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Marco-Méndez C, Marbà N, Amores Á, Romero J, Minguito-Frutos M, García M, Pagès JF, Prado P, Boada J, Sánchez-Lizaso JL, Ruiz JM, Muñoz-Ramos G, Sanmartí N, Mayol E, Buñuel X, Bernardeau-Esteller J, Navarro-Martinez PC, Marín-Guirao L, Morell C, Wesselmann M, Font R, Hendriks IE, Seglar X, Camps-Castella J, Bonfill E, Requena-Gutiérrez A, Blanco-Murillo F, Aguilar-Escribano J, Jimenez-Gutierrez S, Martínez-Vidal J, Guillén JE, Cefalì ME, Pérez M, Marcos M, Alcoverro T. Evaluating the extent and impact of the extreme Storm Gloria on Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. Sci Total Environ 2024; 908:168404. [PMID: 37939948 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Extreme storms can trigger abrupt and often lasting changes in ecosystems by affecting foundational (habitat-forming) species. While the frequency and intensity of extreme events are projected to increase under climate change, its impacts on seagrass ecosystems remain poorly documented. In January 2020, the Spanish Mediterranean coast was hit by Storm Gloria, one of the most devastating recent climate events in terms of intensity and duration. We conducted rapid surveys of 42 Posidonia oceanica meadows across the region to evaluate the extent and type of impact (burial, unburial and uprooting). We investigated the significance of oceanographic (wave impact model), geomorphological (latitude, depth, exposure), and structural (patchiness) factors in predicting impact extent and intensity. The predominant impact of Storm Gloria was shoot unburial. More than half of the surveyed sites revealed recent unburial, with up to 40 cm of sediment removed, affecting over 50 % of the meadow. Burial, although less extensive, was still significant, with 10-80 % of meadow cover being buried under 7 cm of sediment, which is considered a survival threshold for P. oceanica. In addition, we observed evident signs of recently dead matte in some meadows and large amounts of detached drifting shoots on the sea bottom or accumulated as debris on the beaches. Crucially, exposed and patchy meadows were much more vulnerable to the overall impact than sheltered or continuous meadows. Given how slow P. oceanica is able to recover after disturbances, we state that it could take from decades to centuries for it to recoup its losses. Seagrass ecosystems play a vital role as coastal ecological infrastructure. Protecting vulnerable meadows from anthropogenic fragmentation is crucial for ensuring the resilience of these ecosystems in the face of the climate crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candela Marco-Méndez
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB, CSIC), Carrer Accés Cala Sant Francesc, 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain.
| | - Núria Marbà
- Marine technologies, operational and coastal oceanography Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Spain
| | - Ángel Amores
- Marine technologies, operational and coastal oceanography Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Spain; Department of Physics, University of the Balearic Islands, Cra. de Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Spain
| | - Javier Romero
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals Secció d'Ecologia, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mario Minguito-Frutos
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB, CSIC), Carrer Accés Cala Sant Francesc, 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain
| | - María García
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB, CSIC), Carrer Accés Cala Sant Francesc, 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain
| | - Jordi F Pagès
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB, CSIC), Carrer Accés Cala Sant Francesc, 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain
| | - Patricia Prado
- IRTA, Aquatic ecosystems, Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Ctra. Poble Nou km 5.5, 43540 Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Tarragona, Spain; Institute of Environment and Marine Science Research (IMEDMAR-UCV), Universidad Católica de Valencia SVM, C/Explanada del Puerto S/n, 03710 Calpe, Alicante, Spain
| | - Jordi Boada
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB, CSIC), Carrer Accés Cala Sant Francesc, 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain
| | - José Luis Sánchez-Lizaso
- Department of Marine Science and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 Alicante, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Ruiz
- Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, C/Varadero s/n, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Neus Sanmartí
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals Secció d'Ecologia, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elvira Mayol
- Global Change Research Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marqués 21, c7190 Esporles, Spain
| | - Xavier Buñuel
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB, CSIC), Carrer Accés Cala Sant Francesc, 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain
| | - Jaime Bernardeau-Esteller
- Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, C/Varadero s/n, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Pedro Clemente Navarro-Martinez
- Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, C/Varadero s/n, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Lázaro Marín-Guirao
- Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, C/Varadero s/n, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Carlos Morell
- Global Change Research Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marqués 21, c7190 Esporles, Spain
