Succession in a rocky intertidal community: the importance of disturbance size and position within a disturbed patch

• Published in: Journal of experimental marine biology and ecology 1989-01, Vol.128 (1), p.57-73
• Main Author: Farrell, Terence M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alga; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Barnacle; Biological and medical sciences; Disturbance; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gap size; Marine; Rocky intertidal; Sea water ecosystems; Succession; Synecology
• ISSN: 0022-0981; 1879-1697
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-0981(89)90092-0

The effects on succession of the size of a disturbed patch and position within a disturbed patch were experimentally determined in a high intertidal community. Algae and barnacles were scraped off the rock to create gaps of three sizes (4 × 4, 8 × 8, and 16 × 16 cm). Data were collected in the perimeter and in central areas of the largest patches to determine positional effects. Limpet densities were higher both in smaller gaps and in the perimeters of large gaps. At the start of succession, algal cover was higher near the perimeters than near the centers of the large gaps. Late in succession, Pelvetiopsis limitata was the dominant component of the algal cover in the gap perimeters, while Endocladia muricata was the dominant component of algal cover in the gap centers. Neither gap size nor position within a gap influenced the species composition of recruiting algal thalli. Gap size and position within a gap did not affect the total amount of barnacle cover. Gap size influenced barnacle species composition. Balanus glandula was relatively more abundant than Chthamalus dalli in the larger gaps. These results support the prediction that the effects on succession of increasing gap size will be similar to the effects of moving towards the center of a gap.