Biotic Interactions, Structure, and Long-term Changes in Marine Benthic Assemblages

• Main Author: Varfolomeeva, Marina Aleksandrovna
• Other Authors: Yakovis, Eugene L.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: biotic interactions; feeding interference; foundation species; long-term dynamics; overgrowth; recruitment variation; White Sea
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11701/6992

Predicting spatial distribution of organisms still remains a challenge of ecology. Small-scale variation is high in most marine benthic communities. Our long-term observations on soft-sediment intertidal assemblages revealed high level of small-scale spatial variation, and most temporal variation was also associated with this scale. As biotic interactions often drive small-scale patterns, we focused on the communities with multiple foundation species where they are understudied. We assessed overgrowth and feeding interference between co-dominating foundation species, long-term recruitment variation in their populations, and their effect on on the rest of assemblage. Our observations and experiments indicated that large suspension-feeders develop a facilitation cascade in the White Sea shallow subtidal, boosting species diversity and driving patch dynamics on mixed sediments.