| | - Marlene Wesselmann
- Global Change Research Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marqués 21, c7190 Esporles, Spain
| | - Rita Font
- Global Change Research Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marqués 21, c7190 Esporles, Spain
| | - Iris E Hendriks
- Global Change Research Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marqués 21, c7190 Esporles, Spain
| | | | - Judith Camps-Castella
- IRTA, Aquatic ecosystems, Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Ctra. Poble Nou km 5.5, 43540 Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Eli Bonfill
- Plàncton, Divulgació y Serveis Marins, Calle Número Vint-i-tres, 284, local 2 (Urb. Les 3 Cales), L'Ametlla de Mar, Spain
| | - Aurora Requena-Gutiérrez
- Plàncton, Divulgació y Serveis Marins, Calle Número Vint-i-tres, 284, local 2 (Urb. Les 3 Cales), L'Ametlla de Mar, Spain
| | - Fabio Blanco-Murillo
- Department of Marine Science and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 Alicante, Spain
| | - Javier Aguilar-Escribano
- Department of Marine Science and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 Alicante, Spain
| | | | - Joaquín Martínez-Vidal
- Institut de Ecología Litoral, Carrer de Sta. Teresa, 50, 03560 El Campello, Alicante, Spain
| | - Juan Eduardo Guillén
- Institut de Ecología Litoral, Carrer de Sta. Teresa, 50, 03560 El Campello, Alicante, Spain
| | - Maria Elena Cefalì
- Estació d'Investigació Jaume Ferrer, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Mahón, Spain
| | - Marta Pérez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals Secció d'Ecologia, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Marcos
- Marine technologies, operational and coastal oceanography Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Spain; Department of Physics, University of the Balearic Islands, Cra. de Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Spain
| | - Teresa Alcoverro
- Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB, CSIC), Carrer Accés Cala Sant Francesc, 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain
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Buñuel X, Alcoverro T, Boada J, Zinkunegi L, Smith TM, Barrera A, Casas M, Farina S, Pérez M, Romero J, Arthur R, Pagès JF. Indirect grazing‐induced mechanisms contribute to the resilience of Mediterranean seagrass meadows to sea urchin herbivory. OIKOS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Buñuel
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Teresa Alcoverro
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Jordi Boada
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Leire Zinkunegi
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Timothy M. Smith
- Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook Univ. Cairns QLD Australia
| | - Anaïs Barrera
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Marc Casas
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Simone Farina
- Dept of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn–National Inst. of Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, Genoa Marine Centre Genoa Italy
- IAS‐CNR, Inst. for the Study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment, National Research Council Torre Grande OR Italy
| | - Marta Pérez
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Javier Romero
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Rohan Arthur
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
- Nature Conservation Foundation Mysore India
| | - Jordi F. Pagès
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
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Avila C, Buñuel X, Carmona F, Cotado A, Sacristán-Soriano O, Angulo-Preckler C. Would Antarctic Marine Benthos Survive Alien Species Invasions? What Chemical Ecology May Tell Us. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20090543. [PMID: 36135732 PMCID: PMC9501038 DOI: 10.3390/md20090543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many Antarctic marine benthic macroinvertebrates are chemically protected against predation by marine natural products of different types. Antarctic potential predators mostly include sea stars (macropredators) and amphipod crustaceans (micropredators) living in the same areas (sympatric). Recently, alien species (allopatric) have been reported to reach the Antarctic coasts, while deep-water crabs are suggested to be more often present in shallower waters. We decided to investigate the effect of the chemical defenses of 29 representative Antarctic marine benthic macroinvertebrates from seven different phyla against predation by using non-native allopatric generalist predators as a proxy for potential alien species. The Antarctic species tested included 14 Porifera, two Cnidaria, two Annelida, one Nemertea, two Bryozooa, three Echinodermata, and five Chordata (Tunicata). Most of these Antarctic marine benthic macroinvertebrates were chemically protected against an allopatric generalist amphipod but not against an allopatric generalist crab from temperate waters. Therefore, both a possible recolonization of large crabs from deep waters or an invasion of non-native generalist crab species could potentially alter the fundamental nature of these communities forever since chemical defenses would not be effective against them. This, together with the increasing temperatures that elevate the probability of alien species surviving, is a huge threat to Antarctic marine benthos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conxita Avila
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IrBIO), University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Whitman Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-934020161
