Herbivorous amphipods inhabit protective microhabitats within thalli of giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera

Gutow, Lars; Long, Jeremy D.; Cerda, Osvaldo; Hinojosa, Iván A.; Rothäusler, Eva; Tala, Fadia; Thiel, Martín

doi:10.1007/s00227-011-1794-4

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Highly mobile grazers, such as peracarid crustaceans, rasp on algal surfaces or excavate galleries in algal thalli, while other species use blades as nesting substratum (Gutow et al . ). Suspension feeders may only use kelp blades as biogenic substratum and other species are adapted to hide efficiently from predators in the extensive spaces offered by kelp holdfasts between the haptera (Ojeda & Santelices ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Seasonal variation in epifaunal communities associated with giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) at an upwelling‐dominated site

et al. 2016

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Kelp forests are highly productive and species-rich benthic ecosystems in temperate regions that provide biogenic habitat for numerous associated species. Diverse epifaunal communities inhabit kelp sporophytes and are subject to variations in the physical environment and to changes experienced by the kelp habitat itself. We assessed seasonal variations in epifaunal invertebrate communities inhabiting giant kelps, Macrocystis pyrifera, and their effects on this seaweed. Six seasonal samplings were conducted over a year at an upwelling-dominated site in northern-central Chile where physical conditions are known to fluctuate temporally. More than 30 taxa were identified, among which peracarid crustaceans stood out in both diversity and abundance. Species richness and abundance differed among sporophyte sections (holdfast and fronds) and throughout the year. The frond community was dominated by two grazers (the amphipod Peramphithoe femorata and the isopod Amphoroidea typa), while suspension feeders, grazers, and omnivores (the amphipod Aora typica, the isopod Limnoria quadripunctata, and polychaetes) dominated the holdfasts. Abundances of the dominant species fluctuated throughout the year but patterns of variation differed among species. The most abundant grazer (P. femorata) had highest densities in summer, while the less abundant grazer (A. typa) reached its peak densities in winter. Interestingly, the area of kelp damaged by grazers was highest in autumn and early winter, suggesting that grazing impacts accumulate during periods of low kelp growth, which can thus be considered as 'vestiges of herbivory past.' Among the factors determining the observed seasonal patterns, strong variability of environmental conditions, reproductive cycles of associated fauna, and predation by fishes vary in importance. Our results suggest that during spring and early summer, bottom-up processes shape the community structure of organisms inhabiting large perennial seaweeds, whereas during late summer and autumn, top-down processes are more important.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…, ; Gutow et al . ) that reaches highest abundances in summer, when reproductive activity is high. It is likely that juvenile grazers prefer to feed on new and softer vegetative tissue (Pansch et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variation in epifaunal communities associated with giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) at an upwelling‐dominated site

et al. 2016

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“…The herbivorous amphipod Peramphithoe femorata , which is the main mesograzer in frond communities of benthic and floating Macrocystis pyrifera (Gutow et al. , Wichmann et al. , Winkler et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High acclimation potential in floating Macrocystis pyrifera to abiotic conditions even under grazing pressure – a field study

Rothäusler

Reinwald

López

et al. 2018

Journal of Phycology

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The persistence of floating seaweeds, which depends on abiotic conditions but also herbivory, had previously been mostly tested in outdoor mesocosm experiments. In order to investigate if the obtained mesocosm results of high seaweed persistence under natural environmental conditions and under grazing pressure can be extrapolated to field situations, we conducted in situ experiments. During two summers (2007 and 2008), Macrocystis pyrifera was tethered (for 14 d) to lines in the presence and absence of the amphipod Peramphithoe femorata at three sites (Iquique, Coquimbo, Calfuco). We hypothesized that grazing damage and seaweed persistence vary among sites due to different abiotic factors. By incubating the sporophytes in mesh bags, we were either able to isolate (grazing) or exclude (control) amphipods. To test for a mesh bag artifact, a set of sporophytes was incubated without mesh bags (natural). Mesh bags used to exclude herbivores influenced sporophyte growth and physiological performance. The chlorophyll a (Chl a) content depended largely on grazers and grazed sporophytes grew less than natural and control sporophytes within the two summers. A decrease in Chl a content was found for the sites with the highest prevailing irradiances and temperatures, suggesting an efficient acclimation to these sea surface conditions. Our field‐based results of sporophyte acclimation ability even under grazing pressure widely align with previous mesocosm results. We conclude that M. pyrifera and other temperate floating seaweeds can function as long‐distance dispersal vectors even with hitchhiking mesoherbivores.

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“…However, during their voyage biotic factors, including grazing (by snails, urchins, crustaceans), fouling (by bryozoans, stalked barnacles, epiphytic algae) (Thiel and Gutow, 2005;Rothäusler et al, 2009;Gutow et al, 2012), and abiotic factors such as high water temperatures, intense solar radiation and nutrient depletion negatively affect the floating seaweeds, limiting their persistence at the sea surface (Hobday, 2000;Karsten et al, 2001;Vandendriessche et al, 2007;Graiff et al, 2013). Even though initial physiological acclimation can occur, the decline in growth and reproductive capacity are the main changes suppressing the colonization potential of floating kelps (Hobday, 2000;Macaya et al, 2005;Hernández-Carmona et al, 2006;Vandendriessche et al, 2007;Rothäusler et al, 2009.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latitudinal and seasonal effects on short-term acclimation of floating kelp species from the South-East Pacific

Tala

Velásquez

Mansilla

et al. 2016

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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Herbivorous amphipods inhabit protective microhabitats within thalli of giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera

Cited by 21 publications

References 31 publications

Seasonal variation in epifaunal communities associated with giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) at an upwelling‐dominated site

Seasonal variation in epifaunal communities associated with giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) at an upwelling‐dominated site

High acclimation potential in floating Macrocystis pyrifera to abiotic conditions even under grazing pressure – a field study

Latitudinal and seasonal effects on short-term acclimation of floating kelp species from the South-East Pacific

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