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Recovery after trampling disturbance in a canopy-forming seaweed population

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Abstract

The recovery of Ascophyllum nodosum, and the associated benthic community, was followed after repeated trampling disturbance at different intensities, from 2005 to 2010, at its southern limit (41°41′27″N; 8°50′57″W). The cover of A. nodosum and associated organisms and the demography of A. nodosum individuals in the most disturbed areas were followed over a recovery period of 54 months. Recovery of A. nodosum assemblages was negatively affected by increasing trampling intensity. After 54 months, the highest intensity plots were still significantly different from control plots. Growth and mortality rates of A. nodosum increased shortly after disturbance but progressively recovered to levels close to control plots. The results of this study demonstrate the sensitivity of this habitat-building species to human trampling and also show its plasticity to cope with disturbance events.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by projects and a fellowship (R.A.) of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), co-funded by POCI 2010, FEDER and FSE, and the EU network of Excellence MARBEF—Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function. We thank Iacopo Bertocci for helping in the data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto (CIMAR-Porto), Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal

    Araújo Rita & Sousa-Pinto Isabel

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4050, Porto, Portugal

    Sousa-Pinto Isabel

  3. Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve (CIMAR-Algarve), Campus of Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Ester A. Serrão

  4. Department of Marine Ecology, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, 40530, Göteborg, Sweden

    Åberg Per

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  1. Araújo Rita
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  2. Sousa-Pinto Isabel
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Correspondence to Araújo Rita.

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Communicated by F. Bulleri.

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Rita, A., Isabel, SP., Serrão, E.A. et al. Recovery after trampling disturbance in a canopy-forming seaweed population. Mar Biol 159, 697–707 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1847-8

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