湄洲湾潮间带底栖生物多样性

为了了解福建省湄洲湾潮间带底栖生物的物种多样性、数量时空分布及群落结构现状,2005年11月和2006年4月在湄洲湾潮间带选择了灵川(Mch1)、苏厝(Mch2)、郭厝(Mch3)、东吴(Mch4)和东桥(Mch5)5条断面进行了调查。共鉴定潮间带底栖生物225种,其中多毛类、软体动物和甲壳动物占总种数的88.00%,三者构成潮间带底栖生物的主要类群。断面间比较,东桥断面种数较多,苏厝断面较少。季节比较,春季各断面种类较秋季多。平均生物量22.91g/m2,以软体动物居第一位,甲壳动物居第二位;平均栖息密度为388个/m2,以多毛类居第一位,软体动物居第二位。生物量以中潮区>低潮区>高潮区;栖息密度以低潮区>中潮区>高潮区。调查结果显示湄洲湾潮间带底栖生物物种多样性较高,群落结构相对稳定。     

南麂大檑山岛贻贝增殖区潮间带底栖生物的多样性

2012 年6 月在南麂大檑山岛厚壳贻贝增殖区潮间带布设2 个断面,进行潮间带底栖生物调查。定量采集到底栖生物16 种,其中软体动物6 种,藻类、甲壳类各3 种,腔肠动物、多毛类各2 种。潮间带底栖生物平均丰度为1 592 inds/m²,平均生物量17 326.48 g/m²,以厚壳贻贝的生物量及丰度为最高。大檑山岛潮间带底栖生物的Shannon-Weiner 多样性指数(H')、Simpson 多样性指数(D)、Pielou 均匀度指数(J)和Margalef 丰富度指数(d)分别为1.25~1.53、0.46~0.54、0.49~0.75、0.92~1.25,平均值分别是1.48、0.50、0.57、1.13,多样性指数都比较低,潮间带底栖生物群落受到中度干扰。底栖生物ABC 曲线分析表明,大檑山岛潮间带底栖生物群落处于稳定状态。厚壳贻贝壳长频数分布分析表明,大檑山岛潮间带厚壳贻贝以1~2 龄为主。     

崇明东滩春季鸟类群落特征

2003年春季对崇明东滩潮间带不同生境的鸟类群落进行了调查,共记录到鸟类64种,隶属7目15科。崇明东滩潮间带春季鸟类平均密度为14.60只/hm2,鸟类多样性指数2.08、均匀度指数0.49、优势度指数0.22。芦苇带、海三棱草带和盐渍藻类带是东滩潮间带典型的生境,各生境的鸟类种类、密度和多样性差异较大。其中芦苇带25种,平均密度2.56只/hm2;海三棱草带有48种,平均密度15.38只/hm2;盐渍藻类带36种,平均密度21.04只/hm2。3种生境中盐渍藻类带鸟类的生物多样性最高,海三棱草带最低。研究表明,滩涂围垦、人类活动干扰、互花米草的入侵是影响鸟类在东滩栖息的主要因素。     

上海市潮滩湿地大型底栖动物的空间分布格局

通过对上海市6个典型潮滩湿地（崇明东滩、崇明北滩、九段沙、青草沙、南汇边滩和杭州湾北岸）的调查,共记录到大型底栖动物112种,甲壳动物、软体动物和环节动物分别占总物种数的51．8％、22．3％和18．8％。6个潮滩湿地中大型底栖动物生物量的空间分布呈现一致的规律,即高潮区〉中潮区〉低潮区;在生物量构成中,甲壳动物是最为重要的类群,其总体平均相对贡献率在51％～97％之间,软体动物的总体平均相对贡献率在2％～48％之间。大型底栖动物密度的空间分布在地点间存在较大差异,在崇明东滩、九段沙和杭州湾北岸湿地中,软体动物在数量上占优势;而在崇明北滩、青草沙和南汇边滩,甲壳动物却是优势类群。与20世纪80和90年代的调查资料相比,近20多年来上海市潮滩湿地中大型底栖动物生物量明显增加,但群落结构发生了根本改变,优势类群由个体较小的软体动物转变为平均体重较大的甲壳动物,这主要与人类活动（过度采捕、环境污染和生物促淤等因素）的强度干扰有关,也反映上海市潮滩湿地的环境质量和生态功能正在逐步下降。     

