Herbivory and patch dynamics on rocky reefs in temperate Australasia: The roles of fish and sea urchins

Sea urchins are widely considered to be the major grazers in temperate subtidal systems, with herbivorous fish being browsers of minor importance. This paper reviews spatial and temporal patterns in these herbivores on rocky reels in temperate Australasia, with the aim of assessing their relative impacts on patch structure and dynamics. Herbivorous fishes are widespread and make up a significant numerical component the reel fish fauna. Sea urchins are also abundant, but not all geographic locations support actively grazing species. Both fish and sea urchins exhibit distinct patterns of distribution among depth strata. Within depth strata, all herbivores are restricted to (sea urchins) or forage preferentially in (fish) particular habitat patches, causing a mosaic of different feeding activities. These patches are either related to specific features of the habitat (e.g. Kelp patches, topography) or behavioural interactions. Foraging by sea urchins and demersal-nesting damselfishes is intense and persistent, whereas in the kelp-feeding fish Odax cyanomelas, foraging reaches greatest intensity at predictable locations during a few months of every year. Many fish and sea urchins consume some algae in preference to others. However, feeding preferences may determine the nature of the impact only in fishes. For sea urchins, preference may occasionally determine the order in which algae are consumed, but at high densities they consume all available macroalgae. Impacts of both types of herbivore on the abundance of algae have been recorded. Some sea urchins (e.g. Evechinus chloroticus, Centrostephanus rodgersii) appear to severely modify biogenic habitat structure by maintaining ‘barrens’ (areas devoid of macroalgae) over long periods. In contrast to this, the effects of fishes may be more transitory (e.g. seasonal impact of Odax cyanomelas on brown algae) or occur at smaller spatial scales (e.g. nest sites maintained by male Parma victoriae) Herbivorous and other fishes appear to respond to spatial patterns in algal distributions, rallier than having it major impact upon them. The relative effects of fish and sea urchins on the long-term dynamics of kelp forests are unknown, hut temporal patterns in herbivore abundance and behaviour, and algal demography arc urgent targets for research.     

Impacts of grazing and burning on spider assemblages in dry eucalypt forests of north‐eastern New South Wales,Australia

Abstract In the dry eucalypt forests of north‐eastern New South Wales, Australia, cattle grazing occurs at low intensities and is accompanied by frequent low‐intensity burning. This study investigated the combined effects of this management practice on the ground‐dwelling and arboreal (low vegetation) spider assemblages. Spiders were sampled at 49 sites representing a range of grazing intensities, using pitfall trapping, litter extraction and sweep sampling. A total of 237 spider morphospecies from 37 families were collected using this composite sampling strategy. The abundance, richness, composition and structure of spider assemblages in grazed and ungrazed forest sites were compared and related to a range of environmental variables. Spider assemblages responded to a range of environmental factors at the landscape, habitat and microhabitat scales. Forest type, spatial relationships and habitat variability at the site scale were more important in determining spider assemblages than localized low‐intensity grazing and burning. However, it is possible that a threshold intensity of grazing may exist, above which spiders respond to grazing and burning. Although low‐intensity grazing and burning may not affect spider assemblages below a threshold stocking rate, that stocking rate has yet to be established.     

Urban Place: Reconnecting with the Natural World

Urban Place: Reconnecting with the Natural World. Peggy F. Barlett, ed. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005. 330 pp.     

Rampant drift in artificially fragmented populations of the endangered tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi)

Habitat fragmentation and its genetic consequences are a critically important issue in evaluating the evolutionary penalties of human habitat modification. Here, we examine the genetic structure and diversity in naturally subdivided and artificially fragmented populations of the endangered tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi), a small fish restricted to discrete coastal lagoons and estuaries in California, USA. We use five naturally fragmented coastal populations from a 300‐ km spatial scale as a standard to assess migration and drift relative to eight artificially fragmented bay populations from a 30‐ km spatial scale. Using nine microsatellite loci in 621 individuals, and a 522‐base fragment of mitochondrial DNA control region from 103 individuals, we found striking differences in the relative influences of migration and drift on genetic variation at these two scales. Overall, the artificially fragmented populations exhibited a consistent pattern of higher genetic differentiation and significantly lower genetic diversity relative to the naturally fragmented populations. Thus, even in a species characterized by habitat isolation and subdivision, further artificial fragmentation appears to result in substantial population genetic consequences and may not be sustainable.     