| | - Xavier Buñuel
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Francesc Carmona
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Albert Cotado
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Oriol Sacristán-Soriano
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut Català de Recerca de l’Aigua, c/Emili Grahit, 101 (Edifici H2O-ICRA), 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carlos Angulo-Preckler
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IrBIO), University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) & Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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Bennett S, Alcoverro T, Kletou D, Antoniou C, Boada J, Buñuel X, Cucala L, Jorda G, Kleitou P, Roca G, Santana‐Garcon J, Savva I, Vergés A, Marbà N. Resilience of seagrass populations to thermal stress does not reflect regional differences in ocean climate. New Phytol 2022; 233:1657-1666. [PMID: 34843111 PMCID: PMC9299911 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence of local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity among populations is critical to accurately predicting when and where climate change impacts will occur. Currently, comparisons of thermal performance between populations are untested for most marine species or overlooked by models predicting the thermal sensitivity of species to extirpation. Here we compared the ecological response and recovery of seagrass populations (Posidonia oceanica) to thermal stress throughout a year-long translocation experiment across a 2800-km gradient in ocean climate. Transplants in central and warm-edge locations experienced temperatures > 29°C, representing thermal anomalies > 5°C above long-term maxima for cool-edge populations, 1.5°C for central and < 1°C for warm-edge populations. Cool-edge, central and warm-edge populations differed in thermal performance when grown under common conditions, but patterns contrasted with expectations based on thermal geography. Cool-edge populations did not differ from warm-edge populations under common conditions and performed significantly better than central populations in growth and survival. Our findings reveal that thermal performance does not necessarily reflect the thermal geography of a species. We demonstrate that warm-edge populations can be less sensitive to thermal stress than cooler, central populations suggesting that Mediterranean seagrasses have greater resilience to warming than current paradigms suggest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Bennett
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTas.7001Australia
- Global Change Research GroupInstitut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (CSIC‐UIB)Miquel Marquès 21Esporles07190Spain
| | - Teresa Alcoverro
- Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC)Carrer Accés a la Cala Sant FrancescBlanes17300Spain
| | - Demetris Kletou
- Marine & Environmental Research (MER) Laboratory Ltd202 Amathountos Avenue, Marina Gardens, Block BLimassol4533Cyprus
| | - Charalampos Antoniou
- Marine & Environmental Research (MER) Laboratory Ltd202 Amathountos Avenue, Marina Gardens, Block BLimassol4533Cyprus
| | - Jordi Boada
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències AmbientalsFacultat de BiologiaUniversitat de BarcelonaAv. Diagonal, 643Barcelona08028Spain
- Institut d’Ecologia AquàticaFacultat de CiènciesUniversitat de GironaGirona17003Spain
| | - Xavier Buñuel
- Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC)Carrer Accés a la Cala Sant FrancescBlanes17300Spain
| | - Lidia Cucala
- Global Change Research GroupInstitut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (CSIC‐UIB)Miquel Marquès 21Esporles07190Spain
| | - Gabriel Jorda
- Instituto Español de OceanografíaCentre Oceanogràfic de BalearsMoll de Ponent s/nPalma07015Spain
| | - Periklis Kleitou
- Marine & Environmental Research (MER) Laboratory Ltd202 Amathountos Avenue, Marina Gardens, Block BLimassol4533Cyprus
- School of Biological and Marine SciencesUniversity of PlymouthPlymouthPL4 8AAUK
| | - Guillem Roca
- Global Change Research GroupInstitut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (CSIC‐UIB)Miquel Marquès 21Esporles07190Spain
| | - Julia Santana‐Garcon
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTas.7001Australia
- Global Change Research GroupInstitut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (CSIC‐UIB)Miquel Marquès 21Esporles07190Spain
| | - Ioannis Savva
- Marine & Environmental Research (MER) Laboratory Ltd202 Amathountos Avenue, Marina Gardens, Block BLimassol4533Cyprus
| | - Adriana Vergés
- Evolution & Ecology Research CentreCentre for Marine Science and InnovationSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNSW2033Australia
| | - Núria Marbà
- Global Change Research GroupInstitut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (CSIC‐UIB)Miquel Marquès 21Esporles07190Spain