长江口潮沟大型底栖动物群落的初步研究

通过对长江口崇明东滩潮沟系统与大型底栖无脊椎动物进行取样调查 ,研究了潮沟不同生境的底栖动物群落及其多样性 ,分析了潮沟生境异质性与底栖动物群落的关系。研究发现 :①潮沟剖面中出现明显的动物群落分带现象 ,从潮沟底、潮沟边滩到草滩 ,底栖动物种类、生活型组成和生活类群比例反映了河口潮滩潮沟底栖动物生态系列 ;②密度和生物量的分布皆为潮沟边滩 >草滩 >潮沟底 ,但密度与生物量的面上群 /面下群值格局却有不同 ,说明了密度和生物量的优势生活型和生活类群随潮沟生境的差异而变化 ;③潮沟系统 3种生境的多样性指数D ,H′和J值均为草滩 >潮沟边滩 >潮沟底 ,是潮沟系统生境结构分化的结果。潮沟底和潮沟边滩等特殊生境的存在 ,提高了淤泥质河口潮滩的生境异质性 ,说明了潮沟系统在维持河口生态系统底栖动物物种多样性中的重要作用。     

放牧对滩涂底栖动物的影响

于2005年5月（春季）和10月（秋季）,调查了放牧对上海市崇明东滩大型底栖动物的影响.调查采样设置3个样区,其中Ⅰ、Ⅱ样区在放牧区,Ⅲ样区在非放牧区,3个样区均在潮间带的中潮带,共计90个样方.采集到底栖动物13种,其中节肢动物7种,软体动物4种,环节动物2种.Ⅰ、Ⅱ和Ⅲ样区春季分别有6、8和10种,秋季6、8和12种.各样区秋季底栖动物的平均密度均高于春季,春、秋季各样区的平均密度又均以Ⅲ样区最高.生物量与密度变化大体相似,以Ⅲ样区最高.与Ⅰ、Ⅱ样区相比,Ⅲ样区的多样性指数、均匀度和丰富度均最高,说明放牧改变了底栖动物种类分布的格局,使底栖动物的密度、生物量均有不同程度的改变,且放牧对崇明东滩底栖动物的生物多样性产生了一定的负面影响.     

长江口互花米草生长区大型底栖动物的群落特征

2005年对长江口潮滩湿地互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)生长区不同季节大型底栖动物群落特征的研究表明:长江口互花米草生长区的大型底栖动物有21种,其中甲壳纲10种、多毛纲5种、腹足纲5种、辨鳃纲1种.主要种类有拟沼螺(Assiminea sp.)、背蚓虫(Notomastus latericeus)、尖锥拟蟹守螺(Cerithidea largillierli)、中国绿螂(Glauconome chinensis)、钩虾(Gammaridae sp.)等.食性功能群均以碎屑食者和植食者为主.大型底栖动物平均栖息密度为(650.5±719.2)个/m2,标准误主要是由于北湖的拟沼螺密度很大.栖息密度从大到小的顺序为沿河口梯度从内到外分布的北湖边滩、崇明东滩、金山卫边滩.大型底栖动物群落分布不均匀,沿河口梯度变化存在明显的空间差异.栖息密度和物种多样性在夏季最高,冬季最低.大型底栖动物平均生物量为(20.8±6.1)g/m2,季相变化为夏季＞秋季＞春季＞冬季.BIO-ENV分析表明沉积物粒径和盐沼高度是大型底栖动物群落特征的主要影响因素.不同研究结果的差异除了时空因素外可能与互花米草的种群动态有关.加强不同时间尺度的研究有助于正确评价互花米草对大型底栖动物的影响.     

上海崇明东滩互花米草种子产量及其萌发对温度的响应

外来物种互花米草通过快速的无性和有性繁殖,已在崇明东滩形成了大面积的单优势种群。研究了崇明东滩互花米草入侵区种子产量及温度对其萌发的影响。结果表明,互花米草在潮间带的中潮间带种子产量最高,为44523粒/m²,高潮间带次之,为31150粒/m²,低潮间带最低,为17250粒/m²。各潮间带的种子在10 30℃范围内均能萌发,而且随着温度的升高,萌发率和萌发速度总体呈现先增大后减小的趋势。互花米草种子在25℃恒温与20/30℃变温处理下的萌发率最高和萌发速度最快,而且互花米草种子在变温环境下的萌发率高于恒温处理。研究表明,崇明东滩中潮间带互花米草的种子产量和活性最高,是提供有性扩散种源的主要区域,适合种子萌发温度的4-5月是互花米草进行有性扩散的主要季节。研究结果对了解互花米草有性繁殖扩散的时空格局和入侵生态学过程,以及有效控制和管理入侵物种互花米草提供了科学依据。     

