Biogeographical boundaries, functional group structure and diversity of Rocky Shore communities along the Argentinean coast.

ABSTRACT: We investigate the extent to which functional structure and spatial variability of intertidal communities coincide with major biogeographical boundaries, areas where extensive compositional changes in the biota are observed over a limited geographic extension. We then investigate whether spatial variation in the biomass of functional groups, over geographic (10's km) and local (10's m) scales, could be associated to species diversity within and among these groups. Functional community structure expressed as abundance (density, cover and biomass) and composition of major functional groups was quantified through field surveys at 20 rocky intertidal shores spanning six degrees of latitude along the southwest Atlantic coast of Argentina and extending across the boundaries between the Argentine

SUBMITTER: Wieters EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3500334 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature