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Community development on subtidal temperate reefs: the influences of wave energy and the stochastic recruitment of a dominant kelp

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Abstract

Patterns of community development on subtidal rocky reefs in Marmion Lagoon, southwest Australia, were investigated with a settlement panel experiment. We tested the hypothesis that community development would differ between outer and inner reefs lines, because exposure to swell and wave energy was significantly greater on outer reefs. Following a 14-month deployment, we recorded pronounced variability between panels and sites, but did not detect any effect of wave exposure on the structure of panel assemblages. Subsequent data exploration suggested the importance of the presence of kelp recruits (Ecklonia radiata) in structuring the overall assemblage. Panel assemblages with kelp recruits were significantly different in structure to those without, principally because of greater space coverage of encrusting coralline algae and less coverage of red turfing algae, spirorbids, and bryozoans. Mature E. radiata act as ecosystem engineers in subtidal rocky reefs in southwest Australia. Our results suggested the importance of young, recruiting kelps in determining patterns of early community development on newly available hard substrata.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Thibaut de Bettignies, Renae Hovey, Samantha Childs, and Adam Gartner for assistance in the field, and Gary Kendrick and Tim Langlois for insightful discussion and comments on earlier drafts of the paper. DS is funded by the Western Australian Marine Science Institute (WAMSI). Fieldwork was supported by an ARC Discovery Project grant to TW.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Plant Biology, Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Dan A. Smale & Thomas Wernberg

  2. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Thomas Wernberg

  3. Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK

    Thomas Vance

Authors
  1. Dan A. Smale
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  2. Thomas Wernberg
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  3. Thomas Vance
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Correspondence to Dan A. Smale.

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Communicated by S. D. Connell.

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Smale, D.A., Wernberg, T. & Vance, T. Community development on subtidal temperate reefs: the influences of wave energy and the stochastic recruitment of a dominant kelp. Mar Biol 158, 1757–1766 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1689-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1689-4

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