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Spatiotemporal distribution of abundance and density of calcareous green macroalgae along the florida keys: a synchrony study
Author(s) -
Colladovides L.,
Rutten L.,
Fourqurean J.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.0022-3646.2003.03906001_27.x
Subject(s) - abundance (ecology) , seagrass , biology , ecology , spatial distribution , population , genus , spatial ecology , spatial analysis , spatial variability , habitat , statistics , geography , remote sensing , demography , mathematics , sociology
Discerning patterns of spatiotemporal variation in wide areas is a basic step in understanding changes on coastal communities. Spatial autocorrelation or spatial synchrony (i.e. how populations covary in abundance over time) provides helpful information from population dynamics that allow us to detect common trends of variation at different spatial scales. In this study we describe the spatial and temporal variation of five calcareous green macroalgae, and analyze the synchrony of abundance and density of the five genera separately and as a functional‐group along the Florida Keys. For this study we are using data from thirty sites that have been quarterly monitored since 1996. Abundance and density of seagrass and macroalgae have been recorded using a Braun‐Blanquet methodology for the Seagrass monitoring program. We found that each genus has a distinct spatiotemporal distribution, different to the group distribution. We evaluated synchronous changes in abundance and density over time at different space scales; we found that synchrony was high between patches and lower between distinct geographical areas; and each genus showed its own synchrony pattern which was obscured when analyzed as a group. We compared the results from functional‐group to individual genus analyzing the validity of the use of functional‐groups for monitoring programs. We discuss the role of synchrony in the selection of genera for a functional‐group.