Spatial subsidy in the subtidal zone: utilization of drift algae by a deep subtidal sea urchin

Aquatic Biology

关键词: Drift kelp;    Strongylocentrotus franciscanus;    Macroalgal detritus;    Allochthonous input;   

DOI  :  10.3354/ab00154

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: Spatial subsidies link adjacent habitats and can have strong effects on recipient systems. Within temperate nearshore marine ecosystems, algae dominate rocky benthic communities in the shallow subtidal but are supplanted by invertebrates at deeper depths where light becomes limiting. Detrital macrophytes transported into deep subtidal habitats by hydrodynamic forces may subsidize deep organisms, but little is known about the availability or utilization of this organic material. We used descriptive field studies to study drift macrophyte utilization by the red urchin

【 授权许可】

CC BY