Habitat selection by the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) in relation to diel period,food and shelter

Patterns of resource selection by animals may be influenced by sex, and often change over a 24‐h period. We used a dry sclerophyll landscape managed for commercial timber production to investigate the effects of sex and diel period on habitat selection by the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor). We predicted that selection would be (i) affected by both sex and diel period; and (ii) positively related to lateral cover during the day, but to food resources at night. Non‐metric multidimentional scaling indicated that some of the available habitats differed markedly with respect to visibility (an indicator of lateral cover), fern cover, forb cover, wallaby density and a forage quality index, providing the basis for non‐random habitat selection. At the landscape scale, wallabies showed strong selection for 5‐year‐old regenerating sites, selected against 10‐year‐old regenerating sites and unharvested forest, and avoided recently harvested (3–10 months post‐harvest) sites completely. At the scale of individual home ranges, a pooled male and female sample demonstrated selection for unharvested forest over recently harvested sites during both diurnal and nocturnal periods. A separate analysis showed that both sex and diel period influenced the selection of 5‐ and 10‐year‐old sites and the surrounding unharvested forest. Using a novel approach, we demonstrated that diurnal habitat selection by both sexes was negatively correlated with visibility, representing stronger selection for areas with more lateral cover. Nocturnal selection by females was positively correlated with values of a forage quality index, but this was not the case for males. We hypothesise that the observed patterns of selection were driven by the need to find food and avoid predators, but were also affected by the different reproductive strategies of males and females. Our results demonstrate the importance of incorporating factors such as sex and diel period into analyses of habitat selection.     

Evolution of venom delivery structures in madtom catfishes (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae)

The use of venom to subdue prey or deter predators has evolved multiple times in numerous animal lineages. Catfishes represent one of the most easily recognized, but least studied groups of venomous fishes. Venom glands surround spines on the dorsal and pectoral fins that serve as venom delivery structures. Species of madtom catfishes in the genus Noturus were found to each have one of four venom delivery morphologies: (1) smooth spine with no venom gland; (2) smooth spine with venom gland associated with shaft of spine; (3) serrated spine with venom gland associated with shaft of spine; and (4) serrated spine with venom gland associated with shaft of spine and posterior serrations. Analyses accounting for the phylogenetic history of Noturus species suggest that a serrated pectoral spine with a venom gland is the ancestral condition for the genus. The presence of serrations and a venom gland have been largely conserved among Noturus species, but sting morphology has changed at least five times within the genus. Four of these changes have resulted in a loss of morphological complexity, including the loss of posterior serrations, loss of venom glands associated with the posterior serrations, and one complete loss of the venom gland. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 102 , 115–129.     

Landscape genetic structure of coastal tailed frogs (Ascaphus truei) in protected vs. managed forests

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the leading causes of species’ declines and extinctions. A key component of studying population response to habitat alteration is to understand how fragmentation affects population connectivity in disturbed landscapes. We used landscape genetic analyses to determine how habitat fragmentation due to timber harvest affects genetic population connectivity of the coastal tailed frog (Ascaphus truei), a forest-dwelling, stream-breeding amphibian. We compared rates of gene flow across old-growth (Olympic National Park) and logged landscapes (Olympic National Forest) and used spatial autoregression to estimate the effect of landscape variables on genetic structure. We detected higher overall genetic connectivity across the managed forest, although this was likely a historical signature of continuous forest before timber harvest began. Gene flow also occurred terrestrially, as connectivity was high across unconnected river basins. Autoregressive models demonstrated that closed forest and low solar radiation were correlated with increased gene flow. In addition, there was evidence for a temporal lag in the correlation of decreased gene flow with harvest, suggesting that the full genetic impact may not appear for several generations. Furthermore, we detected genetic evidence of population bottlenecks across the Olympic National Forest, including at sites that were within old-growth forest but surrounded by harvested patches. Collectively, this research suggests that absence of forest (whether due to natural or anthropogenic changes) is a key restrictor of genetic connectivity and that intact forested patches in the surrounding environment are necessary for continued gene flow and population connectivity.     

Ecological,morphological and genetic divergence of sympatric North Atlantic killer whale populations

Ecological divergence has a central role in speciation and is therefore an important source of biodiversity. Studying the micro‐evolutionary processes of ecological diversification at its early stages provides an opportunity for investigating the causative mechanisms and ecological conditions promoting divergence. Here we use morphological traits, nitrogen stable isotope ratios and tooth wear to characterize two disparate types of North Atlantic killer whale. We find a highly specialist type, which reaches up to 8.5 m in length and a generalist type which reaches up to 6.6 m in length. There is a single fixed genetic difference in the mtDNA control region between these types, indicating integrity of groupings and a shallow divergence. Phylogenetic analysis indicates this divergence is independent of similar ecological divergences in the Pacific and Antarctic. Niche‐width in the generalist type is more strongly influenced by between‐individual variation rather than within‐individual variation in the composition of the diet. This first step to divergent specialization on different ecological resources provides a rare example of the ecological conditions at the early stages of adaptive radiation.     

Thicker Than Water: The Origins of Blood as Symbol and Ritual

Thicker Than Water: The Origins of Blood as Symbol and Ritual . Melissa L. Meyer. New York: Routledge, 2005. 264 pp.