我国海洋大型底栖生物多样性研究及展望:以黄海为例

本文综述了我国海洋大型底栖生物生态学和生物多样性研究进展,指出在该领域已有的研究中以胶州湾、长江口、福建和浙江沿岸等海域研究较多,其他海域还需要加强.介绍了常规大型底栖生物群落研究(包括种类组成、栖息密度(丰度)、生物量、生物多样性、次级生产力、能量级等)中的研究方法,环境变化、环境污染、海洋工程建设等对大型底栖生物的影响等方面的主要研究成果和进展,并重点以黄海为例,列举了已有的主要调查项目和研究成果.我国已有的研究表明,渤海海域底栖动物区系简单,大型底栖生物共413种,种数在四个海区中最少,优势种主要是低温、广盐暖水种;年总平均生物量为19.83 g/m2,以软体动物占有绝对优势;年总平均栖息密度474个/m2,多毛类和软体动物为主要贡献类群.黄海大型底栖生物共853种,优势种为狭盐性北温带种;北黄海年总平均生物量为99.66 g/m2,以棘皮动物最高;南黄海年总平均生物量为27.69 g/m2,多毛类贡献量最高;北黄海年总平均密度为2,017.40个/m2,而南黄海只有88.67个/m2差异较大;北黄海大型底栖生物的总平均密度和生物量远高于其他海域.南黄海年平均次级生产力为4.98 g(去灰干重)/m2,两个高生产力区位于黄海冷水团两侧.东海共发现大型底栖生物l,300种,主要优势种类有45种,与黄海优势种生物之间有很大差别;东海平均生物量的季节变化不显著,基本趋势为春季＞冬季＞夏季＞秋季;东海各海域的年总平均生物量浙江海域(28.22 g/m2)＞长江口海域(15.55 g/m2)＞台湾海峡(8.98 g/m2);年总平均栖息密度为164个/m2,呈现由北向南逐渐增加的趋势.南海大型底栖生物共发现1,661种,明显高于渤、黄、东海,部分优势种类与东海相同,与黄海、渤海差别较大;年总平均生物量为20.06 g/m2,基本趋势为春季＞冬季＞秋季＞夏季,软体动物和棘皮动物为主要贡献类群;年总平均栖息密度为198个/m2,夏季＞春季＞冬季＞秋季,多毛类生物为主要贡献者.指出随着人类活动和全球气候变化对海洋环境的影响越来越剧烈,对海洋生物资源和生物多样性的保护显得尤为急迫,而对海洋大型底栖生物长期的变化规律、变化机理、未来变化趋势预测的研究,是探究海洋大型底栖生物生态服务功能,提出资源有效保护和合理开发建议,使之永续利用的基础和迫切任务.     

2011—2020年长江口大型底栖动物群落结构变化趋势

对2011—2020年夏季长江口48个站位的大型底栖动物定量监测数据进行统计分析,研究长江口海域底栖生物群落时空结构演变特征。结果表明,近10年长江口海域共鉴定大型底栖动物284种,其中多毛类128种,占总种数的45.1%,甲壳类64种占22.2%,软体动物56种占19.7%,棘皮动物16种占5.6%,其他类合计20种。平均生物密度为(79.5±45.9)个/m²(年份变幅14.7—195个/m²)。平均生物量为(5.20±3.25)g/m²(年份变幅1.01—10.11g/m²),多毛类、软体动物、甲壳类是生物密度和生物量组成的主要类群。十年期间种类数、生物密度和生物量均呈现明显上升趋势,口外区贡献最突出。四个监测区域(南支、北支、杭州湾、口外)的优势种差异大。丝异须虫Heteromastus filiformis在各年份的优势种中出现的频度显著最大。总体来看,长江口监测区域大型底栖动物群落自然演变趋势向好。三项多样性指数统计结果表明,口外区大型底栖动物种类组成多样性水平显著高于口内三个区。生物群...     

