Effects of dead oyster shells as a habitat for the benthic faunal community along rocky shore regions

Hydrobiologia volume 790, pages225–232(2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Foundation species are crucial to understanding the mechanisms underlying faunal community structure. The present study aimed to clarify the habitat function of empty shells from dead oysters Saccostrea kegaki for the benthic faunal community of an intertidal rocky shore. We evaluated whether macroinvertebrates used the shells as a habitat. Results demonstrated that limpets (the dominant macroinvertebrates at the study site) did so more frequently than they inhabited live oysters, other sessile organisms, or rock surfaces. The dead oyster shells successfully functioned as a refuge from predation and as a nursery for limpets, because of their structural complexity (the presence of a depression on the inner side of the shell). Therefore, our study demonstrates the importance of dead S. kegaki, a shell-forming foundation species, and illustrates that the structural complexity of such species might result in habitat functions upon their death.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the technical staff of the Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba (Yasutaka Tsuchiya, Toshihiko Sato, Hideo Shinagawa, and Yutaro Yamada) for their assistance during the experiments and specimen sampling. This study was supported by the Research Institute of Marine Invertebrates (Tokyo) 2015KO-4.

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  1. Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, 5-10-1, Shimoda, Shizuoka, 415-0025, Japan

    Morihiko Tomatsuri & Koetsu Kon

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  1. Morihiko Tomatsuri
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  2. Koetsu Kon
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Correspondence to Morihiko Tomatsuri.

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Handling editor: Iacopo Bertocci

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Tomatsuri, M., Kon, K. Effects of dead oyster shells as a habitat for the benthic faunal community along rocky shore regions. Hydrobiologia 790, 225–232 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-3033-y

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Keywords

  • Foundation species
  • Habitat function
  • Limpet
  • Oyster
  • Shelter