Structure and temporal dynamic of tropical turf forming macroalgal assemblages of the western coast of Mexico

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The study of the structure and dynamics of assemblages of benthic organisms has gained interest in recent decades because it can account for the influence of anthropogenic activities in the coastal zone and be incorporated into management and conservation plans. The region of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, has had an accelerated and unplanned urban development, negatively affecting coastal communities. However, studies on the structure and dynamics of algal assemblages, as well as some of the predominant physical factors in this region are scarce. The objective of this research was to carry out a preliminary study on the structure of macroalgal assemblages and their spatio-temporal variation in a depositional environment. The work was realized from June 2006 to December 2008 collecting randomly macroalgal samples and placing sediment traps on the bottom to characterize the deposition environment. The subtidal algal assemblages of the studied localities were predominantly turfs. The Detendred Correspondence Analysis showed that each locality had a particular species composition. The highest biomass was 37.82 ± 12.90 g dw m -2 and the lowest of 0-7.86 g dw m -2. The highest total sedimentation rate was 1818.10 ± 82.11 g dw m -2 day -1 and the lowest was 58.82 ± 8.75 g dw m -2 day -1 . Significant differences were found in calcareous and articulated biomass, as well as in fine, coarse and total sedimentation rates among localities. The results obtained provide a basis for further research on the effects of sedimentation on the subtidal macroalgae assemblages of the study region.

Assessment of macroalgae coverage in a scarcely studied deep rocky reef in the tropical eastern Mexican Pacific

“…There is no predominant species, functional group, or growth form. The TU at Sacramento had a height of <5 mm, agreeing with the only previous regional report from the coral reef at Las Gatas Beach (López et al 2017). The algal turf species observed can be grouped within the algal functional groups proposed by Balata et al (2011).…”

“…This expanded classification allowed the morphological functional groups to be quantified straightforwardly and reliably, corresponding with specific algal genera. Additionally, we included turf growth form as a useful descriptor of the assemblages of benthic organisms, which many authors around the world have employed because of its prevalence in benthic assemblages (Kendrick 1991, Airoldi 1998, 2000, Cheroske et al 2000, Irving & Connell 2002, Coleman 2002, 2003, Prathep et al 2003, Birrell et al 2004, Kelaher & Castilla 2005, Batelli & Rindi 2008, Connell et al 2014, Gowan et al 2014, Harris et al 2015, Short et al 2015, Martins et al 2016, López et al 2017. We have also included the "tassel" category because it is very common in our study site.…”

“…Salcedo-Martínez et al (1988) carried out an inventory of macroalgae and invertebrates at nine locations in Zihuatanejo, six of which were rocky reefs, including the Sacramento deep rocky reef. Other research carried out in El Yunque, and La Ropa reefs described the structure of the macroalgal community (López et al 2000) and the morphological variations of algal turfs (López et al 2004). Therefore, this preliminary study aimed at determining the abundance and distribution of the epibenthic organisms on the Sacramento deep rocky reef.…”

Nuevos registros de gasterópodos (Mollusca) asociados a macroalgas intermareales de Guerrero, México

“…En el muelle municipal, es probable que la riqueza de especies haya mostrado el valor más pequeño debido a su cercanía con la laguna de Las Salinas, sitio que presenta aguas muy turbias con desechos, contribuyendo así con un aporte de sedimentos constante (Airoldi, 2003;López et al, 2017). Esto puede generar condiciones ambientales que no sean aptas para diversas especies de moluscos (Aguilar-Estrada, 2017).…”

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“…El Pacífico mexicano tropical es una de las regiones con mayor diversidad de especies de macroalgas en el oeste de América (Mendoza-González & Mateo-Cid, 1998). Sin embargo, los estudios anteriores se limitan a taxa muy específicos (Carballo et al, 2002;Senties & Dreckmann, 2014;López et al, 2017) o a regiones subtropicales adyacentes del Golfo de California (Reyna & Rodriguez, 1996;Serviere-Zaragoza et al, 2003;Aguilar-Rosas et al, 2010;Castaneda-Fernandez de Lara et al, 2010;Mora-Valdéz & Riosmena-Rodriguez, 2016;Quinones-Peyro et al, 2016).…”