Food supply in intertidal area for shorebirds during stopover at Chongming Dongtan, China

The wetland in Chongming Dongtan, China is an important stopover site for migratory shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The high-abundance macrobenthos in Chongming Dongtan allow migratory birds to refuel during the stopover. This study analyzed the distribution and density of macrobenthos in the intertidal zone. Results showed that the macrobenthos mainly consisted of gastropods, bivalves, polychaetes, crustaceans and insect larvae. The density of gastropods [(2805 ± 360) ind./m²] was the highest, accounting for up to 80% of the total macrobenthos density. Meanwhile, bivalves [(51.4 ± 7.8) g/m²] and gastropods [(38.7 ± 5.1) g/m²] together accounted for more than 90% of the total biomass. On the other hand, there were significant differences in the distribution of macrobenthos among different intertidal zones. Gastropods were mainly confined to the Scirpus zones, and bivalves to the outer Scirpus zone and the muddy and sandy flats. In terms of the spatial distribution of density, the gastropod density was higher in the north but lower in the south. However, no significant difference was found in the density and biomass of macrobenthos groups between spring and autumn, except that the density of bivalves in autumn was significantly higher than that in spring (P < 0.001).     

洋山港潮间带大型底栖动物群落结构及多样性

2009-2010年在洋山港海域大洋山岛和圣姑礁进行四个季度潮间带大型底栖动物生态学研究。共采集到大型底栖动物61种,以广布种为主,部分为河口低盐种,其中软体动物22种,环节动物16种,节肢动物12种,苔藓动物5种,腔肠动物4种,星虫动物和棘皮动物各1种。优势种为短滨螺(Littorina brevicula)、多齿围沙蚕(Perinereis nuntia)、日本笠藤壶(Tetraclita japonica)、齿纹蜒螺(Nerita yoldii)和特异大权蟹(Macromedaeus distinguendus)。丰度和生物量在不同季节明显不同(P<0.05):丰度的最高值出现在春季,为(3204.9±837.84)个/m²,最低值出现在秋季,仅为(2213.2±731.27)个/m²;生物量的最高值则出现在夏季(2233.2±1493.42)g/m²,冬季最少,仅为(819.95±484.80) g/m²。大洋山岛和圣姑礁的丰度和生物量具有较大差异(P<0.05):年均丰度以大洋山断面较高,为(3090±742.74)个/m²,圣姑礁断面较低,为(2133±372.51)个/m²;而年均生物量则以圣姑礁断面较高,为(1711.1±1180.76) g/m²,大洋山断面较低,仅为(1028.5±627.61) g/m²。运用ABC曲线、等级聚类和MDS对大型底栖动物群落结构分析发现:大洋山潮带间大型底栖动物群落尚未受到干扰或干扰较轻,群落结构相对稳定;而圣姑礁断面的潮间带大型底栖动物群落受到了中度的干扰,群落结构稳定性下降。与15年前的研究相比,圣姑礁大型底栖动物的密度和生物量均有大幅度的降低,这与洋山港海域盐度的升高、生态环境变化和人为干扰强度增加等有关。     

上川岛潮间带不同生境底栖软体动物物种多样性初步研究

目的:研究上川岛潮间带不同生境底栖软体动物物种多样性。方法:对上川岛潮间带(沙滩、泥沙滩、红树林泥滩、岩石滩) 4种不同生境的7个样方的底栖软体动物进行了生物多样性的初步调查。结果:共鉴定底栖软体动物14科30种,上川岛潮间带底栖软体动物物种丰富度指数为岩石滩(平均为1.784 ) >泥沙滩(平均为1.5 2 1) >红树林泥滩(平均为1.2 35 ) >沙滩(平均为0 .6 92 ) ;多样性指数岩石滩(平均为1.5 5 1) >红树林泥滩(平均为1.30 4 ) >泥沙滩(平均为1.16 2 ) >沙滩(平均为0 .4 0 3)。结论:底栖软体动物的种类及数量分布受底质、浪击等因素的影响。     

迁徙停歇期鸻鹬类在崇明东滩潮间带的食物分布

崇明东滩是鸻鹬类在东亚-澳大利西亚迁徙路线上重要的迁徙停歇地,滩涂上的底栖动物为迁徙的候鸟提供了丰富的食物来源。采用圆筒取样法对崇明东滩潮间带的大型底栖动物群落进行了研究。研究表明,该区域的大型底栖动物主要有腹足类、双壳类、甲壳类、多毛类环节动物及昆虫幼虫等类群。其中以腹足类密度最高（（2805±360）个/m^2）,约占底栖动物总密度的80%。其次为双壳类,密度为（320±31）个/m^2。双壳类的生物量（湿重）为（51.4±7.8）g/m^2,腹足类（38.7±5.1）g/m^2,两者占底栖动物总生物量的90%以上。不同类群的底栖动物在潮间带的空间分布上有显著差异。腹足类主要分布在海三棱藨草带,双壳类在海三棱藨草外带至光滩区域分布较多。从空间分布来看,腹足类在崇明东滩的北部区域分布较多,在南部区域则明显减少。双壳类在南北各条样线上的平均密度没有显著差异。除双壳类在秋季迁徙期的密度高于春季迁徙期外（P〈0.001）,其他类群的底栖动物在春季和秋季迁徙期的密度均无显著差异（P〉0.05）。     

