Consistent patterns of spatial variability between NE Atlantic and Mediterranean rocky shores

Martina Dal Bello, Jean Charles Leclerc, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Giuseppe Andrea De Lucia, Christos Arvanitidis, Pim Van Avesaath, Guy Bachelet, Natalia Bojanic, Serena Como, Stefania Coppa, Jennifer Coughlan, Tasman Crowe, Steven Degraer, Free Espinosa, Sarah Faulwetter, Matt Frost, Xabier Guinda, Emilia Jankowska, Jérôme Jourde, Jose Antonio Juanes De La PenaFrancis Kerckhof, Jonne Kotta, Nicolas Lavesque, Paolo Magni, Valentina De Matos, Helen Orav-Kotta, Christina Pavloudi, Maria Luiza Pedrotti, Ohad Peleg, Angel Pérez-Ruzafa, Araceli Puente, Pedro Ribeiro, Fabienne Rigaut-Jalabert, Gil Rilov, Maria Rousou, Marcos Rubal, Tomas Ruginis, Teresa Silva, Nathalie Simon, Isabel Sousa-Pinto, Jesús Troncoso, Jan Warzocha, Jan Marcin Weslawski, Herman Hummel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Examining how variability in population abundance and distribution is allotted among different spatial scales can inform of processes that are likely to generate that variability. Results of studies dealing with scale issues in marine benthic communities suggest that variability is concentrated at small spatial scales (from tens of centimetres to few metres) and that spatial patterns of variation are consistent across ecosystems characterized by contrasting physical and biotic conditions, but this has not been formally tested. Here we quantified the variability in the distribution of intertidal rocky shore communities at a range of spatial scales, from tens of centimetres to thousands of kilometres, both in the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and tested whether the observed patterns differed between the two basins. We focused on canopy-forming macroalgae and associated understorey assemblages in the low intertidal, and on the distribution of Patella limpets at mid intertidal levels. Our results highlight that patterns of spatial variation, at each scale investigated, were consistent between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, suggesting that similar ecological processes operate in these regions. In contrast with former studies, variability in canopy cover, species richness and limpet abundance was equally distributed among spatial scales, possibly reflecting the fingerprint of multiple processes. Variability in community structure of low intertidal assemblages, instead, peaked at the largest scale, suggesting that oceanographic processes and climatic gradients may be important. We conclude that formal comparisons of variability across scales nested in contrasting systems are needed, before any generalization on patterns and processes can be made.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)539-547
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Volume97
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 May 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Canopy-forming macroalgae
  • Patella spp.
  • biodiversity
  • hierarchical analyses
  • rocky shores
  • spatial scale
  • spatial variability

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Aquatic Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Consistent patterns of spatial variability between NE Atlantic and Mediterranean rocky shores'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this