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1.
There remains little understanding of the relationship between the ecologies of urban habitats (pilings and pontoons) and natural habitats (rocky reef) for sessile plants and animals (epibiota) living on urbanised coasts. This study describes the structure of subtidal assemblages of epibiota among pilings, pontoons and adjacent rocky reef in Sydney Harbour, Australia. I tested the prediction that the experimental provision of substrata of the same age and composition in all three habitats would produce assemblages that: (1) differed among all three habitats; and (2) differed most on floating pontoons relative to the two fixed habitats (pilings and reef). As predicted, the results suggested that both pilings and pontoons, particularly the latter, create novel habitats for epibiotic assemblages independent of age and composition of substratum. It is not fully understood why these urban structures act as such different habitats from natural rocky reefs. The important point is that they are different and we are yet to understand the implications of this for the ecology of coastal areas subject to urbanisation.  相似文献   

2.
Studies on macroalgal communities of the Azores report algal turfs as one of the most conspicuous ecological entities occurring on the rocky shores of these islands. The present study investigates the influence of shore height and substratum on turf composition. Data were analysed using the software PRIMER and results confirmed the previous distinction between calcareous, dominated by articulated coralline algae, and non-calcareous turfs, characterized mainly by small red algae. However, no differences in species composition were found in either type of turf occurring on different substrata or at different shore levels.  相似文献   

3.
Marine assemblages on natural hard substrata are generally different from those on artificial habitats. There is, however, the potential for certain ecological processes to operate on both types of structures. On the sides of floating pontoons in Sydney Harbour, there were strong patterns of vertical distribution of sessile epibiotic organisms and molluscan grazers across relatively small spatial scales (in three defined zones, namely splash, shallow and deep). Patterns of vertical distribution of the tubeworms Hydroides spp. were reversed depending on the cover of mussels. A manipulative experiment was done to test if patterns of vertical distribution of Hydroides spp. were due to (1) the functioning of mussels or (2) the structure provided by mussels. Neither the functioning nor structure of mussels accounted for the patterns of distribution of Hydroides spp. Mussels increased recruitment of Hydroides spp., in the shallow and deep zones, and this was not due to increased surface area of the mussel shells. Manipulation of numbers of grazers and covers of sessile epibiota showed that the observed negative relationship between grazers and epibiota was due to grazers reducing recruitment of epibiota and epibiota decreasing survival of grazers. Most importantly, processes that accounted for patterns of distribution of mobile and sessile organisms on artificial floating structures were similar to those repeatedly shown to create such patterns on natural rocky shores.  相似文献   

4.
5.
On a global scale, urbanization has resulted in substantial proportions of coasts being replaced by artificial structures such as marinas, breakwaters and seawalls. There is broad consensus that coastal defense structures are poor surrogates of the natural habitats that they replace. Here we investigated the effects of the type and roughness of materials used for the construction of artificial structures on the surrounding biota by comparing abundances and distribution of key inter‐tidal taxa between natural shores and coastal defenses. Lower abundances of gastropods and barnacles were found on artificial coastal defense structures (regardless of the material type). At small spatial scales, abundances of key taxa increased with increasing roughness. Our results suggest that the choice of materials used for the construction of coastal defense structures has little effect on community structure per se, but that enhanced roughness could make coastal defenses better surrogates of natural habitats by supporting assemblages that are more similar to those found on natural shores.  相似文献   

