Human-induced alteration of biogenic habitats at the landscape scale is increasing, and directly influencing local diversity and system functioning (Vitousek et al. 1997, Duarte 2002, Lozte et al. 2006 and Airoldi & Beck 2007). Alteration of natural landscapes can result in loss of entire habitats or transition of more complex to less complex habitats, for example shellfish reefs or seagrass beds to mud flats (Short and Wyllie-Echeverria 1996, Hughes et al. 2002, Ruesink et al. 2005, Thrush et al. 2006). Alterations in habitat can generate unsuitable habitat between isolated patches of contiguous habitat (MacArthur & Wilson 1967, Hanski 1994). These changes in turn, have a direct effect on the dynamics of a community (total abundance, diversity and species richness), especially the design and influence of functional roles of species occupying the system (Gray 1997, Tilman et al. 1994, Loureau et al. 2001). For example, much some of the temperate continental shelf are being homogenized from bottom trawling and dredging, resulting in loss of individuals and functional groups (Thrush and Dayton 2002, Gray et al. 2006). The synergistic effects of the loss of quantity and of quality habitat, and the timing and configuration of habitat alteration may result in threshold levels of habitat loss below which faunal diversity, abundance, and survival can be resilient.Habitat loss has been indicated as one of the major threats to marine biodiversity (Gray, 1997), and biogenic temperate reefs are probably among the most threatened habitats globally (Coleman and William 2002, Barbera et al. 2003, Airoldi and Beck 2007, Airoldi et al. 2008). These structurally complex habitats are diminishing across marine environments, across multiple spa…
… does the loss of kelp forest canopy, and the spatial scale over which it occurs, influence the dynamics of the associated community in the canopy? (2) How does the alternative undisturbed habitats (undisturbed canopy or the subcanopy kelp habitats) buffer the invertebrate community after a disturbance? (3) Does the timing of habitat loss influence how the dynamics of the community respond?(Moved to discussion) (3) How does the dynamics of the community recover after the loss of habitat, and if they do, (4) how long does the recovery take? To address these questions we experimentally removed canopy habitat from replicate kelp forests. Manipulations were conducted on approximately the same spatial scale at which kelp forest canopies are commonly fragmented by human-induced alteration (e.g. mechanical harvesting activities; Bodkin 1988, Foster & Donnellan 1999).
Best services for writing your paper according to Trustpilot
