Population dynamics of the invasive bryozoan Membranipora membranacea along a 450-km latitudinal range in the subarctic northwestern Atlantic

Caines, Scott; Gagnon, Patrick

doi:10.1007/s00227-012-1972-z

Cited by 20 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…A study of M. membranacea on the giant bladder kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) in California by Yoshioka (1982) showed that temperature and larval abundance, which affects recruitment, played a major role in population fluctuations of M. membranacea. This was also shown in a study of the same species on the kelp S. longicruris in northern Canada (Caines & Gagnon, 2012). The rise in temperature may though not be causative, but indirectly affect other factors like phytoplankton increase, larval supply, and increased growth rate in general.…”

Section: Zooplankton Samplingmentioning

confidence: 56%

Development of bryozoan fouling on cultivated kelp (Saccharina latissima) in Norway

et al. 2015

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Section: Zooplankton Samplingmentioning

confidence: 56%

Development of bryozoan fouling on cultivated kelp (Saccharina latissima) in Norway

et al. 2015

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“…They also provide new insights into the biologically relevant temperature range for S . droebachiensis during summer at our study site, when sea temperature typically drops and rises by up to 10°C over the course of only a few hours to days [ 35 , 36 ]. Experiment 1 established that kelp consumption by urchins in the laboratory increased linearly with temperature across the 3–12°C range and dropped markedly within and above the 12–15°C range.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our objective was to examine individual feeding during the first few weeks of summer, when urchin aggregation and grazing increase at the lower margin of kelp beds in eastern Canada [ 23 , 24 , 28 ]. We chose these temperature treatments because sea temperature in coastal Newfoundland, including at BCC, generally increases by 10–15°C between June (~1–2°C) and early August (~12–16°C) [ 35 , 36 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changes of this magnitude may qualify as a shock. However, they do occur in coastal Newfoundland (including BCC) in early summer, with relatively frequent drops and rises of up to 10°C over the course of only a few hours to days [ 35 , 36 ]. We did not acclimate the urchins to the experimental temperature treatments because 1) incorporating the natural thermal history of urchins into trials was a more accurate representation of natural processes affecting individual urchin feeding over the short term; and 2) the variable thermal environment to which they were exposed prior to trials made it impossible to determine a proper acclimation time for each temperature treatment.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermal and Hydrodynamic Environments Mediate Individual and Aggregative Feeding of a Functionally Important Omnivore in Reef Communities

Frey

Gagnon

2015

PLoS ONE

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In eastern Canada, the destruction of kelp beds by dense aggregations (fronts) of the omnivorous green sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, is a key determinant of the structure and dynamics of shallow reef communities. Recent studies suggest that hydrodynamic forces, but not sea temperature, determine the strength of urchin-kelp interactions, which deviates from the tenets of the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE). We tested the hypothesis that water temperature can predict short-term kelp bed destruction by S. droebachiensis in calm hydrodynamic environments. Specifically, we experimentally determined relationships among water temperature, body size, and individual feeding in the absence of waves, as well as among wave velocity, season, and aggregative feeding. We quantified variation in kelp-bed boundary dynamics, sea temperature, and wave height over three months at one subtidal site in Newfoundland to test the validity of thermal tipping ranges and regression equations derived from laboratory results. Consistent with the MTE, individual feeding during early summer (June-July) obeyed a non-linear, size- and temperature-dependent relationship: feeding in large urchins was consistently highest and positively correlated with temperature <12°C and dropped within and above the 12–15°C tipping range. This relationship was more apparent in large than small urchins. Observed and expected rates of kelp loss based on sea temperature and urchin density and size structure at the front were highly correlated and differed by one order of magnitude. The present study speaks to the importance of considering body size and natural variation in sea temperature in studies of urchin-kelp interactions. It provides the first compelling evidence that sea temperature, and not only hydrodynamic forces, can predict kelp bed destruction by urchin fronts in shallow reef communities. Studying urchin-seaweed-predator interactions within the conceptual foundations of the MTE holds high potential for improving capacity to predict and manage shifts in marine food web structure and productivity.

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“…These patterns of variation mainly reflect conditions at the two study sites in the present study. Patterns may change slightly with location because of the importance of the thermal environment to the biology of D. viridis (see above) and latitudinal variation in sea temperature in eastern Canada [35] , [63] – [65] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Canopy-Forming Seaweeds in Urchin-Dominated Systems in Eastern Canada: Structuring Forces or Simple Prey for Keystone Grazers?

Blain

Gagnon

2014

PLoS ONE

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Models of benthic community dynamics for the extensively studied, shallow rocky ecosystems in eastern Canada emphasize kelp-urchin interactions. These models may bias the perception of factors and processes that structure communities, for they largely overlook the possible contribution of other seaweeds to ecosystem resilience. We examined the persistence of the annual, acidic (H2SO4), brown seaweed Desmarestia viridis in urchin barrens at two sites in Newfoundland (Canada) throughout an entire growth season (February to October). We also compared changes in epifaunal assemblages in D. viridis and other conspicuous canopy-forming seaweeds, the non-acidic conspecific Desmarestia aculeata and kelp Agarum clathratum. We show that D. viridis can form large canopies within the 2-to-8 m depth range that represent a transient community state termed “Desmarestia bed”. The annual resurgence of Desmarestia beds and continuous occurrence of D. aculeata and A. clathratum, create biological structure for major recruitment pulses in invertebrate and fish assemblages (e.g. from quasi-absent gastropods to >150 000 recruits kg−1 D. viridis). Many of these pulses phase with temperature-driven mass release of acid to the environment and die-off in D. viridis. We demonstrate experimentally that the chemical makeup of D. viridis and A. clathratum helps retard urchin grazing compared to D. aculeata and the highly consumed kelp Alaria esculenta. In light of our findings and related studies, we propose fundamental changes to the study of community shifts in shallow, rocky ecosystems in eastern Canada. In particular, we advocate the need to regard certain canopy-forming seaweeds as structuring forces interfering with top-down processes, rather than simple prey for keystone grazers. We also propose a novel, empirical model of ecological interactions for D. viridis. Overall, our study underscores the importance of studying organisms together with cross-scale environmental variability to better understand the factors and processes that shape marine communities.

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Population dynamics of the invasive bryozoan Membranipora membranacea along a 450-km latitudinal range in the subarctic northwestern Atlantic

Cited by 20 publications

References 61 publications

Development of bryozoan fouling on cultivated kelp (Saccharina latissima) in Norway

Development of bryozoan fouling on cultivated kelp (Saccharina latissima) in Norway

Thermal and Hydrodynamic Environments Mediate Individual and Aggregative Feeding of a Functionally Important Omnivore in Reef Communities

Canopy-Forming Seaweeds in Urchin-Dominated Systems in Eastern Canada: Structuring Forces or Simple Prey for Keystone Grazers?

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