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Buñuel X, Alcoverro T, Romero J, Arthur R, Ruiz JM, Pérez M, Ontoria Y, Raventós N, Macpherson E, Torrado H, Pagès JF. Warming intensifies the interaction between the temperate seagrass Posidonia oceanica and its dominant fish herbivore Sarpa salpa. Mar Environ Res 2021; 165:105237. [PMID: 33476979 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Apart from directly influencing individual life histories of species, climate change is altering key biotic interactions as well, causing community processes to unravel. With rising temperatures, disruptions to producer-consumer relationships can have major knock-on effects, particularly when the producer is a habitat-forming species. We studied how sea surface temperature (SST) modifies multiple pathways influencing the interaction between the foundational seagrass species, Posidonia oceanica, and its main consumer, the fish Sarpa salpa in the Mediterranean Sea. We used a combination of a field-based temperature gradient approaches and experimental manipulations to assess the effect of temperature on seagrass performance (growth) and fish early life history (larval development) as well as on the interaction itself (seagrass palatability and fish foraging activity). Within the range of temperatures assessed, S. salpa larvae grew slightly faster at warmer conditions but maintained their settlement size, resulting in a relatively small reduction in pelagic larval duration (PLD) and potentially reducing dispersion. Under warmer conditions (>24 °C), P. oceanica reduced its growth rate considerably and seemed to display fewer deterring mechanisms as indicated by a disproportionate consumption in choice experiments. However, our field-based observations along the temperature gradient showed no change in fish foraging time, or in other aspects of feeding behaviour. As oceans warm, our results indicate that, while S. salpa may show little change in early life history, its preference towards P. oceanica might increase, which, together with reduced seagrass growth, could considerably intensify the strength of herbivory. It is unclear if P. oceanica meadows can sustain such an intensification, but it will clearly add to the raft of pressures this threatened ecosystem already faces from global and local environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Buñuel
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.
| | - Teresa Alcoverro
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain; Nature Conservation Foundation, Amritha 1311, 12th Cross, Vijayanagara 1st Stage, Mysore, 570017, India.
| | - Javier Romero
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Rohan Arthur
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain; Nature Conservation Foundation, Amritha 1311, 12th Cross, Vijayanagara 1st Stage, Mysore, 570017, India.
| | - Juan M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/ Varadero, 30740, San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Marta Pérez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Yaiza Ontoria
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Núria Raventós
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.
| | - Enrique Macpherson
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.
| | - Héctor Torrado
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain; Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística and IRBio, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Jordi F Pagès
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain; Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
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6
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Buñuel X, Alcoverro T, Pagès JF, Romero J, Ruiz JM, Arthur R. The dominant seagrass herbivore Sarpa salpa shifts its shoaling and feeding strategies as they grow. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10622. [PMID: 32606346 PMCID: PMC7327017 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67498-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The relative benefits of group foraging change as animals grow. Metabolic requirements, competitive abilities and predation risk are often allometric and influenced by group size. How individuals optimise costs and benefits as they grow can strongly influence consumption patterns. The shoaling fish Sarpa salpa is the principal herbivore of temperate Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. We used in-situ observations to describe how ontogeny influenced S. salpa individual feeding behaviour, shoaling behaviour and group foraging strategies, and its potential consequences to seagrass meadows. Shoaling was strongly influenced by body length: shoals were highly length-assorted and there was a clear positive relationship between body length and shoal size. Foraging strategies changed dramatically with shoal size. Small shoals foraged simultaneously and scattered over large areas. In contrast, larger shoals (made of larger individuals) employed a potentially cooperative strategy where individuals fed rotationally and focused in smaller areas for longer times (spot feeding). Thus, as individuals grew, they increased their potential impact as well, not merely because they consumed more, but because they formed larger shoals capable of considerably concentrating their grazing within the landscape. Our results indicate that ontogenetic shifts in group foraging strategies can have large ecosystem-wide consequences when the species is an important ecosystem modifier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Buñuel
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.
| | - Teresa Alcoverro
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.,Nature Conservation Foundation, 3076/5, 4th Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore, Karnataka, 570 002, India
| | - Jordi F Pagès
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Romero
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan M Ruiz
- Seagrass Ecology Group, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, C/Varadero, 30740, San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Rohan Arthur
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.,Nature Conservation Foundation, 3076/5, 4th Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore, Karnataka, 570 002, India
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