Competition between mussels at the rocky intertidal zone of La Lobería, Río Negro, Argentina

Lorena Pilar Arribas, María Bagur, Sabrina A. Soria, Jorge L. Gutiérrez, M. Gabriela Palomo

Resumen


Competitive interactions between individuals from a single or different species can regulate population densities and individual growth. Two mussel species, Brachidontes rodriguezii and Perumytilus purpuratus, coexist in the rocky intertidal zone of La Lobería, Río Negro Province, Argentina. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of intra- and interspecific competition in the growth and mortality of both bivalve species. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the intra- and interspecific competition using asbestos cement plates of 10 x 10 cm varying mussel densities. The results showed a trend toward decreasing size of B. rodriguezii with increasing density of conspecifics and when it coexists with P. purpuratus, but only the width of P. purpuratus showed significant increase in presence of B. rodriguezii. Mortality of B. rodriguezii and P. purpuratus did not significantly differ between treatments. Limited supply of P. purpuratus larvae or local tidal conditions that differentially affect each species could be leading to weak competition between both mussels species, thus allowing their coexistence.

Palabras clave


competition; intertidal; mussel; rocky shore

Texto completo:

PDF (English)

Referencias


Acha, E.M., H. Mianzan, R. Guerrero, M. Favero & J. Bava. 2004. Marine fronts at the continental shelves of austral South America: physical and ecological processes. Journal of Marine Systems 44: 83-105.

Adami, M.L., A. Tablado & J. López Gappa. 2004. Spatial and temporal variability in intertidal assemblages dominated by the mussel Brachidontes rodriguezii (d`Orbigny, 1846). Hydrobiologia 520: 49-59.

Adami, M.L., G. Pastorino & J.M. Orensanz. 2013. Phenotypic differentiation of ecologically significant Brachidontes species co-occurring in intertidal mussel beds from the southwestern Atlantic. Malacologia 56(1 & 2): 59-67.

Arribas, L.P., M. Bagur, E. Klein, P. Penchaszadeh & M.G. Palomo. 2013. Geographic distribution of mussels species and associated assemblages along the northern Argentinian coast. Aquatic Biology 18: 91-103.

Arribas, L.P., M. Bagur, J.L. Gutiérrez & M.G. Palomo. 2015. Matching spatial scales of variation in mussel recruitment and adult densities across southwestern Atlantic rocky shores. Journal of Sea Research 95: 16-21.

Balech, E. & M.D. Ehrlich. 2008. Esquema biogeográfico del Mar Argentino. Revista de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero 19: 45-75.

Bertness, M.D. 1989. Intraspecific competition and facilitation in northern acorn barnacles. Ecology 70: 257-268.

Boaventura, D., L. Cancela da Fonseca & S.J. Hawkins. 2002. Analysis of competitive interactions between the limpets Patella depressa Pennant and Patella vulgata on the northern coast of Portugal. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 271: 171-188.

Branch, G.M. 1975. Mechanisms reducing intraspecific competition in Patella spp.: migration, differentiation and territorial behavior. Journal of Animal Ecology 44 (2): 575-600.

Firth, L.B. & T.P. Crowe. 2010. Competition and habitat suitability: small-scale segregation underpins large-scale coexistence of key species on temperate rocky shores. Oecologia 162: 163-174.

Gutiérrez, J.L., M.G. Palomo, M. Bagur, L.P. Arribas & S.A. Soria. 2015. Wave action limits crowding in an intertidal mussel. Marine Ecology Progress Series 518: 153-163.

Iveša, L., M.G. Chapman, A.J. Underwood & R.J. Murphy. 2010. Differential patterns of distribution of limpets on intertidal seawalls: experimental investigation of the roles of recruitment, survival and competition. Marine Ecology Progress Series 407: 55-69.

Kokot, R.R., J.O. Codignotto & M. Elissondo. 2004. Vulnerabilidad al ascenso del nivel del mar en la costa de la provincia de Río Negro. Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina 59(3): 477-487.

Levinton, J.S. 2009. Marine biology: function, biodiversity, ecology. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, Inc., 588 pp.

Liuzzi, M.G. & J. López Gappa. 2008. Macrofaunal assemblages associated with coralline turf: species turnover and changes in structure at different spatial scales. Marine Ecology Progress Series 363: 147-156.

Prado, L. & J.C. Castilla. 2006. The bioengineer Perumytilus purpuratus (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in central Chile: biodiversity, habitat structural complexity and environmental heterogeneity. Journal of Marine Biology Association UK 86: 417-421.

Quinn, B.K., M.R. Boudreau & D.J Hamilton. 2012. Inter- and intraspecific interactions among green crabs (Carcinus maenas) and whelks (Nucella lapillus) foraging on blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 412: 117-125.

Ringuelet, R.A., A. Amor, N. Magaldi & R. Pallares. 1962. Estudio ecológico de la fauna intercotidal de Puerto Deseado, en febrero de 1961 (Santa Cruz, Argentina). Physis 23: 35-53.

Rios, E.C. 2009. Compendium of Brazilian sea shells. Evangraf, Rio Grande, R.S., 676 pp.

Rius, M. & C.D. McQuaid. 2006. Wave action and competitive interaction between the invasive mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the indigenous Perna perna in South Africa. Marine Biology 150: 69-78.

Rius, M. & C.D. McQuaid. 2009. Facilitation and competition between invasive and indigenous mussels over a gradient of physical stress. Basic and Applied Ecology 10: 607-613.

Trovant, B., D.E. Ruzzante, N.G. Basso & J.M. Orensanz. 2013. Distinctness, phylogenetic relations and biogeography of intertidal mussels (Brachidontes, Mytilidae) from the south-western Atlantic. Journal of Marine Biology Association UK 1-13.

Trovant, B., J.M. Orensanz, D.E. Ruzzante, W. Stotz & N.G. Basso. 2015. Scorched mussels (BIVALVIA: MYTILIDAE: BRACHIDONTINAE) from the temperate coasts of South America: Phylogenetic relationships, trans-Pacific connections and the footprints of Quaternary glaciations. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 82: 60-74.

Underwood, A.J. 1997. Experiments in ecology: their logistical design and interpretation using analysis of variance. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 504pp.

Zar, J.H. 2010. Biostatistical analysis. 5th edition, 944 pp.


Enlaces refback

  • No hay ningún enlace refback.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.