The north-south divide? Macroalgal functional trait diversity and redundancy varies with intertidal aspect.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Marine macroalgae ('seaweeds') are critical to coastal ecosystem structure and function, but also vulnerable to the many environmental changes associated with anthropogenic climate change (ACC). The local habitat conditions underpinning observed and predicted ACC-driven changes in intertidal macroalgal communities are complex and probably site-specific and operate in addition to more commonly reported regional factors such as sea surface temperatures.

Methods

We examined how the composition and functional trait expression of macroalgal communities in SW England varied with aspect (i.e. north-south orientation) at four sites with opposing Equator- (EF) and Pole-facing (PF) surfaces. Previous work at these sites had established that average annual (low tide

SUBMITTER: Amstutz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10921827 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature