Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Lindsey, Emily L.
• Altier, Andrew H.
• Witman, Jon D.

Titel

Influence of biogenic habitat on the recruitment and distribution of a subtidal xanthid crab

Ist Teil von

• Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek), 2006-01, Vol.306, p.223-231

Ort / Verlag

Oldendorf: Inter-Research

Erscheinungsjahr

2006

Quelle

Free E-Journal (出版社公開部分のみ）

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Biogenic habitat can structure marine communities by serving as both a complex substrate and food source for adult and recruiting organisms. We investigated the role played by biogenic habitats (Mytilus edulisandCrepidulaspp. beds) in influencing the subtidal distribution (kilometers scale) of the mud crabDyspanopeus sayiin Narragansett Bay, New England (USA). In field surveys,D. sayiwere 1 to 2 orders of magnitude more abundant onM. edulisandCrepidulaspp. beds than at sites lacking these habitats, and a laboratory experiment confirmed thatD. sayiwill consume both of these species. In a field-based, substrate-choice experiment, modules containing rocks had higherD. sayirecruit densities than those containingM. edulisorCrepidulaspp. This indicates that structural complexity of those biogenic substrates, rather than their availability as prey, is the primary factor influencing patterns ofD. sayirecruitment. Densities of recruit and adultD. sayion recruitment modules were higher at bare sites than at sites with biogenic habitat, where modules represented islands of structure in otherwise simple habitat. This suggests small-scale habitat selection byD. sayi. AdultD. sayioccupied modules indiscriminately at bare sites, but exhibited a preference for modules containing mussels at sites with biogenic habitats. The importance of structure for adult and recruitD. sayi, reinforced by adults’ response to prey presence, likely explains this organism’s association with hard, biogenic habitats in the studied system.