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Macrobenthos of the nearshore Aleutian Archipelago, with emphasis on invertebrates associated with Clathromorphum nereostratum (Rhodophyta, Corallinaceae)

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Abstract

In the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, crustose coralline algae can be widespread in the low intertidal and shallow subtidal regions, and cover most available hard substrates. The longevity and slow growth-rate of coralline algae make them vulnerable to major disturbances, including anthropogenic disturbances and ocean acidification. Subtidal habitats dominated by crustose coralline algae are often associated with sea urchin-barren grounds and regarded as supporting limited invertebrate communities, especially compared with the adjacent kelp forests. Clathromorphum nereostratum is one of the most abundant crustose coralline algae found in the Aleutian Islands. Although the surface of this crustose alga exhibits little structural complexity, it can develop into crusts half-a-meter thick (2-10 cm in this study) that provide microhabitats for a variety of cryptic invertebrates. Despite the omnipresence of this alga throughout the nearshore Aleutians, very little is known about its associated faunal community. In the summers of 2006 and 2007, a benthic survey was conducted at 50 sites throughout the shallow (<20 m), nearshore Aleutian Islands as part of the Alaska Monitoring and Assessment Program. The habitat encountered at each site was categorized as soft sediment, macroalgae-dominated, or crustose coralline-dominated. At each site, scuba divers sampled three 0.06-m2 quadrats. Invertebrate communities associated with thick crustose coralline algae were compared with soft-sediment and macroalgae-dominated communities based on faunal abundance and diversity. Despite the depauperate appearance of crustose habitats, this study revealed that crustose environments support faunal communities as diverse and abundant as those found in rich macroalgal habitats.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Cooperative Office of Research and Development Agreement CR-83172801-1 to Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Alaska Monitoring and Assessment Program (AKMAP) (Dr. Douglas Dasher) and University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Marine Science (Dr. Stephen Jewett). The authors would like to thank the other divers involved in the 2006 and 2007 cruises, Reid Brewer, Roger Clark, Roger Deffendall, and Shawn Harper. We also thank Douglas Dasher, Nick Dallman, Jim Gendron, and Terry Lomax of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and Dixon Landers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their essential collaboration. We are very grateful to Mandy Lindeberg for her expertise and enthusiasm about algae and to the crew of the R/V Norseman, Captain Paul Tate, Jamie Barna, Bart Campbell, Algie Frisby, Scott Hameister, and Charley Watson, for their invaluable assistance throughout the cruises. The authors also appreciate the constructive comments provided by Dr. Howard M. Feder and two anonymous reviewers. This publication was originally presented at the Arctic Frontiers Conference in Tromsø, January 2010. The support and initiative of ARCTOS and Arctic Frontiers are gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7220, USA

    Heloise Chenelot, Stephen C. Jewett & Max K. Hoberg

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  1. Heloise Chenelot
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  2. Stephen C. Jewett
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Correspondence to Heloise Chenelot.

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This article belongs to the special issue “Marine Biodiversity under Change”.

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Chenelot, H., Jewett, S.C. & Hoberg, M.K. Macrobenthos of the nearshore Aleutian Archipelago, with emphasis on invertebrates associated with Clathromorphum nereostratum (Rhodophyta, Corallinaceae). Mar Biodiv 41, 413–424 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-010-0071-y

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