Open AccessSEAWEEDS AS ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS
Author(s) -
Watt Cortney A.,
Scrosati Ricardo A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the bulletin of the ecological society of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2327-6096
pISSN - 0012-9623
DOI - 10.1890/0012-9623-95.3.250
Subject(s) - intertidal zone , rocky shore , intertidal ecology , ascophyllum , habitat , ecosystem engineer , ecology , foundation species , fucus , canopy , ecosystem , primary producers , benthic zone , abundance (ecology) , algae , oceanography , geography , environmental science , biology , geology , phytoplankton , nutrient
Canopy-forming seaweeds are often considered as important foundation species or ecosystem engineers. In wave-sheltered rocky intertidal habitats in Atlantic Canada, macroalgal canopies are composed primarily of Ascophyllum nodosum and secondarily of Fucus spp. Field experiments revealed that the effects of these canopies on benthic communities (considering primary producers and consumers) depend on the level of environmental stress that is determined by tides. Positive canopy effects occur at high and middle elevations, where canopies ameliorate the otherwise harsh conditions during low tides, but no significant effects occur at low elevations, where conditions remain mild during low tides regardless of canopy presence.