Thermal and hydrodynamic environments mediate individual and aggregative feeding of a functionally important omnivore in reef communities.

ABSTRACT: In eastern Canada, the destruction of kelp beds by dense aggregations (fronts) of the omnivorous green sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, is a key determinant of the structure and dynamics of shallow reef communities. Recent studies suggest that hydrodynamic forces, but not sea temperature, determine the strength of urchin-kelp interactions, which deviates from the tenets of the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE). We tested the hypothesis that water temperature can predict short-term kelp bed destruction by S. droebachiensis in calm hydrodynamic environments. Specifically, we experimentally determined relationships among water temperature, body size, and individual feeding in the absence of waves, as well as among wave velocity, season, and aggregative feeding. We quantified var

SUBMITTER: Frey DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4361626 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature