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Enhanced settlement on microtopographical high points by the intertidal red alga Halosaccion glandiforme
Author(s) -
Johnson Ladd E.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1994.39.8.1893
Subject(s) - intertidal zone , settlement (finance) , spore , surface roughness , algae , botany , biology , scale (ratio) , geology , ecology , materials science , composite material , geography , cartography , world wide web , computer science , payment
The early colonization patterns of the red alga Halosaccion glandiforme (Gmel.) were examined on artificial substrata cast from molds of both real (e.g. barnacles) and model surfaces with and without surface “roughness” at the scale of 100–1,200 µ m. Settlement over a 3‐d period was always at least 35 times higher on rough substrata than on smooth substrata. This difference was due to the high (84–98%) settlement of spores on the tips of individual small‐scale surface projections (i.e. the roughness elements). An outplanting experiment suggested that the greater abundance of sporelings on the tips of surface projections resulted from settlement processes rather than differential postsettlement mortality. When sporeling densities were compared at larger spatial scales (e.g. areas near the base of the substrata vs. areas near the top), they varied greatly on smooth substrata, with highest densities found near surface transitions (e.g. corners and edges). On rough surfaces, the sporelings were more evenly distributed among the various areas. Thus, smaller scale features (i.e. 100–1,200 µ m) of the surface appear to be more important than larger scale features (1–2 cm) in determining the settlement of H. glandiforme.