6.
Although there is extensive information concerning the colonization sequences of benthic communities, little is known about the successional development of subtidal hard‐bottom habitats in highly productive coastal upwelling areas. In these systems, succession is predicted to be fast due to high growth rate of the later dominant colonizers. Using artificial hard substrata a field experiment was conducted in a rocky subtidal area off Northern Chile (Humboldt Current System) and monitored at 3‐month intervals to test the following hypotheses: (i) epibenthic succession may proceed through consecutive replacement of species, (ii) there is a fast convergence rate towards natural communities, and (iii) different seasonal starting points for the colonization will produce different community structure over a 1‐year period of exposure. Panels were installed on a vertical wall at 17 m water depth. Three replicate panels were sampled every 3 months over a period of 27 months. As a reference, six haphazardly selected plots from the surrounding natural community were surveyed at each sampling date. To evaluate how seasonally varying substratum availability affects community development, further panels were exposed for a 12‐month period, starting in four different seasons (n = 3 replicates per season). Community succession was slow and occurred through progressive changes, between early encrusting red corallines, middle Balanus flosculus and late Lagenicella variabilis. After 27 months, the community composition, but not its structure, was similar between experimental and reference communities on surrounding rocky bottoms. Seasonality had no effects and after 1 year of exposure the experimental communities converged towards a common structure. This study indicates that succession of subtidal epibenthic communities follows a slow and predictable pattern with a dominant late colonial species. In addition, aseasonal variability might be more relevant during colonization and succession in this upwelling ecosystem.  相似文献   

7.
《Coastal Engineering》2005,52(10-11):1053-1071
Coastal defence structures to protect sedimentary coastlines from erosion and flooding are increasingly common throughout Europe. They will become more widespread over the next 10–30 years in response to rising and stormier seas and accelerating economic development of the coastal zone. Building coastal defences results in the loss and fragmentation of sedimentary habitats and their replacement by artificial rocky habitats that become colonised by algae and marine animals. The engineering design and construction of these structures have received considerable attention. However, the ecological consequences of coastal defences have been less extensively investigated. Furthermore, due to their rapid proliferation, there is a growing need to understand the role of these man-made habitats in the coastal ecosystems in order to implement impact minimisation and/or mitigation measures.As part of the DELOS project, targeted studies were carried out throughout Europe to assess the ecological similarity of low-crested coastal defence structures (LCS) to natural rocky shores and to investigate the influence of LCS design features on the colonising marine epibiota. LCSs can be considered as a relatively poor surrogate of natural rocky shores. Epibiotic communities were qualitatively similar to those on natural rocky shores as both habitats are regulated by the same physical and biological factors. However, there were quantitative differences in the diversity and abundance of epibiota on artificial structures. Typically, epibiotic assemblages were less diverse than rocky shore communities. Also, LCSs offered less structurally complex habitats for colonisation and in some locations experienced higher disturbance than natural shores. We propose several criteria that can be integrated into the design and construction of LCSs to minimise ecological impacts and allow targeted management of diversity and natural living resources.  相似文献   

8.
Ecological succession has been scarcely investigated on sublittoral rocky cliffs. The few relevant studies deal with the structure of the developing community and are limited to higher taxa or sessile forms. The objective of the present study was to examine succession patterns on algal‐dominated rocky cliffs both at the structural (species composition) and functional (feeding guild composition) level, using Polychaeta, a dominant taxon in this marine habitat, as a reference group. Cement panels were seasonally installed on the rocky substratum (25–30 m depth) and sampled every 3 months over a 1‐year period. Twenty‐nine polychaete species were recorded, previously reported from the surrounding benthic community, and classified into eight feeding guilds. Most species were assigned as sessile filter‐feeders; this guild dominated in abundance and biomass. A strong effect of the length of immersion and of the seasonal onset of succession on the developed communities was assessed: species composition analyses suggested convergence into a similar organization as succession proceeds, whereas the impact of starting season on succession was stronger when analysing feeding guilds. In both cases succession was faster on panels installed in winter. The main emerging patterns were in agreement with relevant surveys of the entire benthic fauna, thus supporting the efficacy of polychaetes as a surrogate group for studying ecological succession in the benthic marine environment.  相似文献   

9.
This study tested whether the development of coralligenous assemblages on horizontal and vertical surfaces differed between localities of high and low sediment deposition. The development and structure of these assemblages varied in predictable ways according to the level of sediment deposition. These differences were largely independent of the orientation of substratum. Turfs were more extensive in areas of high sediment deposition while erect and encrusting algae were most extensive in areas of low sediment deposition. Encrusting invertebrates characterised vertical surfaces and were most extensive in areas of high sediment deposition. These results are consistent with studies from other temperate regions of the globe, suggesting that effects of sedimentation on temperate coasts are substantial and widespread.  相似文献   

