Bering Sea | Ecosystem Perspectives
Does larval supply matter? Relating meroplankton variability with benthic invertebrate abundance in Prince William Sound Presenter: Sarah Traiger , straiger@usgs.gov , U.S. Geological Survey James Bodkin , jldbodkin@gmail.com , U.S. Geological Survey Rob Campbell , rcampbell@pwssc.org, Prince William Sound Science Center Heather Colletti , Heather_Coletti@nps.gov , National Park Service Daniel Esler , desler@usgs.gov , U.S. Geological Survey Kristine Holderied , Kris.Holderied@noaa.gov , NOAA Kasitsna Bay Laboratory Caitlin McKinstry , Caitlin.McKinstry@eyak-nsn.gov , Native Village of Eyak Daniel Monson , dmonson@usgs.gov , U.S. Geological Survey Martin Renner , Martin.Renner@noaa.gov, NOAA Kasitsna Bay Laboratory Brian Robinson , brobinson@usgs.gov, U.S. Geological Survey Rob Suryan , rob.suryan@noaa.gov, NOAA Benjamin Weitzman , benjamin_weitzman@fws.gov, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Intertidal invertebrate abundance can vary considerably over space and time . Variation can be driven by post- recruitment processes such as predation, competition, and physical site attributes. However larval supply can also be important in driving patterns of adult abundance. Correlations between larval abundance and recruitment have been demonstrated for barnacles in areas influenced by upwelling. Supply-side effects in other intertidal taxa, and for locations in Alaska with complex coastlines, is not well known. We used data from the Gulf Watch Alaska program to examine supply-side dynamics for mussels, barnacles, and sea stars in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska and addressed two questions: 1) how does meroplankton abundance vary over time and space, and 2) is abundance in the rocky intertidal affected by larval abundance? Bivalve veligers, barnacle nauplii, cyprid, and echinoderm pluteus concentrations were surveyed at 13 stations throughout PWS 6-8 times per year since 2010. Intertidal abundance of mussels (Mytilus trossulus), barnacles, and sea stars were surveyed at five sites in western PWS approximately annually since 2006. Seasonal patterns of meroplankton abundance corresponded to taxa specific reproductive cycles. Veligers peaked in mid-summer, soon after peak spawning for M. trossulus. Nauplii peaked in spring, then declined through the rest of the year. Pluteus concentration was highest in mid-spring and early fall, at the beginning and end of the long spawning period of sea stars. Meroplankton were not evenly distributed throughout PWS and varied among taxa. Concentrations of veligers, nauplii, and cyprid were higher at the heads of bays than at the mouths. Concentrations of pluteus were low in the east and north parts of PWS compared to the central and western areas. Larval abundance was not a significant factor in linear mixed effects models explaining abundance of barnacles, mussels, or sea stars at rocky intertidal sites. Site explained variation in intertidal abundance for most taxa, followed by year, percent cover of bare space (for barnacles), and fetch (for sea stars). Site-specific characteristics related to water flow may result in differences in larval supply that explain spatial variation in recruitment to the intertidal. Future work will include modeling site- specific hydrodynamic characteristics, including time lags in analysis, including additional taxa, and similar analyses for intertidal communities in Kachemak Bay.
Alaska M arine Science Symposium 2023 30 5
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