Structuring forces of intertidal infaunal communities on the northern coast of British Columbia, Canada: assessing the relative importance of top-down, bottom-up, middle-out, and abiotic variables
While trophic and habitat-related abiotic variables (predation, competition, tolerance, etc.) are known to influence community structure in many ecosystems, some systems appear to be only minimally influenced by these variables. Sampling multiple tidal flat communities in northern BC, Canada, we inv...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | FACETS |
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| Online Access: | https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2022-0199 |
| _version_ | 1797811228343533568 |
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| author | Travis G. Gerwing Lily Campbell Diana J. Hamilton Myriam A. Barbeau Gregory S. Norris Sarah E. Dudas Francis Juanes |
| author_facet | Travis G. Gerwing Lily Campbell Diana J. Hamilton Myriam A. Barbeau Gregory S. Norris Sarah E. Dudas Francis Juanes |
| author_sort | Travis G. Gerwing |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While trophic and habitat-related abiotic variables (predation, competition, tolerance, etc.) are known to influence community structure in many ecosystems, some systems appear to be only minimally influenced by these variables. Sampling multiple tidal flat communities in northern BC, Canada, we investigated the relative importance of top-down and middle-out (mesopredators) variables, competition for resources (bottom up), and abiotic variables in structuring an infaunal community (invertebrates living in sediment). Similar to previous studies on mudflats in the Bay of Fundy (also at a north temperate latitude), we determined that these variables accounted for a minor (0%–9%) proportion of the observed variation in this infaunal community, suggesting that these variables play a small role in structuring this community. Based on the results of our study and in combination with previous experiments on infaunal recovery patterns post disturbance, we posit that the main factors influencing these infaunal communities likely operate at a scale of sites (kilometres) and(or) plot (metres or less) but not transects (10–100 m within site). Candidate forces structuring these intertidal communities that need future examination include regional species pools and the variables that affect these pools, sediment biogeochemistry, and disturbance/recovery history of a site. The similarity of our Pacific coast findings to those from the north temperate Atlantic coast suggests some similarity in the processes structuring these distinct infaunal communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:20:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cd974d2794ff415d916b47bd8ce4a996 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2371-1671 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:20:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | FACETS |
| spelling | doaj.art-cd974d2794ff415d916b47bd8ce4a9962023-06-04T13:00:09ZengCanadian Science PublishingFACETS2371-16712023-01-01811410.1139/facets-2022-0199Structuring forces of intertidal infaunal communities on the northern coast of British Columbia, Canada: assessing the relative importance of top-down, bottom-up, middle-out, and abiotic variablesTravis G. Gerwing0Lily Campbell1Diana J. Hamilton2Myriam A. Barbeau3Gregory S. Norris4Sarah E. Dudas5Francis Juanes6University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, CanadaUniversity of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, CanadaMount Allison University, Sackville, NB E4L 1E2, CanadaUniversity of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, CanadaUniversity of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, CanadaFisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7, CanadaUniversity of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, CanadaWhile trophic and habitat-related abiotic variables (predation, competition, tolerance, etc.) are known to influence community structure in many ecosystems, some systems appear to be only minimally influenced by these variables. Sampling multiple tidal flat communities in northern BC, Canada, we investigated the relative importance of top-down and middle-out (mesopredators) variables, competition for resources (bottom up), and abiotic variables in structuring an infaunal community (invertebrates living in sediment). Similar to previous studies on mudflats in the Bay of Fundy (also at a north temperate latitude), we determined that these variables accounted for a minor (0%–9%) proportion of the observed variation in this infaunal community, suggesting that these variables play a small role in structuring this community. Based on the results of our study and in combination with previous experiments on infaunal recovery patterns post disturbance, we posit that the main factors influencing these infaunal communities likely operate at a scale of sites (kilometres) and(or) plot (metres or less) but not transects (10–100 m within site). Candidate forces structuring these intertidal communities that need future examination include regional species pools and the variables that affect these pools, sediment biogeochemistry, and disturbance/recovery history of a site. The similarity of our Pacific coast findings to those from the north temperate Atlantic coast suggests some similarity in the processes structuring these distinct infaunal communities.https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2022-0199biological communitynorth Pacific coastsoft-sediment coastal ecosystemspecies performancetidal flats |
| spellingShingle | Travis G. Gerwing Lily Campbell Diana J. Hamilton Myriam A. Barbeau Gregory S. Norris Sarah E. Dudas Francis Juanes Structuring forces of intertidal infaunal communities on the northern coast of British Columbia, Canada: assessing the relative importance of top-down, bottom-up, middle-out, and abiotic variables FACETS biological community north Pacific coast soft-sediment coastal ecosystem species performance tidal flats |
| title | Structuring forces of intertidal infaunal communities on the northern coast of British Columbia, Canada: assessing the relative importance of top-down, bottom-up, middle-out, and abiotic variables |
| title_full | Structuring forces of intertidal infaunal communities on the northern coast of British Columbia, Canada: assessing the relative importance of top-down, bottom-up, middle-out, and abiotic variables |
| title_fullStr | Structuring forces of intertidal infaunal communities on the northern coast of British Columbia, Canada: assessing the relative importance of top-down, bottom-up, middle-out, and abiotic variables |
| title_full_unstemmed | Structuring forces of intertidal infaunal communities on the northern coast of British Columbia, Canada: assessing the relative importance of top-down, bottom-up, middle-out, and abiotic variables |
| title_short | Structuring forces of intertidal infaunal communities on the northern coast of British Columbia, Canada: assessing the relative importance of top-down, bottom-up, middle-out, and abiotic variables |
| title_sort | structuring forces of intertidal infaunal communities on the northern coast of british columbia canada assessing the relative importance of top down bottom up middle out and abiotic variables |
| topic | biological community north Pacific coast soft-sediment coastal ecosystem species performance tidal flats |
| url | https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2022-0199 |
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