Intertidal oyster reefs, 3-dimensional structures created by years of successive settlement of larval oysters on adult oyster shells, provide levels of surface and interstitial heterogeneity that are rare in marine ecosystems. Surprisingly, little is known about the ecological benefits for oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in these aerially exposed, structurally complex systems. In this study a 2...

Many patterns of distribution and abundance of intertidal animals are explained by processes of movements of animals, selecting particular habitats or levels on the shore, or interacting with other species. Movements of intertidal animals have therefore been studied over many years. During this long history, much intertidal ecology has changed in focus from broad-scale to small-scale patterns a...

Filter-feeding invertebrates consume phytoplankton and detritus and therefore serve as important mediators of the exchange of materials from nearshore pelagic to intertidal benthic ecosystems. Here, we evaluated the linkages between nearshore and intertidal systems on temperate rocky reefs on the coasts of Oregon, USA, and New Zealand’s South Island. We used differences in the concentrations of...

Similar environmental driving forces can produce similarity among geographically distant ecosystems. Coastal oceanic upwelling, for example, has been associated with elevated biomass and abundance patterns of certain functional groups, e.g., corticated macroalgae. In the upwelling system of Northern Chile, we examined measures of intertidal macrobenthic composition, structure and trophic ecolog...

It has been proposed that the common West Coast limpet, Lottia digitalis, is actually the northern counterpart of a cryptic species duo including, Lottia austrodigitalis. Allele frequency diVerences between southern and northern populations at two polymorphic enzyme loci provided the basis for this claim. Due to lack of further evidence, L. austrodigitalis is still largely unrecognized in the l...

The transport of sediment over an intertidal mudflat by a cross-shore tidal current is investigated analytically by formulating a mathematical model of the fluid and particulate motion. The model exploits the low gradient of the intertidal flats and is based upon a shallow-layer approximation. It is found that the sediment transport comprises advection with the mean flow, deposition and erosion...

This study shows that, as with its intertidal counterpart, Nassarius festivus, the rate at which subtidal Nassarius siquijorensis moves towards food bait is similar for starved and well-fed individuals. This study also investigates another facet of nassariid nutrition related to the degree of hunger, i.e. the effect of simulated predation upon a feeding assemblage. Individuals which fed within ...

Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Print Version Interactive Discussion Abstract Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Print Version Interactive Discussion Abstract At Mace Head, Eire, in the coastal East Atlantic, diiodomethane has been identified as an important precursor of iodine oxide radicals. Peak concentrations of both CH 2 I 2 and IO a...

Understanding recolonization processes of intertidal fish assemblages is integral for predicting the consequences of significant natural or anthropogenic impacts on the intertidal zone. Recolonization of experimentally defaunated intertidal rockpools by fishes at Bass Point, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, was assessed quantitatively by using one long-term and two short-term studies. Rockpool...

Recent advances in quantifying biochemical and cellular-level responses to thermal stress have facilitated a new exploration of the role of climate and climate change in driving intertidal community and population ecology. To fruitfully connect these disciplines, we first need to understand what the body temperatures of intertidal organisms are under field conditions, and how they change in spa...