10.
世界各海沿岸的潮间带大部分区域是沙滩,这主要是由于波浪的强烈冲击所致。与碎石、石砾滩一样,沙滩对底栖生物的生存显然不利,因而其栖息生物种类比较贫乏,数量也少,完全缺乏大型植物,除了某些特定的沙栖种外,主要是一些小型无脊椎动物和植物。河口附近和内湾水下平台则例外,丰富的有机物质使之成为完全不同的生境。 虽然潮间带生态研究已有一百多年的历史,但有关沙滩生境的研究较少,对沙滩生物的生态特点缺乏系统的探讨。有的学者直接采用岩岸潮间带生态研究方法,这不仅与客观实际不符,而且造成术语上的混乱。另外,在群落结构的研究中也存在不少问题,例如往往没有按生态特点区别底内生物和底表生物,造成对区系性质的错误判断。为此,我们想通过对小场沙滩生境的调查研究,对沙滩潮间带研究中的一些问题进行初步探讨。  相似文献   

11.
In 2006, paired wood and slate panels, each equipped with a temperature probe, were deployed on three different localities on and around the Eiffel Tower edifice (Lucky Strike vent field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge) within close proximity of visible hydrothermal activity. Recovery of these panels took place in 2008. For this two-year deployment period, the composition of colonising organisms (both macro-and meiofauna) was assessed, along with image analyses of the deployment sites in 2006 and 2008. Very few significant differences in colonisation between organic (wood) and inorganic (slate) panels were revealed. Rather, the locality of deployment and the local environmental conditions and hydrothermal activity were found to influence taxonomic composition. Variability in microhabitat conditions and biological interactions were hypothesised to interact jointly in shaping new faunal communities on the colonisation substrata.  相似文献   

12.
Natural assemblages show large variability at multiple scales in space and time as a consequence of several abiotic and biological factors. This study was conducted in conditions of high turbidity of the water and examined the spatio-temporal variability and the vertical distribution at two different depths of a low rocky subtidal assemblage. Algal and invertebrate organisms were sampled at a range of spatial scales extending from meters to a few kilometers, over a period of 21 months. Results indicated that patterns of distribution and abundance of organisms differed between the two depths and at the smallest spatial scales examined. These differences were due to differences in relative abundance rather than differences in composition of taxa. Results showed that assemblages varied largely among dates of sampling, suggesting that temporal variability of these organisms may be more important than previously stated. The patchy distribution and the peculiar life traits of most taxa of these assemblages allowed the concept of metapopulation and metacommunity to be applied to this system. This might have implications for predictions of the responses of subtidal assemblages to environmental changes due to anthropogenic activities.  相似文献   

13.
A set of unified formulas for prediction of the mean rate of wave overtopping at coastal structures with smooth, impermeable surfaces have been derived through the analysis of the selected CLASH datasets. The mean wave overtopping rate is expressed as the function of the significant wave height at the structural toe and the relative freeboard. The formulas are applicable for both vertical walls and inclined seawalls with smooth transition between them. The formulas are simple but cover the full range of water depth from the shoreline to deep water. The effects of the toe depth and the seabed slope on wave overtopping rate are duly incorporated in the formulas. Prediction performance of the new formulas is better than the EurOtop formulas for both vertical walls and inclined seawalls.  相似文献   

