The role of encrusting coralline algae in the diets of selected intertidal herbivores

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dc.contributor.authorManeveldt, Gavin
dc.contributor.authorWilby, Deborah
dc.contributor.authorPotgieter, Michelle
dc.contributor.authorHendricks, Martin G.J.
dc.date.accessioned2013-12-05T07:57:08Z
dc.date.available2013-12-05T07:57:08Z
dc.date.issued2006
dc.description.abstractKalk Bay, South Africa, has a typical south coast zonation pattern with a band of seaweed dominating the mid-eulittoral and sandwiched between two molluscan-herbivore dominated upper and lower eulittoral zones. Encrusting coralline algae were very obvious features of these zones. The most abundant herbivores in the upper eulittoral were the limpet, Cymbula oculus (10.4 + 1.6 m-2; 201.65 + 32.68 g.m-2) and the false limpet, Siphonaria capensis (97.07 + 19.92 m-2; 77.93 + 16.02 g.m-2). The territorial gardening limpet, Scutellastra cochlear, dominated the lower eulittoral zone, achieving very high densities (545.27 + 84.35 m-2) and biomass (4630.17 + 556.13 g.m-2), and excluded all other herbivores and most seaweeds, except for its garden alga and the encrusting coralline alga, Spongities yendoi (35.93 + 2.26 % cover). For the upper eulittoral zone, only the chiton Acanthochiton garnoti 30.5 + 1.33 % and the limpet C. oculus 2.9 + 0.34 %, contained encrusting coralline algae in their guts. The lower eulittoral zone limpet, Scutellastra cochlear also had a large percentage of encrusting coralline algae in its gut with limpets lacking gardens having higher (45.1 + 1.68 %) proportions of coralline algae in their guts than those with gardens (25.6 + 0.8 %). Encrusting coralline algae had high organic contents, similar to those of other encrusting and turfy algae, but higher organic contents than foliose algae. Radula structure, grazing frequencies as a percentage of the area grazed (upper eulittoral 73.25 + 3.60 % d-1; lower eulittoral 46.0 + 3.29 % d-1), and algae organic content provided evidence to support the dietary habits of the above herbivores. The data show that many intertidal molluscs are actively consuming encrusting coralline algae and that these seaweeds should be seen as an important food source.en_US
dc.description.accreditationWeb of Scienceen_US
dc.identifier.citationManeveldt, G.W., et al. (2006). The role of encrusting coralline algae in the diets of selected intertidal herbivores. Journal of Applied Phycology, 18(3-5): 619-627en_US
dc.identifier.issn0921-8971
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10566/902
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.privacy.showsubmitterfalse
dc.publisherSpringer Verlagen_US
dc.rightsThis is the author postprint version of an article by Springer. The file may be freely used, provided that acknowledgement of the source is given.
dc.source.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10811-006-9059-1
dc.status.ispeerreviewedtrue
dc.subjectEncrusting coralline algaeen_US
dc.subjectDieten_US
dc.subjectGrazersen_US
dc.subjectHerbivoryen_US
dc.subjectOrganic contenten_US
dc.subjectRocky shoreen_US
dc.titleThe role of encrusting coralline algae in the diets of selected intertidal herbivoresen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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Research Articles (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology)
Dr. Martin Hendricks
Prof. Gavin Maneveldt