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Rock‐protecting seaweed? Experimental evidence of bioprotection in the intertidal zone
Author(s) -
Gowell Matthew R.,
Coombes Martin A.,
Viles Heather A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.3736
Subject(s) - intertidal zone , weathering , rocky shore , geology , environmental science , moisture , shore , geochemistry , chemistry , oceanography , organic chemistry
Biogeomorphological processes are an important component of dynamic intertidal systems. On rocky shores, the direct contribution of microorganisms, plants and animals to weathering and erosion is well known. There is also increasing evidence that organisms can alter rock breakdown indirectly, by moderating temperature and moisture regimes at the rock–air interface. These influences have been purported to represent mechanisms of bioprotection, by buffering microclimatic fluctuations associated with weathering processes such as wetting and drying and salt crystallization. However, virtually nothing has been done to test whether microclimatic buffering translates to differences in actual rock breakdown rates. Here we report a preliminary laboratory experiment to assess how an artificial canopy (chosen to represent seaweed) affects mechanical rock breakdown. Using a simplified and accelerated thermal regime based on field data from a rocky shore platform in southern England, UK, we find that breakdown (mineral debris release) of mudstone covered with a canopy is reduced by as much as 79% relative to bare rock after around 100 thermal cycles. Reduction in rock surface hardness (measured using an Equotip device) was also greater for bare rock (17%) compared to covered rock (10%) over this period. Measurements of salt crystal formation indicate that the mechanism driving these differences was a reduction in the frequency of crystallization events, via moisture retention and shading of the rock surface. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.