Spatiotemporal Variability in Subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> Rhodolith Bed Structural Complexity and Macrofaunal Diversity
Rhodoliths are non-geniculate, free-living coralline red algae that can accumulate on the seafloor and form structurally complex benthic habitats supporting diverse communities known as rhodolith beds. We combined in situ rhodolith collections and imagery to quantify variability, over 9 months and a...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/6/774 |
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| author | David Bélanger Patrick Gagnon |
| author_facet | David Bélanger Patrick Gagnon |
| author_sort | David Bélanger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rhodoliths are non-geniculate, free-living coralline red algae that can accumulate on the seafloor and form structurally complex benthic habitats supporting diverse communities known as rhodolith beds. We combined in situ rhodolith collections and imagery to quantify variability, over 9 months and at two sites, in the structural complexity and biodiversity of a subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> rhodolith bed. We show that the unconsolidated rhodolith framework is spatially heterogeneous, yet provides a temporally stable habitat to an abundant and highly diverse macrofauna encompassing 108 taxa dominated by brittle stars, chitons, bivalves, gastropods, polychaetes, sea urchins, and sea stars. Specific habitat components, including large bivalve shells, affect rhodolith morphology and resident macrofauna, with increasingly large, non-nucleated rhodoliths hosting higher macrofaunal density, biomass, and diversity than increasingly large, shell-nucleated rhodoliths. The present study’s fine taxonomic resolution results strongly support the notion that rhodolith beds are biodiversity hotspots. Their spatial and temporal domains provide clear quantitative evidence that rhodolith beds provide a stable framework under the main influence of biological forcing until sporadic and unusually intense physical forcing reworks it. Our findings suggest that shallow (<20 m depth) rhodolith beds are vulnerable to ongoing and predicted increases in the frequency and severity of wave storms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:33:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-40f1e876486d4c9a9012652403afd8bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:33:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-40f1e876486d4c9a9012652403afd8bb2023-11-18T10:03:19ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-06-0115677410.3390/d15060774Spatiotemporal Variability in Subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> Rhodolith Bed Structural Complexity and Macrofaunal DiversityDavid Bélanger0Patrick Gagnon1Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, CanadaDepartment of Ocean Sciences, Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7, CanadaRhodoliths are non-geniculate, free-living coralline red algae that can accumulate on the seafloor and form structurally complex benthic habitats supporting diverse communities known as rhodolith beds. We combined in situ rhodolith collections and imagery to quantify variability, over 9 months and at two sites, in the structural complexity and biodiversity of a subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> rhodolith bed. We show that the unconsolidated rhodolith framework is spatially heterogeneous, yet provides a temporally stable habitat to an abundant and highly diverse macrofauna encompassing 108 taxa dominated by brittle stars, chitons, bivalves, gastropods, polychaetes, sea urchins, and sea stars. Specific habitat components, including large bivalve shells, affect rhodolith morphology and resident macrofauna, with increasingly large, non-nucleated rhodoliths hosting higher macrofaunal density, biomass, and diversity than increasingly large, shell-nucleated rhodoliths. The present study’s fine taxonomic resolution results strongly support the notion that rhodolith beds are biodiversity hotspots. Their spatial and temporal domains provide clear quantitative evidence that rhodolith beds provide a stable framework under the main influence of biological forcing until sporadic and unusually intense physical forcing reworks it. Our findings suggest that shallow (<20 m depth) rhodolith beds are vulnerable to ongoing and predicted increases in the frequency and severity of wave storms.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/6/774coralline algaeecosystem engineeringbenthic habitatbiodiversitycryptofaunaecological stability |
| spellingShingle | David Bélanger Patrick Gagnon Spatiotemporal Variability in Subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> Rhodolith Bed Structural Complexity and Macrofaunal Diversity Diversity coralline algae ecosystem engineering benthic habitat biodiversity cryptofauna ecological stability |
| title | Spatiotemporal Variability in Subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> Rhodolith Bed Structural Complexity and Macrofaunal Diversity |
| title_full | Spatiotemporal Variability in Subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> Rhodolith Bed Structural Complexity and Macrofaunal Diversity |
| title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal Variability in Subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> Rhodolith Bed Structural Complexity and Macrofaunal Diversity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal Variability in Subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> Rhodolith Bed Structural Complexity and Macrofaunal Diversity |
| title_short | Spatiotemporal Variability in Subarctic <i>Lithothamnion glaciale</i> Rhodolith Bed Structural Complexity and Macrofaunal Diversity |
| title_sort | spatiotemporal variability in subarctic i lithothamnion glaciale i rhodolith bed structural complexity and macrofaunal diversity |
| topic | coralline algae ecosystem engineering benthic habitat biodiversity cryptofauna ecological stability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/6/774 |
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