Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill
Abstract Foundation species contribute to the recovery of animal communities from disturbance by engineering, by improving habitat quality, and by regulating food availability. In a salt marsh impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we tested the hypothesis that nutrient subsidies would enhance...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Ecosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2082 |
| _version_ | 1818278550871998464 |
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| author | David Samuel Johnson John W. Fleeger Maria Rita Riggio Irving A. Mendelssohn Qianxin Lin Sean A. Graham Donald R. Deis Aixin Hou |
| author_facet | David Samuel Johnson John W. Fleeger Maria Rita Riggio Irving A. Mendelssohn Qianxin Lin Sean A. Graham Donald R. Deis Aixin Hou |
| author_sort | David Samuel Johnson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Foundation species contribute to the recovery of animal communities from disturbance by engineering, by improving habitat quality, and by regulating food availability. In a salt marsh impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we tested the hypothesis that nutrient subsidies would enhance the positive effects of the foundation species Spartina alterniflora on the initial recolonization of benthic invertebrate communities (e.g., copepods, annelids, nematodes) by augmenting food (i.e., microalgae) availability. After two months, plantings of S. alterniflora significantly elevated the densities of the polychaete Capitella capitata, meiofauna‐sized annelids, and total macroinfauna over unplanted plots. After 7 months, the significant effect of plantings persisted for meiofauna‐sized annelids, but not for C. capitata and total macroinfauna. Plantings had no effect on copepods (including Nannopus palustris, the dominant species), nematodes, or microalgal biomass for either month. Nutrient additions did not influence any taxon, despite initial increases in benthic microalgal biomass after 2 months. We hypothesize that the structural effects of plants were important to early colonization, possibly by facilitating larval settlement or ameliorating temperature and desiccation stress. Our results emphasize the importance of re‐establishing foundation species in oil‐impacted sites to enhance recolonization of saltmarsh annelids, but suggest that recolonization is not promoted by the addition of nutrients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:19:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-843219472b564065af4c202f2dc0090a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-8925 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:19:14Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-843219472b564065af4c202f2dc0090a2022-12-22T00:08:21ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252018-01-0191n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.2082Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spillDavid Samuel Johnson0John W. Fleeger1Maria Rita Riggio2Irving A. Mendelssohn3Qianxin Lin4Sean A. Graham5Donald R. Deis6Aixin Hou7Department of Biological Sciences Virginia Institute of Marine Science College of William and Mary Gloucester Point Virginia 23062 USADepartment of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USADepartment of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USADepartment of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USADepartment of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USADepartment of Biological Sciences Nicholls State University Thibodaux Louisiana 70310 USAAtkins 7406 Fullerton Street Jacksonville Florida 32256 USADepartment of Environmental Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USAAbstract Foundation species contribute to the recovery of animal communities from disturbance by engineering, by improving habitat quality, and by regulating food availability. In a salt marsh impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we tested the hypothesis that nutrient subsidies would enhance the positive effects of the foundation species Spartina alterniflora on the initial recolonization of benthic invertebrate communities (e.g., copepods, annelids, nematodes) by augmenting food (i.e., microalgae) availability. After two months, plantings of S. alterniflora significantly elevated the densities of the polychaete Capitella capitata, meiofauna‐sized annelids, and total macroinfauna over unplanted plots. After 7 months, the significant effect of plantings persisted for meiofauna‐sized annelids, but not for C. capitata and total macroinfauna. Plantings had no effect on copepods (including Nannopus palustris, the dominant species), nematodes, or microalgal biomass for either month. Nutrient additions did not influence any taxon, despite initial increases in benthic microalgal biomass after 2 months. We hypothesize that the structural effects of plants were important to early colonization, possibly by facilitating larval settlement or ameliorating temperature and desiccation stress. Our results emphasize the importance of re‐establishing foundation species in oil‐impacted sites to enhance recolonization of saltmarsh annelids, but suggest that recolonization is not promoted by the addition of nutrients.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2082benthic invertebrateschlorophyll acoastal wetlandsDeepwater Horizon oil spillmacrofaunaCapitella capitata |
| spellingShingle | David Samuel Johnson John W. Fleeger Maria Rita Riggio Irving A. Mendelssohn Qianxin Lin Sean A. Graham Donald R. Deis Aixin Hou Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill Ecosphere benthic invertebrates chlorophyll a coastal wetlands Deepwater Horizon oil spill macrofauna Capitella capitata |
| title | Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill |
| title_full | Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill |
| title_fullStr | Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill |
| title_full_unstemmed | Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill |
| title_short | Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill |
| title_sort | saltmarsh plants but not fertilizer facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill |
| topic | benthic invertebrates chlorophyll a coastal wetlands Deepwater Horizon oil spill macrofauna Capitella capitata |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2082 |
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