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Lookup NU author(s): Hannah Earp, Professor Pip MooreORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2021 The Author(s). Artificial structures are widespread features of coastal marine environments. These structures, however, are poor surrogates of natural rocky shores, meaning they generally support depauperate assemblages with reduced population sizes. Little is known about sub-lethal effects of such structures, for example, in terms of demographic properties and reproductive potential that may affect the dynamics and long-term viability of populations. Such understanding is particularly important for ecosystem engineer species, such as the intertidal seaweed Fucus vesiculosus. In this study, F. vesiculosus was sampled on eight artificial structures and eight natural shores along the east coast of Ireland and the west coast of Wales. Algal percentage cover, biomass, density of individuals, and growth rate did not differ between artificial and natural shores. Growth and reproductive cycles were consistent with previous studies for this species. While there was considerable variation from site to site, on average, populations on natural shores produced a higher number of mature receptacles during the peak reproductive period in April, and lower rates of dislodgement than on artificial structures. As F. vesiculosus reach peak reproductive output after 24 months, this suggests that individuals may be removed from populations on artificial structures before reaching their full reproductive potential. In this case, this did not influence density, percentage cover, or biomass, which suggests that F. vesiculosus populations on artificial structures may function similarly to those on natural shores if supported by suitable source populations, but potentially may not persist otherwise.
Author(s): Drakard VF, Brooks P, Crowe TP, Earp HS, Thompson B, Bourke N, George R, Piper C, Moore PJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Marine Environmental Research
Year: 2021
Volume: 168
Print publication date: 01/06/2021
Online publication date: 31/03/2021
Acceptance date: 25/03/2021
Date deposited: 22/04/2021
ISSN (print): 0141-1136
ISSN (electronic): 1879-0291
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105324
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105324
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