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Temporal and spatial variation in the density of mobile epifauna and grazing damage on the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum

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Abstract

The temporal and multiple-scale spatial variation in the density of mobile epifauna and grazing damage was investigated in populations of the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (Fucales: Phaeophyta). The relationship between density of grazers and grazing marks was also analyzed. The study was carried out in two locations of the northeastern Atlantic: one at the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea, and the other at Tjärnö, on the Swedish west coast. Furthermore, the effect of grazing marks on the probability of frond breakage was evaluated in a 1-year experiment carried out on the Isle of Man. High temporal and small-scale spatial variability was recorded in the density of mobile epifauna. A high percentage of species were herbivores, i.e. mesograzers. Adult plants of A. nodosum have several primary vegetative fronds with apical growth. Grazing marks were commonly found along the fronds. Similar levels of grazing damage were detected at the two locations, despite the observed qualitative differences in the grazing assemblages. Small-scale spatial variability in grazing marks was important, with differences in the density of grazing wounds among plants, fronds, and even within fronds. A significant correlation between the proportion of grazed apices and the density of the isopod Idotea spp. and grazing amphipods considered together was detected. This probably reflects the simultaneous feeding activity of these two groups of grazers and suggests the presence of feeding facilitation mechanisms between them. Grazing marks were concentrated in the apical part of the shoots. The results of this study also showed that grazing damage increased the probability of breakage, especially of shorter fronds. This suggests that grazing damage affects the demography of shoots and plants, increasing the transition probabilities to smaller sizes. The presence of interactive effects between grazing and plant density in these A. nodosum populations of northeastern Atlantic shores was also discussed on the basis of the results of this and a previous study.

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Acknowledgements

We thank F. Arenas, J. Oliveros and C. Tendi for help in the field on the Isle of Man, R. Berg for the collection of some samples at Tjärnö and all the people at Tjärnö and Port Erin Marine Laboratories for their help and support. We are also very grateful to H.G. Hansson for help with the identification and nomenclature of animal species and to H. Pavia and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on the manuscript. This study was in part funded by the EU MASTIII project EUROROCK (MAS3-CT95-0012) and a grant from "Kapten C. Stenholms donationsfond". R.V. held a postdoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Education.

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  1. R. M. Viejo

    Present address: Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Tulipán s/n Móstoles, 28933, Madrid, Spain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Ecology, Marine Botany, Göteborg University, Box 461, 40530, Göteborg, Sweden

    R. M. Viejo & P. Åberg

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  1. R. M. Viejo
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Correspondence to R. M. Viejo.

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Communicated by S.A. Poulet, Roscoff

Appendix 1. Feeding habits of the epifauna associated with Ascophyllum nodosum

Appendix 1. Feeding habits of the epifauna associated with Ascophyllum nodosum

Herbivores

  1. a.

    Feeding mostly on macroalgae

    • Littorina obtusata (Hawkins and Hartnoll 1983; Pavia et al. 1999)

    • L. littorea (Watson and Norton 1985)

    • Dynamene bidentata (Holdich 1976; Arrontes 1990)

    • Idotea spp. (Nicotri 1980; Kangas et al. 1982; Salemaa 1987; Pavia et al. 1999)

    • Genus Gammarus (Hawkins and Hartnoll 1983), G. locusta (Pavia et al. 1999)

    • Hyale prevostii (Moore 1977; Viejo and Arrontes 1992)

    • Genus Ampithoe (Duffy 1990)

  2. b.

    Feeding on macro- and microalgae

    • Lacuna vincta (Fretter and Manly 1977; Johnson and Mann 1986)

    • Chironomidae larvae (Robles and Cubit 1981)

    • Gibbula spp. (Withers et al. 1975; Hawkins and Hartnoll 1983; Mazzella and Russo 1989)

  3. c.

    Feeding mostly on microalgae

    • L. fabalis (Williams 1992; Watson and Norton 1985)

    • Jaera (albifrons) (Pavia et al. 1999 and references therein)

Predators

  • Tanaidae (Barnes 1984)

  • Carcinus maenas (Cohen et al. 1995)

  • Pycnogonida (Barnes 1984)

Detritivores

  • Cingula trifasciata (Graham 1988)

  • Corophium spp. (Barnes 1984)

  • Microdeutopus (chelifer) (Muñoz-Cobo 1981)

  • Calliopiidae: Apherusa spp. (Muñoz-Cobo 1981)

Omnivores

  • Phthisica marina: filter feeder (Muñoz-Cobo 1981); predator (Costa 1960, cited in McCain 1968)

  • Rissoidae: detritivores and herbivores (Warén 1996)

  • Bittium reticulatum: detritivore and herbivore (Borja 1986)

  • Jassa (falcata): filter feeder and herbivore on microalgae (Duffy 1990)

  • Calliopiidae: Calliopius laeviusculus: predator and herbivore on macroalgae (Pederson and Capuzzo 1984)

  • Stenothoidae: comensal/parasite with sessile invertebrates (Muñoz-Cobo 1981; Duffy 1990); detritivores and grazers (Muñoz-Cobo 1981)

  • Polychaeta: Errantia: predators, herbivores, filter feeders (Fauchald and Jumars 1979)

  • Asteroidea: young asteroids and Asterinidae: detritivores and herbivores on microalgae (Sloan 1980)

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Viejo, R.M., Åberg, P. Temporal and spatial variation in the density of mobile epifauna and grazing damage on the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum . Marine Biology 142, 1229–1241 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-002-0994-3

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