14.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly used as a management tool to preserve species and habitats. Testing hypotheses about the effectiveness of MPAs is important for their implementation and to identify informative criteria to support management decisions. This study tested the general proposition that MPAs affected assemblages of algae and invertebrates between 0.0 and 0.5 m above the mean low water level of rocky coasts on two islands in the Tuscan Archipelago (northwest Mediterranean). Protection was concentrated mainly on the west coasts of the islands, raising the possibility that neither the full range of assemblages nor the relevant scales of variation were properly represented within MPAs. This motivated the comparison of assemblages on opposite sides of islands (habitats). The effects of MPAs and habitat were assessed with a multifactorial sampling design; hypotheses were tested about differences in structure of assemblages, in mean abundance of common taxa and in univariate and multivariate measures of spatial variation. The design consisted of three replicate shores for each condition of protected and reference areas on the west side of each island and three unprotected shores on the eastern side. Assemblages were sampled independently four times on each island between June 1999 and January 2001. At each time of sampling two sites were selected randomly at each of two tidal heights to represent midshore and lowshore assemblages on each shore. Estimates of abundance were obtained using non-destructive sampling methods from five replicate 20x20 cm quadrats at each site. Results indicated differences among habitats in structure of assemblages, in mean abundance of common taxa and in univariate and multivariate measures of spatial variation at the scale of shores. Most of these patterns were inconsistent with the predicted effect of management through MPAs. The data suggest that designation of MPAs in the Tuscan Archipelago should proceed through management of multiple shores and types of habitat selected to guarantee protection to a representative sample of assemblages and to the processes responsible for maintenance of spatial patchiness at different scales. This study also shows that considerations of spatial heterogeneity are important to underpin management decisions about the number, size and location of MPAs.  相似文献   

15.
Recruitment is a key factor driving the population dynamics of scleractinian corals, but despite its importance, we still have a poor understanding of recruitment processes in the Coral triangle region, which contains the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world. This study aimed to compare settlement rates to artificial settlement panels with cleared areas of natural reef in order to assess whether panels are a suitable indicator of natural coral settlement rates. We recorded coral settlement rates to panels made of two different materials (concrete and terracotta), attached to the reef at two different orientations (vertical and horizontal), and compared these settlement rates to those on cleared areas of natural reef positioned on vertical reef walls, over a 12 month period. We examined settlement rates at four sites in the Wakatobi National Marine Park, south-east Sulawesi, Indonesia; two reefs were light-limited, highly sedimented sites with low coral cover (<10%) and two had moderate coral cover (approx. 40%) and lower sedimentation rates. Panels were directly attached to the reef at 6–7 m depth. The number of coral spat per tile ranged from 0 to 34 and no significant differences were reported between the settlement rates to cleared natural reef areas and settlement panels. Significantly higher numbers of spat settled on the cryptic (back) side of the panels, while no significant difference was found between settlement rates to the different panel materials, or between the different orientations or any combination of these two factors. There is, however, a significant difference in the settlement rates between sites, for both settlement panels and permanent cleared areas, with higher settlement rates at the sites with higher live coral cover. We conclude that both concrete and terracotta panels yield similar settlement rates, and orientation makes no difference to settlement rates when panels are directly attached to the reef. Our results demonstrate that artificial substrata provide comparable settlement rate data to natural substrata and therefore are suitable for monitoring coral settlement rates in the future.  相似文献   

16.
Canopy-forming algae occur across of range of energy environments (i.e., wave sheltered to exposed coasts) where disturbances are frequent (i.e., gap formation) and benthic patterns largely reflect variation in post-disturbance processes. Disturbances vary in extent (area affected) and intensity (degree of damage), and this may affect recolonisation at local scales. On an open oceanic coast, we tested whether habitat structure (patches of canopy algae) differed between heavy and relatively lighter wave exposure (sheltered vs. exposed sides of islands), and whether wave exposure affected the response of prominent habitat-formers to varying disturbance regimes (different sizes of partial and complete canopy removal). Observations of naturally occurring patterns showed sheltered coasts to be characterised by small patches of fucoids, whereas exposed coasts were characterised by large patches of kelp. Canopy-gaps were larger at exposed than sheltered coasts, and mixed canopies constituted > 24% of the subtidal rocky habitat independently of wave exposure. Experimental disturbances showed the local density of kelps to affect recovery through greater recruitment to partial clearings (80% canopy removal). Fucalean algae, on the other hand, mainly recruited into complete clearings (100% removal), but when their recruits were abundant, they also recruited into partial clearings. The covers of filamentous, turf-forming algae increased in all clearings, and more so at exposed than sheltered sites. Extent of disturbance had no detectable effect on recolonisation by canopy-forming algae across the scales examined (i.e., 1.5 m, 3 m diameter loss of canopy). Recolonisation varied among islands kilometres apart, and correlations (r > 0.85) between cover of canopies and cover of their recruits in clearings at the scale of sites, suggested that differences in propagule supply could account for variation in patterns of recolonisation at scales of kilometres. There was no evidence to suggest that the effect of disturbance depended on wave exposure within the range of exposures tested in this study (i.e. open coasts). We recognise that wave exposure can be fundamental to habitat structure of subtidal rocky coasts, but we suggest that its influence may be mediated by the biological setting (e.g., canopy composition).  相似文献   

