Population Structure, Growth, and Fecundity of the Kelp Forest Mysid Holmesimysis costata in Monterey Bay, California

Turpen, Sheila L.; Hunt, John W.; Anderson, Brian S.; Pearse, J. S.

doi:10.2307/1548859

Cited by 19 publications

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“…) (Turpen et al . , Feyrer ). In general, we find annual prey density peaks in July (Table ), but timing may be offset by spring climatic conditions, whale density, or foraging effort (Nelson et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threshold foraging by gray whales in response to fine scale variations in mysid density

Feyrer

Duffus

2014

Marine Mammal Science

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The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is a coastal species whose nearshore summer foraging grounds off the coast of British Columbia offer an opportunity to study the fine scale foraging response of baleen whales. We explore the relationship between prey density and gray whale foraging starting with regional scale (10 km) assessments of whale density (per square kilometer) and foraging effort as a response to regional mysid density (per cubic meter), between 2006 and 2007. In addition we measure prey density at a local scale (100 m), while following foraging whales during focal surveys. We found regional mysid density had a significant positive relationship with both gray whale density and foraging effort. We identify a threshold response to regional mysid density for both whale density and foraging effort. In 2008 the lowest average local prey density measured beside a foraging whale was 2,300 mysids/m3. This level was maintained even when regional prey density was found to be substantially lower. Similar to other baleen whales, the foraging behavior of gray whales suggests a threshold response to prey density and a complex appreciation of prey availability across fine scales.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threshold foraging by gray whales in response to fine scale variations in mysid density

Feyrer

Duffus

2014

Marine Mammal Science

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“…), some species in coastal environments are generally more abundant near the benthos, whereas others are more abundant in the upper portions of the water column where they can be strongly associated with kelp canopies (Coyer , Turpen et al. ). These filter‐feeding, shrimp‐like crustaceans are primarily omnivorous, using their legs to filter detritus, phytoplankton, and smaller zooplankton from the water column (Fulton , Fockedey and Mees , Viherluoto et al.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In southern California, several species of mysids are strongly associated with M. pyrifera canopies where they can be important planktivores (Coyer , Turpen et al. ), although it remains unclear whether these mysids feed on kelp zoospores and thereby reduce their survival in the water column. If so, this can be especially important if grazing is similar between the day and night and thus the time of spore release does not significantly impact zoospore survival as seen for irradiance.…”

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The effects of mysid grazing on kelp zoospore survival and settlement

VanMeter

Edwards

2013

Journal of Phycology

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Recent studies have indicated that long-distance dispersal by kelp zoospores may play an important role in the colonization of newly exposed rocky habitats and in the recovery of recently disturbed kelp forests. This may be facilitated by the vertical transport of zoospores into the shallower portions of the water column where they are exposed to greater alongshore currents that increase their dispersal potential. However, this vertical transport can also expose them to elevated irradiances and enhanced grazing by zooplankton, both of which negatively impact zoospore survival and settlement. In this study, we used plankton tows to show that zooplankton (mysids) were at least seven times more abundant in the surface waters than near the benthos along the edge of a large kelp forest at the time of our spring sampling. We then used feeding experiments and epifluorescence microscopy to verify that these mysids grazed on kelp zoospores. Finally, we conducted laboratory experiments to show that grazing by these mysids over a 12 h period reduced kelp zoospore settlement by at least 50% relative to treatments without grazing. Together with previous studies that have revealed the impacts of high irradiance on zoospore survival and settlement, our study indicates that the vertical transport of kelp zoospores into the shallower portions of the water can also expose them to significantly increased mortality from mysid grazing. Thus, if these patterns are consistent over broader temporal and geographic scales, vertical transport may not be a viable method for sustained long-distance zoospore dispersal.

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“…The swarming behavior of mysids imparts protection against small generalist predators, such as rock-fish (Sebastes spp. Cuvier, 1829), or other ''hunt and peck'' type predators but provides an easy foraging target for gray whales, which suction feed and engulf large numbers (Clutter, 1969;Green, 1970;Mauchline, 1980;O'Brien & Ritz, 1988;Kim & Oliver, 1989;Turpen et al, 1994;Feyrer, 2010). Although a number of mysid species are often found within the same swarm, Holmesimysis sculpta Tattersall, 1933 has been the dominant species found in our study area in most years (Dunham & Duffus, 2002;Mulkins et al, 2002;Feyrer, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Predatory disturbance and prey species diversity: the case of gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) foraging on a multi-species mysid (family Mysidae) community

Feyrer

Duffus

2011

Hydrobiologia

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Why competitive exclusion does not limit the number of coexisting plankton species is a persistent question for community ecology. One explanation, the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH), proposes that elevated species diversity is a product of moderate levels of disturbance that allow the subsequent invasion of less competitive species. Here, we assess the shifts in species diversity in a mysid (Mysidae Dana, 1850) zooplankton community, where at least 10 species have, over the last 15 years, have come to comprise the primary prey base of summer resident gray whales (Eschrictius robustus Lilljeborg, 1861) in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia. We evaluate trends in the community structure of mysids (species dominance, diversity, and richness) across mysid habitat in the study area during the gray whale foraging season (MaySeptember) for the period 1996 and 2008. Mysid species composition varies among years and diversity has increased as whales shifted their predatory focus from benthic amphipods (Ampeliscidae Costa, 1857) to mysids, near our starting point in 1996. Holmesimysis sculpta Tattersall, 1933 was the dominant species in early years; however, in 2007, the dominance shifted to Neomysis rayi Murdoch, 1885. The habitat restrictions and life history attributes of local populations of coastal mysids leave them vulnerable to the cumulative impacts of increased predation pressure by gray whales. This case study presents a unique examination implicating predation as an agent of disturbance capable of altering the species structure of a local prey community.

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Population Structure, Growth, and Fecundity of the Kelp Forest Mysid Holmesimysis costata in Monterey Bay, California

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

Threshold foraging by gray whales in response to fine scale variations in mysid density

Threshold foraging by gray whales in response to fine scale variations in mysid density

The effects of mysid grazing on kelp zoospore survival and settlement

Predatory disturbance and prey species diversity: the case of gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) foraging on a multi-species mysid (family Mysidae) community

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