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Effects of avian grazing on the algal community and small invertebrates in the rocky intertidal zone

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Ecological Research

Abstract

In this study of a rocky intertidal habitat in northern Japan, feeding by avian consumers had significant effects on algal assemblages and small herbivorous invertebrates. The effects of the birds on algae were different from those of invertebrate grazers such as urchins and gastropods. The abundance of the dominant algal species decreased during the grazing period, increased again after the grazing period, and indirectly affected algal species richness and evenness. Avian grazing also decreased the density of tube-dwelling amphipods on the dominant alga, but did not change the density of mobile and free-living isopods. These results suggest that avian grazers may act as habitat modifiers rather than exploitative competitors for the small herbivorous crustaceans. Avian herbivores consumed only the upper parts of large algal fronds, apparently reducing the amount of suitable microhabitat for the small herbivorous crustaceans, which are subject to a variety of physical or biological stress. Thus, avian herbivores function as ecosystem engineers, regulating community structure in a manner different to invertebrate herbivores in rocky intertidal habitats.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank S. Thrush, D. Lohrer, and T. Wootton for their number of beneficial comments on the MS. We also thank S. Goshima, H. Ogi, A. S. Ilano, M. Nakaoka, and T. Miyashita for a number of helpful suggestions. T. Amano gave us some suggestions about avian foraging. This work was made possible by the generous hospitality of the fishery officers of the Hiura Fishermen’s Cooperative Association. We would also like to thank the members of the Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity of Hokkaido University for their help in the field.

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Author notes

  1. Masakazu Hori

    Present address: National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Fisheries Research Agency, 2-17-5 Maruishi, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, 739-0452, Japan

  2. Takashi Noda

    Present address: Graduate School of Environmental Science, North 10 West 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Biodiversity Science, School of Agriculture and Life Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Masakazu Hori

  2. Department of Marine Biodiversity, Graduate School of Fisheries Science, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 041-8611, Japan

    Takashi Noda & Shigeru Nakao

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  1. Masakazu Hori
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Correspondence to Masakazu Hori.

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Hori, M., Noda, T. & Nakao, S. Effects of avian grazing on the algal community and small invertebrates in the rocky intertidal zone. Ecol Res 21, 768–775 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-006-0192-8

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