Subtidal-intertidal trophic links: American lobsters [Homarus americanus (Milne-Edwards)] forage in the intertidal zone on nocturnal high tides

Homarus americanus (Milne-Edwards), the American lobster, is a predator in New England subtidal communities, feeding on ecologically important grazers (sea urchins), mesopredators (crabs), and basal species (mussels). In this study, we provide the first report of adult American lobsters foraging in rocky intertidal habitats during nocturnal high tides. Censuses by SCUBA divers in the low intertidal (Chondrus crispus Stackhouse) zone showed mean densities of 2.2 lobsters/20 m² on nocturnal high tides, with contrasting low densities of 0.18/20 m² during diurnal high tides. Nocturnal high-tide intertidal densities were 62% of those reported in a previous study of lobsters in nearby subtidal rocky areas (Novak, 2004). The average carapace length of lobsters in the intertidal at night was > 50 mm. These lobsters were actively foraging in the intertidal with collected individuals having a mean stomach fullness of 67%. Prey found in the stomach contents primarily consisted of crabs, mussels and snails. Field experiments showed that lobsters rarely fed on medium to large size individuals of the common intertidal snail, Littorina littorea (L.). In contrast, experiments with local crab species demonstrated that lobsters actively and readily prey on Cancer irroratus (Say) and Carcinus maenas (L.), but were significantly less likely to consume Cancer borealis (Stimpson). The abundance of Carcinus maenas and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) in the intertidal zone may explain the upshore movement of lobsters. Since nocturnal migration of Homarus americanus into the intertidal zone has not been documented before, our understanding of the dynamics of New England intertidal communities needs to be expanded to include this predator.     

Untersuchungen über die Auswirkung kommunaler Abwässer auf das benthische Ökosystem mariner Watten

The influence of domestic sewage on intertidal sand and mud flat benthic communities has been studied at three minor outfalls around the North Sea island of Sylt (F. R. Germany) and at the main outfall of Vancouver, B. C. (Canada). During high tide, domestic waste water was found at the water surface due to its lower specific gravity. Consequently, O₂ depletion and salinity decrease occured mainly in surface waters. Oxygen deficiency prevailed in the sediment-water layer, when settled sewage particles were re-suspended by strong tidal currents. This resulted in anaerobic conditions at the sediment surface for up to 40% of the day. Substantial pH decrease and increase in seston load of the water were observed only along the sewage channels and around the outlets when large quantities of sewage were discharged. The amount of particulate organic material increased up to 10% and more in muddy sediments due to sedimentation of sewage sludge. Considerable eutrophication of the mud flats resulted from nutrient load of the sewage and from decomposition of faecal material deposited on the sediments. The vertical distribution of microalgae in the sediment was not influenced by sewage. Primary productivity of microalgae on the sediment surface was positively correlated with the degree of pollution. In heavily and mediumly polluted zones, heterotrophic bacterial production exceeded primary production rates at the sediment surface. Compared with unpolluted intertidal flats the number of macrobenthic species was not reduced in polluted mud flats. In regard to overall species abundance, the macrofauna associations of the disposal area showed three distinct zones: (1) Heavy pollution around the outfall resulted in a degradation zone either without benthic invertebrates or with a very low density of individuals; (2) medium polluted areas were characterized by a zone of maximum density; (3) with decreasing or diminishing pollution the number of individuals returned to normal values (background values). The distribution of species within these zones indicated a significant difference between the response of the channel fauna and the flat fauna to pollution: while the number of species increased continously inside the channels with decreasing pollution, the species variety of the tidal flats was positively correlated with the number of individuals. The diversity of the benthos inside the channels was negatively correlated with the degree of pollution, whereas the diversity indices for the fauna on the tidal flats increased quickly from the centre of pollution, remained at a high level in the medium polluted zone, and decreased again to the area of diminishing pollution. The number of dominating species in the sewage channel increased from the outlet towards the low-tide level, with ratios of 0.9 to 0.33; on the flats the number remained constant throughout the three zones, with maximum ratios of 0.5, demonstrating that no qualitative changes for the macrobenthos of intertidal flats result from domestic sewage disposals. In polluted intertidal flats the macrobenthos is dominated by muddy-sand species whose adaptability to varying sedimentary factors, such as grain size distribution and content of organic material (coefficients of variability: 50.7 and 45.7%, respectively), is relatively high compared with mud and sand species. A special indicator community for polluted intertidal areas does not exist. Intensified waste-water treatment prior to discharge reduced the size of the degradation zone around the outfalls while it simultaneously caused a lower density of the macrobenthos in the medium polluted zone.

