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Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities

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Non-linear density-dependent effects of an intertidal ecosystem engineer.

Christopher D G Harley¹, Jaclyn L O'Riley

¹Bodega Marine Laboratory, Bodega Bay, CA 94923, USA. harley@zoology.ubc.ca

|December 21, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Ecosystem engineers, like the whelk Nucella ostrina, create habitats by preying on barnacles. Their impact on other species, such as the snail Littorina plena, depends non-linearly on their density.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Marine Biology
Community Ecology

Background:

Ecosystem engineering significantly shapes various ecosystems, yet the precise relationship between engineer density and their ecological impact is not well understood.
The rocky intertidal zone serves as a model system for studying these interactions, particularly the role of predation in habitat modification.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the influence of engineer density on engineering impact within a rocky intertidal community.
To determine how the predatory whelk Nucella ostrina affects barnacle populations and associated microhabitats.

Main Methods:

Conducted field experiments manipulating whelk predation and observing species' responses.
Utilized a mathematical demographic matrix model to simulate barnacle population dynamics under varying predation intensities.
Quantified changes in microhabitat conditions (humidity, temperature) and species densities in relation to empty barnacle tests.

Main Results:

Nucella ostrina predation increased the availability of empty barnacle tests, reduced dominant barnacle densities, and facilitated the survival of competitively inferior barnacles.
Empty barnacle tests enhanced microhabitat humidity and provided refuge from wave action, positively influencing the herbivorous snail Littorina plena.
The number of available empty barnacle tests peaked at intermediate levels of whelk predation, indicating a non-linear relationship.

Conclusions:

Engineer density has a non-linear impact on ecosystem engineering effects, with intermediate densities often yielding maximal habitat modification.
The findings highlight the complex dynamics of species interactions and habitat formation in intertidal ecosystems.
This study underscores the general importance of non-linear relationships between engineer density and impact in ecological systems.