Benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the Great Barrier Reef.
Benthic fauna play a crucial role in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling at the sediment-water boundary in aquatic ecosystems. In terrestrial systems, grazing herbivores have been shown to influence below-ground communities through alterations to plant distribution and composition, how...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2018-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5841801?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818923623796178944 |
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| author | Quinn R Ollivier Edward Hammill David J Booth Elizabeth M P Madin Charles Hinchliffe Alastair R Harborne Catherine E Lovelock Peter I Macreadie Trisha B Atwood |
| author_facet | Quinn R Ollivier Edward Hammill David J Booth Elizabeth M P Madin Charles Hinchliffe Alastair R Harborne Catherine E Lovelock Peter I Macreadie Trisha B Atwood |
| author_sort | Quinn R Ollivier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Benthic fauna play a crucial role in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling at the sediment-water boundary in aquatic ecosystems. In terrestrial systems, grazing herbivores have been shown to influence below-ground communities through alterations to plant distribution and composition, however whether similar cascading effects occur in aquatic systems is unknown. Here, we assess the relationship between benthic invertebrates and above-ground fish grazing across the 'grazing halos' of Heron Island lagoon, Australia. Grazing halos, which occur around patch reefs globally, are caused by removal of seagrass or benthic macroalgae by herbivorous fish that results in distinct bands of unvegetated sediments surrounding patch reefs. We found that benthic algal canopy height significantly increased with distance from patch reef, and that algal canopy height was positively correlated with the abundances of only one invertebrate taxon (Nematoda). Both sediment carbon to nitrogen ratios (C:N) and mean sediment particle size (μm) demonstrated a positive correlation with Nematoda and Arthropoda (predominantly copepod) abundances, respectively. These positive correlations indicate that environmental conditions are a major contributor to benthic invertebrate community distribution, acting on benthic communities in conjunction with the cascading effects of above-ground algal grazing. These results suggest that benthic communities, and the ecosystem functions they perform in this system, may be less responsive to changes in above-ground herbivorous processes than those previously studied in terrestrial systems. Understanding how above-ground organisms, and processes, affect their benthic invertebrate counterparts can shed light on how changes in aquatic communities may affect ecosystem function in previously unknown ways. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:12:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c9d199425deb444499cc659b866f320f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:12:23Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-c9d199425deb444499cc659b866f320f2022-12-21T19:57:02ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-01133e019393210.1371/journal.pone.0193932Benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the Great Barrier Reef.Quinn R OllivierEdward HammillDavid J BoothElizabeth M P MadinCharles HinchliffeAlastair R HarborneCatherine E LovelockPeter I MacreadieTrisha B AtwoodBenthic fauna play a crucial role in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling at the sediment-water boundary in aquatic ecosystems. In terrestrial systems, grazing herbivores have been shown to influence below-ground communities through alterations to plant distribution and composition, however whether similar cascading effects occur in aquatic systems is unknown. Here, we assess the relationship between benthic invertebrates and above-ground fish grazing across the 'grazing halos' of Heron Island lagoon, Australia. Grazing halos, which occur around patch reefs globally, are caused by removal of seagrass or benthic macroalgae by herbivorous fish that results in distinct bands of unvegetated sediments surrounding patch reefs. We found that benthic algal canopy height significantly increased with distance from patch reef, and that algal canopy height was positively correlated with the abundances of only one invertebrate taxon (Nematoda). Both sediment carbon to nitrogen ratios (C:N) and mean sediment particle size (μm) demonstrated a positive correlation with Nematoda and Arthropoda (predominantly copepod) abundances, respectively. These positive correlations indicate that environmental conditions are a major contributor to benthic invertebrate community distribution, acting on benthic communities in conjunction with the cascading effects of above-ground algal grazing. These results suggest that benthic communities, and the ecosystem functions they perform in this system, may be less responsive to changes in above-ground herbivorous processes than those previously studied in terrestrial systems. Understanding how above-ground organisms, and processes, affect their benthic invertebrate counterparts can shed light on how changes in aquatic communities may affect ecosystem function in previously unknown ways.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5841801?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Quinn R Ollivier Edward Hammill David J Booth Elizabeth M P Madin Charles Hinchliffe Alastair R Harborne Catherine E Lovelock Peter I Macreadie Trisha B Atwood Benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the Great Barrier Reef. PLoS ONE |
| title | Benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the Great Barrier Reef. |
| title_full | Benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the Great Barrier Reef. |
| title_fullStr | Benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the Great Barrier Reef. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the Great Barrier Reef. |
| title_short | Benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the Great Barrier Reef. |
| title_sort | benthic meiofaunal community response to the cascading effects of herbivory within an algal halo system of the great barrier reef |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5841801?pdf=render |
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