Marine Biology Commons^™

Effect Of In Situ Experimental Heating Of Artificial Mytilus Californianus Beds On Associated Invertebrate Communities In Northern California, Claire C. Windecker

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

With the continued progression of climate change, the role of foundation species as mediators of temperature stress for species living on and within them has become increasingly important. In the intertidal zone, a major foundation species is the California mussel, Mytilus californianus, which can help to limit thermal stress for species that live among aggregations of these mussels. The ability of mussels to limit thermal stress as temperatures increase, however, is still unclear. This study sought to experimentally manipulate surface temperatures of artificial mussel beds in situ to examine the effects that increased surface heating at a single site …