Zoogeography and changes in macroinvertebrate community diversity of rocky intertidal habitats on the Maine coast
Trott T. Zoogeography and changes in macroinvertebrate community diversity of rocky intertidal habitats on the Maine coast. Pages 54-73. In 7th Bay of Fundy Science Workshop. St. Andrews, New Brunswick. 24-27 October, 2006. Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership, Wolfville, NS. Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership Technical Report no. 3
From Official Abstract: “Epibenthic macroinvertebrate communities were examined at six rocky intertidal locations along the Maine shore. Sampled locations were distributed across nearly the entire coast of Maine from Kittery to Perry (43º 5’ 3” N, 70º 39’ 30” W to 44º 58’ 28” N, 67º 02’ 04” W) and were situated roughly equidistant from each other. All field sites were registered Critical Invertebrate Areas designated with this status in the 1970s by the Maine State Planning Office Critical Areas Program (1970-1987). Sampling of epibenthic macroinvertebrates was conducted by recording species observed on the substratum surface and under rocks during a random walk through the intertidal zone. Intertidal areas ranged from 6 to 12 acres and both sampling time and frequency of rock flipping were accordingly proportionate. Numbers of species (S) decreased south to north from 71 to 42. A geographic trend in β-diversity was discovered. Specifically, species assemblages south of Penobscot Bay clustered together and were significantly different from communities sampled north of the bay which also formed a distinct cluster. Distinct clusters emerged also according to gross regional geographic scale (south versus north of Penobscot Bay) from 2- and 3-multidimensional ordination of the six sample sites. Change in diversity was measured with average taxonomic distinctness (AvTD) as a metric. The sampled species assemblage from each location was compared statistically to a historical master species list compiled nearly 30 years previous by the Maine Critical Areas Program. Intertidal epibenthic macroinvertebrate diversity has changed significantly according to AvTD at Sea Point and Bailey Island. Comparisons made with original site descriptions and photographs did not show any detectable disturbances that could account for changes in AvTD at the two southern-most locations. While the causes for the measured changes are probably multifaceted, a trend of increasing sea water temperature may be a clue.”
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Authors
- Trott, Thomas
- Units
- ACAD
- Keywords
- Biodiversity, Habitats, Invertebrates (Invertebrata), Rocky Intertidal Zone