A comparative biodiversity study of the associated fauna of perennial fucoids and filamentous algae

Råberg, Sonja; Kautsky, Lena

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2007.01.005

Cited by 54 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…An explanation for the lack of response of Idotea spp. might be the role that Fucus plays as a habitat, providing not only food but also shelter against disturbance or predation (Orav-Korra & Kotta 2004, Wikström & Kautsky 2007, Råberg & Kautsky 2007. Idotea spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of seabird nesting colonies on algae and aquatic invertebrates in coastal waters

Kolb

Ekholm²,

Hambäck³

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Seabirds concentrate nutrients from large marine areas on their nesting islands. The high nutrient load may cause runoff into surrounding waters and affect marine communities in similar ways to those reported from marine fertilization experiments. In order to test if cormorant colonies affect algae and invertebrates in surrounding coastal waters, we collected Fucus vesiculosus fronds, its epiphytic algae, and associated invertebrate fauna near abandoned and active cormorant nesting islands as well as reference islands without nesting cormorants in the Stockholm archipelago in the northern Baltic Sea, Sweden. First, we showed, with δ 15 N analyses, that ornithogenic nitrogen provided a significant nitrogen source for algae and invertebrate consumers near islands with high nest density. Second, the nitrogen and phosphorus content of algae near active cormorant islands with high nest density was elevated, and epiphytic algae increased relative to F. vesiculosus. Third, 3 of 5 invertebrate taxa (Jaera albifrons, Gammarus spp., and Chironomidae) showed increased biomasses near islands with high nest density; but, contrary to former fertilization studies, only J. albifrons increased in abundance compared to reference islands. We conclude that runoff from seabird colonies has a profound effect on primary producers and some consumers in the surrounding water, but only if the colonies exceed a certain nest density. Thus, seabirds not only affect marine communities via top-town forces as commonly assumed, but also via bottom-up forces by concentrating nutrients around their nesting islands. Consequently, seabird islands can be seen as natural fertilization experiments and give important insights to the effects of eutrophication of marine systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Samples were collected 0.5 to 5 m from the shoreline, and at 0.5 to 2 m depth. We used a 0.2 m 2 frame with an attached net bag (1 mm mesh size) to collect samples from a standardized area (Råberg & Kautsky 2007). Samples were immediately transferred into plastic bags and stored in the freezer until sorting.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of seabird nesting colonies on algae and aquatic invertebrates in coastal waters

Kolb

Ekholm²,

Hambäck³

2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…In some shallow European lakes restored after eutrophication, replacement of Potamogeton species with Chara species has been followed by changed composition of plant-associated invertebrates (van den Berg et al 1997). On hard bottoms in the Baltic Sea, it has been suggested that the replacement of canopy-forming Fucus species with annual filamentous algae due to increased nutrient levels changes the invertebrate composition, either decreasing (Råberg and Kautsky 2007;Wikström and Kautsky 2007) or increasing (Kraufvelin and Salovius 2004) the abundance of individuals. Records of alteration in faunal community due to vegetation change are lacking for shallow soft-bottom bays of the Baltic Sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution differences and active habitat choices of invertebrates between macrophytes of different morphological complexity

et al. 2010

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This study explores: (1) whether the abundance of macroinvertebrates differs between macrophytes differing in both morphological complexity and tolerance to nutrient enrichment; (2) whether the distribution of invertebrates between macrophytes is due to active habitat choice; and (3) whether invertebrates prefer structurally complex to simple macrophytes. Macroinvertebrate abundance was compared between two common soft-bottom plants in the Baltic Sea that are tolerant to eutrophication, Myriophyllum spicatum and Potamogeton pectinatus, and one common plant that is sensitive to eutrophication, Chara baltica. Both field sampling and habitat choice experiments were conducted. We recorded higher total macroinvertebrate abundance on the structurally complex M. spicatum than on the more simply structured P. pectinatus and C. baltica, but found no difference in macroinvertebrate abundance between P. pectinatus and C. baltica. In accordance with the field results, our experiment indicated that the crustacean Gammarus oceanicus actively chose M. spicatum over the other macrophytes. Besides, we found that G. oceanicus actively preferred complex to simply structured artificial plants, indicating that the animal distribution was at least partly driven by differences in morphological complexity between plant species. In contrast, the gastropod Theodoxus fluviatilis did not make an active habitat choice between the plants. Our findings suggest that human-induced changes in vegetation composition can affect the faunal community. Increased abundance of structurally complex macrophytes, for example, M. spicatum, can result in increased abundance of macroinvertebrates, particularly mobile arthropods that may actively choose a more structurally complex macrophyte.

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“…The most common gastropod species found on Fucus collected during the study period was Theodoxus, while Idotea was the second most common crustacean species (the most common crustacean group comprises Gammarus spp.). The abundances of Idotea and Theodoxus in the experimental setup were in the upper range of the field abundances found on Fucus thalli in the area (Råberg & Kautsky 2007a). The grazers were transferred to the containers 1 wk after setting up the Fucus specimens and the nutrient diffusers, and the experiment was run for 4 wk.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazer identity is crucial for facilitating growth of the perennial brown alga Fucus vesiculosus

Råberg

Kautsky²

2008

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The positive top-down effects on macrophytes of the removal of fouling epiphytes by herbivores versus negative bottom-up effects of enhanced epiphyte growth through nutrient enrichment are known from previous works. However, few studies have differentiated effects within the suite of herbivore species, nor have they investigated the potential negative effects of these grazers on macrophytes. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to investigate the impact of different grazer compositions (no grazers, the isopod Idotea baltica, the gastropod Theodoxus fluviatilis, and a mixture of both species) and nutrient levels (ambient and enriched) on growth of the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus. Herbivore facilitation depended on grazer identity, as only the treatments that included T. fluviatilis increased the growth rate of F. vesiculosus. Since I. baltica reduced the epiphyte population by the same amount as T. fluviatilis, we suggest that the grazing activities of this isopod on F. vesiculosus itself may have counteracted any positive effect of epiphytic removal. The same explanation may account for the similar growth rates in the treatments with T. fluviatilis alone and with both herbivorous species together, despite the lower epiphytic load in the latter treatment. In contrast, earlier published data suggested that T. fluviatilis facilitation is greater than that of I. baltica because of different epiphytic algal preferences between the grazers. Nutrient addition treatments, despite significantly increasing epiphyte load, had no effect on the growth rate of F. vesiculosus.

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A comparative biodiversity study of the associated fauna of perennial fucoids and filamentous algae

Cited by 54 publications

References 35 publications

Effects of seabird nesting colonies on algae and aquatic invertebrates in coastal waters

Effects of seabird nesting colonies on algae and aquatic invertebrates in coastal waters

Distribution differences and active habitat choices of invertebrates between macrophytes of different morphological complexity

Grazer identity is crucial for facilitating growth of the perennial brown alga Fucus vesiculosus

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