Seasonal and interannual variation in fish assemblages of northern temperate rocky subtidal habitats

Magill, Shona; Sayer, Martin

doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb02465.x

Cited by 31 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(52 reference statements)

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“…None of these two events were found either during the survey or in our analyses. The highlighted fish seasonal changes had already been observed in this region (Magill and Sayer 2002;Valle et al 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Snorkelers impact on fish communities and algae in a temperate marine protected area

2010

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Multiple-use marine protected areas (MPAs) are used to manage marine resources, allocate space to different users and reduce conflicts while protecting marine biodiversity. In the Mediterranean, MPA managers are increasingly interested in containing the effects of coastal recreation within underwater trails, but snorkelers impacts on the surrounding ecosystem remain largely unknown. In a Mediterranean MPA, an underwater snorkeling trail was established to concentrate snorkelers and increase their awareness of marine habitats and species. The high level of summer frequentation may have negative impacts on the surrounding environment through trampling on the sessile flora or disturbance to the vagile fauna. We used a before-after-control-impact (BACI) design to analyse these potential human impacts. The structure of macroalgae and fish assemblages were used as indicators. Permutational multivariate analyses of variance (PERMANOVA) were carried out to assess potential temporal and spatial changes of the indicators between the trail and a control location within the adjacent no-take/no-use area. Fish communities and macroalgae were subjected to natural temporal trends but no significant impacts of snorkelers were found. Four reasons could explain the absence of snorkelers impact on the surrounding marine environment: (1) the absence of very fragile organisms within the trail (and the control no-take/no-use area) such as gorgonians or bryozoans; (2) the life cycle of the algae with a natural decreasing trend in summer, corresponding to the trail opening period; (3) only a few snorkelers are practicing apnoea; and (4) the information at the entrance and along the trail may influence the snorkelers' behaviour.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Snorkelers impact on fish communities and algae in a temperate marine protected area

2010

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“…In the North Atlantic and Mediterranean several studies have been done on rocky coastal ¢sh assemblages (Jansson et al, 1985;Minchin, 1987;Miniconi et al, 1990;Falcon et al, 1993;MacPherson, 1994;Ren‹ ones et al, 1997;La Mesa & Vacchi, 1999;Gonc°alves et al, 2002;Magill & Sayer, 2002;La Mesa et al, 2004;Ordines et al, 2005). Most of these studies used traditional visual census methods to assess the whole ¢sh assemblage, including cryptobenthic ¢sh.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies on the temporal dynamics of coastal ¢sh assemblages in temperate areas have shown strong seasonal and inter-annual variations in density for some species (Janson et al, 1985;Costello, 1992;Wilkins & Myers, 1992;Magill & Sayer, 2002). Temporal dynamics of ¢sh populations have broadly been related to the input of recruits (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition and temporal dynamics of a temperate rocky cryptobenthic fish assemblage

2006

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Temporal variation in a temperate cryptobenthic ¢sh assemblage at the Arra¤ bida Marine Park (Portugal) was assessed by visual surveys during 2002 and 2003. A total of 9596 ¢sh from 11 families and 30 species was recorded. There were no changes in structure or density at the assemblage level between years, whereas diversity changed signi¢cantly due to a higher number of abundant species in the second year. A similar seasonal trend was found between years, with a signi¢cant overall density increase in autumn. This is partially explained by the arrival of new recruits of some of the most abundant species in the assemblage. Assemblage diversity and structure also changed across seasons. A group of species encompassing Gobius xanthocephalus, Tripterygion delaisi, Parablennius pilicornis, Gobius paganellus, Lepadogaster candollii and Lepadogaster spp. were analysed in detail. The temporal patterns of two of the most abundant species, G. xanthocephalus and T. delaisi, mimicked the overall temporal patterns of the assemblage. We suggest that the inter-annual stability in density of this subtidal ¢sh assemblage may be similar to what has been reported for the intertidal and that strong post-settlement processes are probably shaping this assemblage.

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“…This could explain the signiWcant interaction between time and treatment in this study as the recruitment of juvenile Wsh in these waters occurs during the summer month and movement by Wsh to deeper waters takes place during the winter. Seasonal changes in abundance of observed Wsh species due to migration has been reported from both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea (Thorman 1986;Magill and Sayer 2002;Pihl and Wennhage 2002;Wilhelmsson et al 2006b). …”

Section: Fish Assemblagementioning

confidence: 99%

Epibenthic colonization of concrete and steel pilings in a cold-temperate embayment: a field experiment

et al. 2009

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With large-scale development of oVshore wind farms, vertical structures are becoming more common in open water areas. To examine how vertical structures of diVerent materials may be colonized by epibenthic organisms, an experiment was carried out using steel and concrete pilings constructed to resemble those commonly used in wind farm constructions as well as in bridges, jetties and oil platforms. The early recruitment and succession of the epibenthic communities were sampled once a month for the Wrst 5 months and then again after 1 year. Further, the Wsh assemblages associated with the pillars were sampled and compared to natural areas. The main epibenthic species groups, in terms of coverage, diVered between the two materials at Wve out of six sampling occasions. Dominant organisms on steel pillars were the barnacle Balanus improvisus, the calcareous tubeworm Pomatoceros triqueter and the tunicate Ciona intestinalis. On the concrete pillars, the hydroid Laomedea sp. and the tunicates Corella parallelogramma and Ascidiella spp. dominated. However, there was no diVerent in coverage at diVerent heights on the pillars or in biomass and species abundance at diVerent directions (north-east or south-west) 5 months after submergence. Fish showed overall higher abundances and species numbers on the pillars (but no diVerence between steel and concrete) compared to the surrounding soft bottom habitats but not compared to natural vertical rock walls. Two species were attracted to the pillars, indicating a reef eVect; Gobiusculus Xavescens and Ctenolabrus rupestris. The bottom-dwelling gobies, Pomatoschistus spp., did not show such preferences.

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Seasonal and interannual variation in fish assemblages of northern temperate rocky subtidal habitats

Cited by 31 publications

References 36 publications

Snorkelers impact on fish communities and algae in a temperate marine protected area

Snorkelers impact on fish communities and algae in a temperate marine protected area

Composition and temporal dynamics of a temperate rocky cryptobenthic fish assemblage

Epibenthic colonization of concrete and steel pilings in a cold-temperate embayment: a field experiment

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