CONNECTIONS BETWEEN BENTHIC POPULATIONS AND LOCAL STRANDINGS OF THE SOUTHERN BULL KELP DURVILLAEA ANTARCTICA ALONG THE CONTINENTAL COAST OF CHILE

Schreiber L.; López B.A.; Rivadeneira M.M.; Thiel M.

Abstract

Floating seaweeds are important dispersal vectors in marine ecosystems. However, the relationship between benthic populations and stranded seaweeds has received little attention. After detachment, a fraction of floating specimens returns to the shore, resulting in strandings that fluctuate in space and time. It has been hypothesized that the availability of stranded seaweeds is related to their benthic abundance on adjacent coasts. Using the large fucoid Durvillaea antarctica, we tested whether stranded biomasses are higher at sites with dense adjacent benthic populations. Benthic abundance of D. antarctica along the continental coast of Chile was estimated using three approximations: (i) availability of potentially suitable habitat (PSH), (ii) categorical visual abundance estimates in the field, and (iii) abundance measurements in the intertidal zone. Higher PSH for D. antarctica was observed between 31 degrees S-32 degrees S and 40 degrees S-42 degrees S than between 33 degrees S and 39 degrees S. Lowest benthic biomasses were estimated for the northern latitudes (31 degrees S-32 degrees S). Regression models showed that the association between stranded biomass and PSH was highest when only the extent of rocky shore 10 km to the south of each beach was included, suggesting relatively short-distance dispersal and asymmetrical transport of floating kelps, which is further supported by low proportions of rafts with Lepas spp. (indicator of rafting). The results indicate that stranded biomasses are mostly subsidized by nearby benthic populations, which can partly explain the low genetic connectivity among populations in the study region. Future studies should also incorporate other local factors (e.g., winds, currents, wave-exposure) that influence stranding dynamics.

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Título según WOS: CONNECTIONS BETWEEN BENTHIC POPULATIONS AND LOCAL STRANDINGS OF THE SOUTHERN BULL KELP DURVILLAEA ANTARCTICA ALONG THE CONTINENTAL COAST OF CHILE
Título según SCOPUS: Connections Between Benthic Populations and Local Strandings of the Southern Bull Kelp Durvillaea Antarctica Along the Continental Coast of Chile1
Título de la Revista: JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
Volumen: 56
Número: 1
Editorial: Wiley
Fecha de publicación: 2020
Página de inicio: 185
Página final: 197
Idioma: English
DOI:

10.1111/jpy.12926

Notas: ISI, SCOPUS