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Dissertation aus dem Fachbereich Biologie der Universität Hamburg.     

UK intertidal foraminiferal distributions: implications for sea-level studies

Foraminiferal assemblages have been collected from ten intertidal study areas situated on the east, south and west coasts of the UK. The assemblages display a vertical zonation which indicates that the distribution of foraminifera in these intertidal environments is usually the direct function of altitude with the duration and frequency of intertidal exposure the most important factors. Multivariate analyses separate foraminiferal assemblages into two faunal zones: a high- and middle marsh zone consisting of differing abundances of Jadammina macrescens, Trochammina inflata and Miliammina fusca; and a low-marsh and tidal flat zone dominated by calcareous foraminiferal species, notably Elphidium williamsoni, Haynesina germanica and Quinqueloculina spp. These faunal zones are similar to those in other mid-latitude, cool temperate intertidal environments although there are spatial and temporal variations between areas. The altitudinal ranges of the faunal zones are employed to identify the vertical relationship of the local environment in which the assemblage accumulated to a reference tide level.     

The nematode fauna of a temperate Australian mangrove mudflat; its population density,diversity and distribution

The nematode fauna of an estuarine mangrove Avicennia marina mudflat in Southeastern Australia has been intensively studied. About 85% of the nematodes occur in the top cm of soft mud, but 5–7 species inhabit the deeper anoxic mud down to 10 cm, both at low and high tide. One square metre was intensively sampled from four zones with different nematode faunas. At the low tide zone 58% of the nematodes were epistrate feeders, including many diatom-feeders, but in the mangrove zone selective microbial feeders made up over 60% of the population, while between high water neap and high water spring, above the mangrove zone, omnivore/predators and plant root feeding nematodes increased in relative importance. Random replicate cores reliably sampled species occurrence, but gave a high variance in density estimates. Replicate aliquots from homogenised mud gave lower density variance. Nematode densities (maximum 5 × 10⁶ m^-2) were not as high as have been reported from non-mangrove estuaries in other countries, but were within the range found in mangroves elsewhere in Australia. Margalef Species Richness values ranged from 1.7 to 3.89, which is similar to values found in other mangroves mudflats in Australia. Nematode biomass ranged from 888 mg dry weight m² (383 mg C m^-2) at the low tide zone to 19 mg dry weight m^-2 (8 mg C m^-2) at the upper tide level.     

Causes and consequences of thermal tolerance limits in rocky intertidal porcelain crabs, genus petrolisthes

Vertical zonation of intertidal organisms, from the shallowsubtidal to the supralittoral zones, is a ubiquitous featureof temperate and tropical rocky shores. Organisms that livehigher on the shore experience larger daily and seasonal fluctuationsin microhabitat conditions, due to their greater exposure toterrestrial conditions during emersion. Comparative analysesof the adaptive linkage between physiological tolerance limitsand vertical distribution are the most powerful when the studyspecies are closely related and occur in discrete vertical zonesthroughout the intertidal range. Here, I summarize work on thephysiological tolerance limits of rocky intertidal zone porcelaincrab species of the genus Petrolisthes to emersion-related heatstress. In the eastern Pacific, Petrolisthes species live throughouttemperate and tropical regions, and are found in discrete verticalintertidal zones in each region. Whole organism thermal tolerancelimits of Petrolisthes species, and thermal limits of heartand nerve function reflect microhabitat conditions. Speciesliving higher in the intertidal zone are more eurythermal thanlow-intertidal congeners, tropical species have the highestthermal limits, and the differences in thermal tolerance betweenlow- and high-intertidal species is greatest for temperate crabs.Acclimation of thermal limits of high-intertidal species isrestricted as compared to low-intertidal species. Thus, becausethermal limits of high-intertidal species are near current habitattemperature maxima, global warming could most strongly impactintertidal species.