Habitat formation prevails over predation in influencing fouling communities.

ABSTRACT: Coastal human-made structures, such as marinas and harbors, are expanding worldwide. Species assemblages described from these artificial habitats are novel relative to natural reefs, particularly in terms of the abundance of nonindigenous species (NIS). Although these fouling assemblages are clearly distinctive, the ecosystem functioning and species interactions taking place there are little understood. For instance, large predators may influence the fouling community development either directly (feeding on sessile fauna) or indirectly (feeding on small predators associated with these assemblages). In addition, by providing refuges, habitat complexity may modify the outcome of species interactions and the extent of biotic resistance (e.g., by increasing the abundance of niche-specific comp

SUBMITTER: Leclerc JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5756867 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature