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Rocky subtidal habitats

Rocky subtidal habitats. A sticky business. Galapagos Islands, Volcanic seamounts. Review: Potential mechanisms influencing diversity in benthic ecosystems. Physical processes (disturbance) Sediment structure Turbulence Biological processes Bioturbation Larval settling, timing

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Rocky subtidal habitats

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  1. Rocky subtidal habitats A sticky business

  2. Galapagos Islands, Volcanic seamounts

  3. Review: Potential mechanisms influencing diversity in benthic ecosystems • Physical processes (disturbance) • Sediment structure • Turbulence • Biological processes • Bioturbation • Larval settling, timing • Competition • Predation

  4. Rocky outcrops differ from sediments • Allows firm attachment of organisms • Much less burrowing into substrate • Turbulence affects attached organisms, less influence on the substrate • Feeding from surfaces and water column • Fewer places to hide • Surfaces often are 100% occupied • High local diversity

  5. Major components of vertical walls:fleshy algaecoralline algaecolonial animals ascidians gorgonianscrustaceansspongespolychaete wormscnidarians

  6. Gorgonian – soft coral (sea fans)

  7. Horizontal surfaces:coralline red algaemussel bedsurchins

  8. Encrusting algae, foliose algae, urchins

  9. Galapagos green sea urchins, pencil urchin

  10. Shoals of fish feed and use cover

  11. Diagrammatic View of Rocky Outcrops

  12. Major processes affecting diversity • Predation • e.g., exclosure experiments on urchins • Competition • access to currents for feeding (overtopping) • Spreading and interference • Larval settling dynamics (priority) • Disturbance dynamics • “random events” create openings • colonization probability varies with time

  13. Alternate stable states for ecosystems

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