Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Oceanography
Shading Facilitates Sessile Invertebrate Dominance In The Rocky Subtidal Gulf Of Maine, Ron J. Etter, Robert J. Miller
Shading Facilitates Sessile Invertebrate Dominance In The Rocky Subtidal Gulf Of Maine, Ron J. Etter, Robert J. Miller
Biology Faculty Publication Series
Dramatic shifts in community composition occur between vertical and horizontal rocky surfaces in subtidal environments worldwide, yet the forces mediating this transition are poorly understood. Vertical rock walls are often covered by lush, diverse communities of sessile suspension-feeding invertebrates, while adjacent horizontal substrates are dominated by algae, or corals in the tropics. Multiple factors, including light, sedimentation, water flow, and predation have been proposed to explain this pattern, but experimental tests of these hypotheses are lacking. We manipulated light level and predation to test whether variation in these mechanisms could be responsible for the shift in composition of sessile communities …
Shading Facilitates Sessile Invertebrate Dominance In The Rocky Subtidal Gulf Of Maine, Ron J. Etter, Robert J. Miller
Shading Facilitates Sessile Invertebrate Dominance In The Rocky Subtidal Gulf Of Maine, Ron J. Etter, Robert J. Miller
Ron Etter
Dramatic shifts in community composition occur between vertical and horizontal rocky surfaces in subtidal environments worldwide, yet the forces mediating this transition are poorly understood. Vertical rock walls are often covered by lush, diverse communities of sessile suspension-feeding invertebrates, while adjacent horizontal substrates are dominated by algae, or corals in the tropics. Multiple factors, including light, sedimentation, water flow, and predation have been proposed to explain this pattern, but experimental tests of these hypotheses are lacking. We manipulated light level and predation to test whether variation in these mechanisms could be responsible for the shift in composition of sessile communities …