Functional Role of Large Organisms in Intertidal Communities: Community Effects and Ecosystem Function |
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Authors: | Simon F Thrush Judi E Hewitt Max Gibbs Carolyn Lundquist Alf Norkko |
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Institution: | (1) National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 11-115, Hamilton, 2005, New Zealand;(2) Department of Biological Oceanography, Finnish Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 2 (Erik Palméns plats1), FI-00561 Helsingfors, Finland |
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Abstract: | In marine soft sediments, large organisms are potentially important players in the nonlinear interactions that occur among
animals, their food, and their chemical environment, all of which influence the contribution of benthos to ecosystem function.
We investigated the consequences of removing large individuals of two functionally contrasting benthic communities on nutrient
regeneration, microphyte standing stock, and macrobenthic community composition. The experiment was conducted at two adjacent
sites that were physically similar but biologically different, one dominated by large deposit feeders and the other by large
suspension feeders. Chemical fluxes were measured in experimental plots, and sediments were sampled to assess changes in macrofauna,
sediment grain size, organic content, and microphyte standing stock. Our results demonstrate that the removal of large suspension
feeders or deposit feeders influenced the flux of nitrogen and oxygen, surficial sediment characteristics, and community composition.
In the deposit-feeder community, interactions between nutrient regeneration and grazing highlight important feedbacks between
large macrofauna and biogeochemical processes and production by microphytes, indicating that the loss of large infauna driven
by increased rates of anthropogenic disturbance may lead to functional extinction and cause shifts in community structure
and ecosystem performance. |
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Keywords: | ecosystem function biogeochemistry microphytes benthic communities soft sediments intertidal sandflats New Zealand |
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