17.
The use of hard coastal-defence structures, like breakwaters and seawalls, is rapidly increasing to prevent coastal erosion. We compared low-shore assemblages between wave-protected and wave-exposed habitats on breakwaters along a sandy shore of Tuscany (North-Western Mediterranean). Assemblages were generally characterized by a low diversity of taxa, with space monopolized by Mytilus galloprovincialis and Corallina elongata on the seaward side of breakwaters and by filamentous algae on the landward side. Assemblages in wave-protected habitats were characterized by greater temporal stability than those in exposed habitats and supported non-indigenous macroalgae such as Caulerpa racemosa and Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides. Hence, the introduction of hard coastal-defence structures in otherwise soft-bottom dominated areas, attracting native and exotic rocky-bottom species, should be of great concern for the conservation of marine biodiversity at local and regional scales and for the management of biological invasions.  相似文献   

18.
Abstract. .The distribution in space and time of a hydroid community on a vertical rocky substratum is studied from the surface to 20 m depth. The role of the major environmental factors (light, water movement, temperature) in determining the zonation is evaluated. The results are compared with the main zonation models of Mediterranean benthos. The autecology of the collected species is briefly described.  相似文献   

19.
本文研究了宁波海岛潮间带的生物数量组成与分布规律。岩礁潮间带平均生物量(2512.94g/m2)高于沙质潮间带(47.64g/m2)高于泥沙质潮间带(22.36g/m2),而密度为岩礁潮间带(987.2个/m2)高于泥沙质潮间带(281.2个/m2)高于沙质潮间带(20.0个/m2)。主要生物类群有甲壳动物、藻类及软体动物。岩礁潮间带生物量从近岸向外海增加。泥沙质潮间带的生物量和密度从北至南增加。  相似文献   

20.
By creating novel habitats, habitat‐modifying species can alter patterns of diversity and abundance in marine communities. Many sea urchins are important habitat modifiers in tropical and temperate systems. By eroding rocky substrata, urchins can create a mosaic of urchin‐sized cavities or pits separated by exposed, often flat surfaces. These microhabitats appear to harbor distinct assemblages of species. We investigated how a temperate rocky intertidal community uses three small‐scale (<100 cm2) microhabitats created by or adjacent to populations of the purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus): pits occupied by urchins, unoccupied pits, and adjacent flat spaces. In tidepools, flat spaces harbored the highest percent cover of algae and sessile fauna, followed by empty pits and then occupied pits. The Shannon diversity and richness of these sessile taxa were significantly higher in flat spaces and empty pits than in occupied pits. The composition of these primary space holders in the microhabitats also varied. Unlike primary space holders, mobile fauna exhibited higher diversity and richness in empty pits than in flat spaces and occupied pits, although results were not significant. The protective empty pit microhabitat harbored the highest densities of most trophic functional groups. Herbivores, however, were densest in flat spaces, concordant with high algal coverage. These results suggest the habitats created by S. purpuratus in addition to its biological activities alter community structure at spatial scales finer than those typically considered for sea urchins.  相似文献   

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