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Refugial Laminaria Abundance and Reduction in Urchin Grazing in Communities in the North-West Atlantic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

Derek W. Keats
Derek W. Keats
Affiliation:
Botany Department, University of the Western Cape, Post Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
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Extract

A literature review and new data are used to clarify geographical patterns of community response to release from heavy grazing by green sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (O.F. Müller) within the north-west Atlantic region. Large geographical areas identified where urchin-removal experiments have not been conducted are the Passamaquoddy Bay area of the northern Bay of Fundy, the south and west coasts of Newfoundland, and southern Labrador. Within the north-west Atlantic region, there has been variation in the degree of domination by Laminaria species of post-urchin-removal communities. This is probably due, at least in part, to variation in the availability of Laminaria populations in refugia from urchin grazing. The following hypothesis is developed and given a preliminary test: in eastern Newfoundland, the absence of refugial Laminaria longicruris populations is due to periodic ice-scour. Despite the absence of significant Laminaria populations following short-term (<5 years) urchin-removal experiments in some areas, it is suggested that Laminaria spp. may be the natural, long-term community dominants in the absence of significant urchin grazing throughout the region. In view of the logistic problems involved in conducting long-term (6–15 years) urchin-removal experiments, it is suggested that urchin-removal/Laminaria-seeding experiments should be conducted within this region.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 71 , Issue 4 , November 1991 , pp. 867 - 876
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1991

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