Invasion of Sargassum muticum in intertidal rockpools: Patterns along the Atlantic Iberian Peninsula |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Zoology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain;2. Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain;1. EPOC, UMR CNRS 5805, University of Bordeaux, Pessac, France;2. Univ. Nîmes, EA 7352 CHROME, rue du Dr Georges Salan, 30021 Nîmes, France |
| |
| Abstract: | Spatial patterns of non-indigenous species show scale-dependent properties. Sargassum muticum is an invasive macroalga widely distributed along the Atlantic Iberian Peninsula. Despite being quite abundant from Norway to South Portugal, there is little information about its patterns of distribution, particularly at a large spatial scale (i.e. thousands of kilometres). Here, we examined the spatial variation in the invasion success of S. muticum from rockpools at multiple spatial scales using a hierarchical design. In addition, we analysed how the richness of native assemblages was related to its invasion success and how this relationship changed over different scales. Most of the variation in the invasion success was found at the smallest scales of pool and plot. Furthermore, the invasibility of native macroalgal assemblages was related to the native species richness, but causes that determined invasion success could not be separated from the effects provoked by the invader. Results suggest that small-scale (centimetres to metres) processes contribute considerably to the heterogeneity of S. muticum invasion success. |
| |
| Keywords: | Macroalgal assemblages Biodiversity Invasion success Spatial scales Benthic ecology Coastal zone Conservation Ecosystem management |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
