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    Invertebrate communities on historical shipwrecks in the western Atlantic : relation to islands

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    Meyer et al._Shipwrecks v11.pdf (1.259Mb)
    Date
    2017-02
    Author
    Meyer, Kirstin S.  Concept link
    Brooke, Sandra  Concept link
    Sweetman, Andrew K.  Concept link
    Wolf, Maya  Concept link
    Young, Craig M.  Concept link
    Metadata
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    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/8898
    As published
    https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12058
    Keyword
     Island biogeography; Assembly rules; Artificial reef; Succession; Benthic fauna; Continental shelf; ROV; Video analysis 
    Abstract
    Shipwrecks can be considered island-like habitats on the seafloor. We investigated the fauna of eight historical shipwrecks off the east coast of the U.S. to assess whether species distribution patterns on the shipwrecks fit models from classical island theory. Invertebrates on the shipwrecks included both sessile (sponges, anemones, hydroids) and motile (crustaceans, echinoderms) species. Invertebrate communities were significantly different among wrecks. The size and distance between wrecks influenced the biotic communities, much like on terrestrial islands. However, while wreck size influenced species richness (alpha diversity), distance to the nearest wreck influenced community composition (beta diversity). Alpha and beta diversity on the shipwrecks were thus influenced by different abiotic factors. We found no evidence of either nested patterns or non-random co-occurrence of morphotypes, suggesting that the taxa on a given shipwreck were randomly selected from the available taxon pool. Species present on the shipwrecks generally had one of two reproductive modes: most motile or solitary sessile species had long-duration planktotrophic larvae, while most encrusting or colonial sessile species had short-duration lecithotrophic larvae and underwent asexual reproduction by budding as adults. Short-duration larvae may recruit to their natal shipwreck, allowing them to build up dense populations and dominate the wreck surfaces. A high degree of dominance was indeed observed on the wrecks, with up to 80% of the fauna being accounted for by the most common species alone. By comparing the shipwreck communities to known patterns of succession in shallow water, we hypothesize that the shipwrecks are in a stage of mid-succession.
    Description
    Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2017. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here under a nonexclusive, irrevocable, paid-up, worldwide license granted to WHOI. It is made available for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series 566 (2017): 17-29, doi:10.3354/meps12058.
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    Suggested Citation
    Preprint: Meyer, Kirstin S., Brooke, Sandra, Sweetman, Andrew K., Wolf, Maya, Young, Craig M., "Invertebrate communities on historical shipwrecks in the western Atlantic : relation to islands", 2017-02, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12058, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/8898
     

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