Book contents
- Interactions in the Marine Benthos
- The Systematics Association Special Volume Series
- Interactions in the Marine Benthos
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Chapter 2 The Intertidal Zone of the North-East Atlantic Region
- Chapter 3 The Ecology of Rocky Subtidal Habitats of the North-East Atlantic
- Chapter 4 Rocky Intertidal Shores of the North-West Atlantic Ocean
- Chapter 5 Subtidal Rocky Shores of the North-West Atlantic Ocean
- Chapter 6 Shallow Water Muddy Sands of the North-West Atlantic Ocean
- Chapter 7 Biodiversity and Interactions on the Intertidal Rocky Shores of Argentina (South-West Atlantic)
- Chapter 8 Species Interactions and Regime Shifts in Intertidal and Subtidal Rocky Reefs of the Mediterranean Sea
- Chapter 9 The Restructuring of Levant Reefs by Aliens, Ocean Warming and Overfishing
- Chapter 10 North-East Pacific
- Chapter 11 The North-East Pacific
- Chapter 12 Consumer–Resource Interactions on an Environmental Mosaic
- Chapter 13 Where Three Oceans Meet
- Chapter 14 Rocky Shores of Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong
- Chapter 15 Biogeographic Comparisons of Pattern and Process on Intertidal Rocky Reefs of New Zealand and South-Eastern Australia
- Chapter 16 The Past and Future Ecologies of Australasian Kelp Forests
- Chapter 17 Kropotkin’s Garden
- Chapter 18 Biofilms in Intertidal Habitats
- Chapter 19 Interactions in the Deep Sea
- Chapter 20 Overview and Synthesis
- Index
- Systematics Association Special Volumes
- References
Chapter 5 - Subtidal Rocky Shores of the North-West Atlantic Ocean
The Complex Ecology of a Simple Ecosystem
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 September 2019
- Interactions in the Marine Benthos
- The Systematics Association Special Volume Series
- Interactions in the Marine Benthos
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Chapter 2 The Intertidal Zone of the North-East Atlantic Region
- Chapter 3 The Ecology of Rocky Subtidal Habitats of the North-East Atlantic
- Chapter 4 Rocky Intertidal Shores of the North-West Atlantic Ocean
- Chapter 5 Subtidal Rocky Shores of the North-West Atlantic Ocean
- Chapter 6 Shallow Water Muddy Sands of the North-West Atlantic Ocean
- Chapter 7 Biodiversity and Interactions on the Intertidal Rocky Shores of Argentina (South-West Atlantic)
- Chapter 8 Species Interactions and Regime Shifts in Intertidal and Subtidal Rocky Reefs of the Mediterranean Sea
- Chapter 9 The Restructuring of Levant Reefs by Aliens, Ocean Warming and Overfishing
- Chapter 10 North-East Pacific
- Chapter 11 The North-East Pacific
- Chapter 12 Consumer–Resource Interactions on an Environmental Mosaic
- Chapter 13 Where Three Oceans Meet
- Chapter 14 Rocky Shores of Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong
- Chapter 15 Biogeographic Comparisons of Pattern and Process on Intertidal Rocky Reefs of New Zealand and South-Eastern Australia
- Chapter 16 The Past and Future Ecologies of Australasian Kelp Forests
- Chapter 17 Kropotkin’s Garden
- Chapter 18 Biofilms in Intertidal Habitats
- Chapter 19 Interactions in the Deep Sea
- Chapter 20 Overview and Synthesis
- Index
- Systematics Association Special Volumes
- References
Summary
Subtidal rocky communities in the north-west Atlantic are largely limited to latitudes higher than 40°N due to the lack of substrata at lower latitudes. Communities are species poor relative to the north-east Atlantic, and food webs are generally simple, driven by physical processes including low temperatures, water motion and, for more northern regions, sea ice. Whereas kelp should thrive in shallower waters, grazing by the green sea urchin has led to extensive barren grounds. The dynamics vary, however, among regions of the north-west Atlantic, ranging from a kelp-dominated state in the Gulf of Maine to an urchin-dominated state in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Cycling between states has occurred in Atlantic Nova Scotia, where urchins are controlled by a disease process unique to this region. Control by predators may have occurred in the past but overfishing has now functionally removed this factor. Certain invertebrate fisheries have developed, and the American lobster appears to be thriving. Outside of the arena of kelp–urchin interactions, diverse assemblages of invertebrates can be found in habitats that range from shallow water bivalve beds to deep-sea coral reefs. Limitations in the temporal and spatial scope of our knowledge severely hamper our ability to generalise.
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- Interactions in the Marine BenthosGlobal Patterns and Processes, pp. 90 - 127Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019
References
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