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Abundance of sedentary consumers and sessile organisms along the wave exposure gradient of subtropical rocky shores of the south-west Atlantic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2010

Ronaldo A. Christofoletti ,
Camila K. Takahashi ,
Diogo N. Oliveira  and
Augusto A.V. Flores
Ronaldo A. Christofoletti*
Affiliation:
Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar/USP), Rod. Manoel Hipólito do Rego, km 131.5, 11600-000, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil
Camila K. Takahashi
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Julio de Mesquita Filho’, Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista, Unidade São Vicente, Praça Infante Dom Henrique s/nº, Parque Bitarú, 11330-900, São Vicente, SP, Brazil
Diogo N. Oliveira
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Julio de Mesquita Filho’, Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista, Unidade São Vicente, Praça Infante Dom Henrique s/nº, Parque Bitarú, 11330-900, São Vicente, SP, Brazil
Augusto A.V. Flores
Affiliation:
Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar/USP), Rod. Manoel Hipólito do Rego, km 131.5, 11600-000, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: R.A. Christofoletti, Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar/USP), Rod. Manoel Hipólito do Rego, km 131.5, 11600-000, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil email: christofoletti@usp.br
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Abstract

Sedentary consumers play an important role on populations of prey and, hence, their patterns of abundance, distribution and coexistence on shores are important to evaluate their potential influence on ecosystem dynamics. Here, we aimed to describe their spatio-temporal distribution and abundance in relation to wave exposure in the intertidal rocky shores of the south-west Atlantic to provide a basis for further understanding of ecological processes in this system. The abundance and composition of the functional groups of sessile organisms and sedentary consumers were taken by sampling the intertidal of sheltered and moderately exposed shores during a period of one year. The sublittoral fringe of sheltered areas was dominated by macroalgae, while the low midlittoral was dominated by bare rock and barnacles. In contrast, filter-feeding animals prevailed at exposed shores, probably explaining the higher abundance of the predator Stramonita haemastoma at these locations. Limpets were more abundant at the midlittoral zone of all shores while sea urchins were exclusively found at the sublittoral fringe of moderately exposed shores, therefore, adding grazing pressure on these areas. The results showed patterns of coexistence, distribution and abundance of those organisms in this subtropical area, presumably as a result of wave action, competition and prey availability. It also brought insights on the influence of top-down and bottom-up processes in this area.

Keywords

rocky shoreswhelkslimpetssea urchinsdistributionwave exposuremacroalgaefilter-feeding animals
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 91 , Issue 5 , August 2011 , pp. 961 - 967
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

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