic Sea Ecosystems? An Assessment of Plausible Impacts on Key Functional Groups

Wave stress and biotic facilitation drive community composition in a marginal hard‐bottom ecosystem

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