Patterns of mussel recruitment in southern Africa: a caution about using artificial substrata to approximate natural recruitment

Reaugh-Flower, Kathleen; Branch, George M.; Harris, Jean M.; McQuaid, Christopher D.; Currie, Bronwen; Dye, A.H.; Robertson, B. L.

doi:10.1007/s00227-010-1482-9

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Mussel recruitment was highest in areas identified as having high productivity (Bustamante et al 1995, Bustamante & Branch 1996, Lombard et al 2004) and constant wind-driven upwelling (Shannon 1985), and lowest in areas with low productivity and topographically induced or no upwelling (Schumann 1999, Roberts 2005). Reaugh-Flower et al (2010) have previously noted this gradient of recruitment. On the West Coast, where multiple species recruited at each location, intrinsic differences among the species involved may have contributed to this pattern.…”

Section: Recruitment Patterns and Causesmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Sites were selected to ensure consistency of slope (< 30°), topography (rock faces were smooth, although rock type varied) and wave action (all opencoast wave-exposed; see Harris et al 1998). Sampling methods followed those detailed in Reaugh et al (2007) and Reaugh-Flower et al (2010). At each location, 4 sites 1 to 25 km apart were selected, except at Dwesa (3 sites) and Zululand (5 sites).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Scale-dependent patterns and processes of intertidal mussel recruitment around southern Africa

Reaugh-Flower¹,

Branch²,

Harris³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Different processes shape ecological communities at different physical scales. Their relative importance is central to ecology, particularly in the case of foundational species like mussels. For 5 yr at 8 locations across 5 bioregions spanning 3200 km of the southern African coast, we monitored recruitment and adult populations of 4 intertidal mussel species. At most locations, mussel bed width and percent cover were surprisingly constant, but declines did occur at 3 locations. Recruitment rates displayed a strong geographic gradient: exceptionally high on the West Coast, low on the South Coast and intermediate on the East Coast. At a regional scale, significant positive relationships existed between the magnitude of annual recruitment maxima and (1) adult abundance, (2) intertidal primary productivity and (3) the magnitude of upwelling. Recruitment was highest at locations with large adult populations, high productivity and more upwelling. Within locations, recruitment varied inconsistently among sites, years and seasons. Sea temperature and recruitment were seasonal at all locations except in the southern Benguela, suggesting they are linked. At the medium scale (<1 km), at which local hydrology is believed to be important, relationships between recruitment and adult abundance were observed at only 2 locations, while at the smallest scale (<1 m), significant positive relationships were more common. Two of the 3 locations with lowest recruitment were recruitlimited. This has important management implications because low-recruitment and recruit-limited locations in southern Africa occur where human exploitation is most intense.

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Section: Recruitment Patterns and Causesmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scale-dependent patterns and processes of intertidal mussel recruitment around southern Africa

Reaugh-Flower¹,

Branch²,

Harris³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We, however, successfully trapped the settlers of the most abundant sesarmid species at the 4 sites, and our data are in accord with a number of published results showing how populations of a number of intertidal animals dwelling on east and southern African coasts appear to be recruitment-limited. For example, this limitation has been advocated for various east African popu lations of mangrove crabs (Paula et al 2001, 2003, Ragionieri et al 2015 and southern African rocky shore populations of the mussel Perna perna (Harris et al 1998, Reaugh-Flower et al 2010, which all show very limited, variable and apparently random settlement patterns of their final stage larvae. This pattern might be linked to very dynamic alongshore transport (Reaugh-Flower et al 2010) once exported outside the estuaries.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recruitment limitation and competent settlement of sesarmid crab larvae within East African mangrove forests

Cannicci¹,

Mostert²,

Fratini³

et al. 2019

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The functioning of many ecosystems is highly dependent on their faunal communities, dominated by brachyuran crabs. Key to the maintenance of crab populations are the factors that influence their recruitment into the system, particularly the settlement of their megalopae. While spawning is normally highly synchronised, settlement is often not, implying temporal disruption between spawning and settlement. We examined the roles of several key factors (vegetation type, day/night cycle, and lunar phase) on settlement, testing for generality by working in mangroves at 2 sites in Kenya and South Africa. At each site, larval settlement was quantified using artificial collectors placed in 2 vegetation zones for 12 h periods throughout the part of the neap-spring tidal cycle when tide was sufficient to cover the collectors. This continued for 6 mo in Kenya and 11 mo in South Africa, giving the first long-term settlement dataset for east African mangroves. Moon phase proved to have a major role in megalopal settlement, which demonstrated a high degree of spatial specificity. Settlement was correlated across species with tidal amplitude on both short (monthly) and long time scales and focussed on the vegetation zones occupied by conspecific adults. As the distribution of mangrove species is tightly related to local hydrology, this implies a feedback situation with the conservation of mangroves requiring the maintenance of patterns of water flow within the system to support both the vegetation and the associated fauna.

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Reproduction, Larval Development, Dispersal and Recruitment

2021

Marine Mussels

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Patterns of mussel recruitment in southern Africa: a caution about using artificial substrata to approximate natural recruitment

Cited by 7 publications

References 41 publications

Scale-dependent patterns and processes of intertidal mussel recruitment around southern Africa

Scale-dependent patterns and processes of intertidal mussel recruitment around southern Africa

Recruitment limitation and competent settlement of sesarmid crab larvae within East African mangrove forests

Reproduction, Larval Development, Dispersal and Recruitment

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