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Epibiont species richness varies between holdfasts of a northern and a southerly distributed kelp species

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2008

A.J. Blight  and
R.C. Thompson
A.J. Blight*
Affiliation:
Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
R.C. Thompson
Affiliation:
Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: A.J. Blight School of Biological SciencesQueen's University Belfast Medical Biology Centre97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL Northern Ireland, UK email: [email protected]
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Abstract

All habitats are modified to some extent by the species that live within them. Kelp is known to have a very strong influence on the surrounding environment providing a habitat for a wide range of organisms including marine mammals, fish and invertebrates. Here we examine the consequences of a subtle shift in the relative abundance of two species of kelp, Laminaria digitata and Laminaria ochroleuca, and compare the holdfast epibiont assemblages on both. These species are morphologically very similar and both provide important biologically generated habitats. The distribution of these kelp species is predicted to alter as a consequence of climate change with L. ochroleuca extending its range northward and potentially outcompeting L. digitata in the north-eastern Atlantic. The epibiont fauna common to both species of kelp were predominantly made up of annelids, molluscs and bryozoans. Most of the epibiont flora we found on the holdfasts was from the class Rhodophyceae. Multivariate analysis showed that the richness of epibiont species associated with L. ochroleuca was significantly lower, a mean of 0.62 species per cm3, when compared to the northern species, L. digitata which had a mean of 1.13 species per cm3. Laminaria digitata also had more unique epibiont species indicating that species richness of holdfast assemblages is likely to decline if L. digitata is replaced by L. ochroleuca. These data illustrate the importance of studying biologically generated habitats when considering the potential consequences of climate change on marine assemblages.

Keywords

kelpepibiont diversityholdfastsLaminariaclimate change
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 88 , Issue 3 , May 2008 , pp. 469 - 475
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2008

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