The interspecific abundance–occupancy relationship in rocky intertidal communities

Genne, Barbara van; Scrosati, Ricardo A.

doi:10.1080/17451000.2022.2105895

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

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“…While the species with the highest mean overall abundances occurred at all three studied locations, the species with low abundances typically occurred only at a subset of locations ( Table 1 ). These patterns reflect basic abundance–occupancy patterns that are known for biological communities across landscapes and seascapes ( Blackburn, Cassey & Gaston, 2006 ; Barnes, 2022 ; van Genne & Scrosati, 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Changes in the composition of invertebrate assemblages from wave-exposed intertidal mussel stands along the Nova Scotia coast, Canada

Scrosati,

Ellrich

2024

PeerJ

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Rocky intertidal habitats occur worldwide and are mainly characterized by primary space holders such as seaweeds and sessile invertebrates. Some of these organisms are foundation species, as they can form structurally complex stands that host many small invertebrates. The abundance of primary space holders is known to vary along coastlines driven directly or indirectly by environmental variation. However, it is less clear if the invertebrate assemblages associated to a foundation species may remain relatively unchanged along coastlines, as similar stands of a foundation species can generate similar microclimates. We examined this question using abundance data for invertebrate species found in mussel stands of a similar structure in wave-exposed rocky habitats at mid-intertidal elevations along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia (Canada). While the most abundant invertebrate species were found at three locations spanning 315 km of coastline, species composition (a combined measure of species identity and their relative abundance) differed significantly among the locations. One of the species explaining the highest amount of variation among locations (a barnacle) exhibited potential signs of bottom-up regulation involving pelagic food supply, suggesting benthic–pelagic coupling. The abundance of the species that explained the highest amount of variation (an oligochaete) was positively related to the abundance of their predators (mites), further suggesting bottom-up forcing in these communities. Overall, we conclude that species assemblages associated to structurally similar stands of a foundation species can show clear changes in species composition at a regional scale.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%