High recruitment of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in Nova Scotia, Canada
For many organisms, the magnitude of recruitment of settlers into the juvenile population is a key life-history parameter, which has pronounced effects on population dynamics. However, for benthic colonial organisms, abundance may also be highly influenced by availability of space, growth rate, sene...
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Online Access: | https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:255334 |
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ftunivqespace:oai:espace.library.uq.edu.au:UQ:255334 2023-05-15T17:45:44+02:00 High recruitment of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in Nova Scotia, Canada Saunders, Megan Metaxas, Anna 2008-01-01 https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:255334 eng eng Inter-Research doi:10.3354/meps07669 issn:0171-8630 issn:1616-1599 orcid:0000-0002-8549-5609 Not set Recruitment Population dynamics Introduced species Benthic colonial organisms 1104 Aquatic Science 1105 Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 2303 Ecology Journal Article 2008 ftunivqespace https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07669 2020-12-14T23:34:49Z For many organisms, the magnitude of recruitment of settlers into the juvenile population is a key life-history parameter, which has pronounced effects on population dynamics. However, for benthic colonial organisms, abundance may also be highly influenced by availability of space, growth rate, senescence, and mortality. On the southern shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, outbreaks of the introduced epiphytic bryozoan Membranipora membranacea on kelps have occurred periodically since 1992. We monitored the abundance, size distribution, and percent cover of M. membranacea colonies on blades of the kelp Saccharina longicruris at 2 sites in St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, from July 2005 to November 2006. Following a warm winter, juvenile and adult colonies occurred earlier and were an order of magnitude more abundant in 2006 compared to 2005. The percent cover of M. membranacea on kelp was higher in 2006 compared to 2005 in summer and early autumn, but there was no difference between both years in late autumn. Colonies were larger in summer 2006 than in 2005, but were smaller in late autumn in 2006, suggesting that large colonies had been lost due to kelp blade breakage. By November 2006, there was a 70% decrease in the canopy cover of kelp on the benthos, despite a similar frequency and magnitude of storms compared to the previous year. We propose that outbreaks of M. membranacea in the northwest Atlantic are the result of periods of early and high settlement and recruitment. By causing kelp defoliation, these outbreaks can have a pronounced ecological effect on kelp beds. Article in Journal/Newspaper Northwest Atlantic The University of Queensland: UQ eSpace Canada Marine Ecology Progress Series 369 139 151 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The University of Queensland: UQ eSpace |
op_collection_id |
ftunivqespace |
language |
English |
topic |
Recruitment Population dynamics Introduced species Benthic colonial organisms 1104 Aquatic Science 1105 Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 2303 Ecology |
spellingShingle |
Recruitment Population dynamics Introduced species Benthic colonial organisms 1104 Aquatic Science 1105 Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 2303 Ecology Saunders, Megan Metaxas, Anna High recruitment of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in Nova Scotia, Canada |
topic_facet |
Recruitment Population dynamics Introduced species Benthic colonial organisms 1104 Aquatic Science 1105 Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 2303 Ecology |
description |
For many organisms, the magnitude of recruitment of settlers into the juvenile population is a key life-history parameter, which has pronounced effects on population dynamics. However, for benthic colonial organisms, abundance may also be highly influenced by availability of space, growth rate, senescence, and mortality. On the southern shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, outbreaks of the introduced epiphytic bryozoan Membranipora membranacea on kelps have occurred periodically since 1992. We monitored the abundance, size distribution, and percent cover of M. membranacea colonies on blades of the kelp Saccharina longicruris at 2 sites in St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, from July 2005 to November 2006. Following a warm winter, juvenile and adult colonies occurred earlier and were an order of magnitude more abundant in 2006 compared to 2005. The percent cover of M. membranacea on kelp was higher in 2006 compared to 2005 in summer and early autumn, but there was no difference between both years in late autumn. Colonies were larger in summer 2006 than in 2005, but were smaller in late autumn in 2006, suggesting that large colonies had been lost due to kelp blade breakage. By November 2006, there was a 70% decrease in the canopy cover of kelp on the benthos, despite a similar frequency and magnitude of storms compared to the previous year. We propose that outbreaks of M. membranacea in the northwest Atlantic are the result of periods of early and high settlement and recruitment. By causing kelp defoliation, these outbreaks can have a pronounced ecological effect on kelp beds. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Saunders, Megan Metaxas, Anna |
author_facet |
Saunders, Megan Metaxas, Anna |
author_sort |
Saunders, Megan |
title |
High recruitment of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in Nova Scotia, Canada |
title_short |
High recruitment of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in Nova Scotia, Canada |
title_full |
High recruitment of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in Nova Scotia, Canada |
title_fullStr |
High recruitment of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in Nova Scotia, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
High recruitment of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in Nova Scotia, Canada |
title_sort |
high recruitment of the introduced bryozoan membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in nova scotia, canada |
publisher |
Inter-Research |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:255334 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Northwest Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Northwest Atlantic |
op_relation |
doi:10.3354/meps07669 issn:0171-8630 issn:1616-1599 orcid:0000-0002-8549-5609 Not set |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07669 |
container_title |
Marine Ecology Progress Series |
container_volume |
369 |
container_start_page |
139 |
op_container_end_page |
151 |
_version_ |
1766148955146551296 |