Ecological dominance along rocky shores, with a focus on intertidal ascidians

Rius, Marc; Teske, Peter R; Manriquez, Patricio H; Suarez-Jimenez, Rocio; McQuaid, Christopher D

Title: Ecological dominance along rocky shores, with a focus on intertidal ascidians
Creator: Rius, Marc
Creator: Teske, Peter R
Creator: Manriquez, Patricio H
Creator: Suarez-Jimenez, Rocio
Creator: McQuaid, Christopher D
Subject: To be catalogued
Date Issued: 2017
Date: 2017
Type: text
Type: book chapter
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/453416
Identifier: vital:75252
Identifier: ISBN 9781138197862
Identifier: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.1201/b21944-4/ecological-dominance-along-rocky-shores-focus-intertidal-ascidians-marc-rius-peter-teske-patricio-manr%C3%ADquez-roc%C3%ADo-su%C3%A1rez-jim%C3%A9nez-christopher-mcquaid-juan-carlos-castilla?context=ubxandrefId=e4c0e0f7-2c0a-417f-8751-8225febf1536
Description: The role of dominant species is of central importance in ecology. Such species play a key role in ecosystem structure, stability and function, regulating resource allocation across trophic levels and overall ecosystem productivity. Although ecological interactions between dominant and subordinate species are often considered to influence the latter negatively, the presence of dominant species can also be beneficial. These species commonly act as ecosystem engineers and enhance biodiversity by creating habitat for other species. Along rocky coastlines, dominant species are often sessile suspension-feeding organisms that can monopolize all available substrata. This is particularly noticeable in intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats where the number of species that achieve ecological dominance is limited. Here, we review the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that facilitate dominance along rocky coastlines. We then focus on a prominent example, the members of the Pyura stolonifera species complex (Tunicata), which are an emerging model system for studying ecological dominance. These ascidians achieve the highest biomass levels ever reported in rocky intertidal habitats and, when invasive, can fundamentally transform entire ecosystems. Finally, we discuss conservation implications and conclude with directions for future research.
Format: 20 pages
Format: pdf
Publisher: CRC Press
Language: English
Relation: Rius, Marc, Teske, Peter R., Manriquez, Patricio H., Suarez-Jimenez, Rocio, McQuaid, Christopher D. and Castilla, Juan Carlos (2017). Ecological dominance along rocky shores, with a focus on intertidal ascidians. In, Hawkins, S.J., Evans, A.J., Dale, A.C., Firth, L.B., Hughes, D.J. and Smith, I.P. (eds.) Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review. Boca Raton FL. CRC Press, pp. 55-84. (doi:10.1201/b21944)
Rights: Publisher
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Taylor and Francis Online Terms and Conditions Statement (https://www.tandfonline.com/terms-and-conditions)

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