Living under Ulva canopy: The case of the scavenger snail Buccinastrum deforme in a eutrophic macrotidal bay in Patagonia (Argentina).

STORERO LORENA; AVACA MARÍA SOLEDAD; ROCHE ANDREA

MARINE ECOLOGY-PUBBLICAZIONI DELLA STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA DI NAPOLI I

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2022

0173-9565

Eutrophication results in macroalgal blooms with usually negative effects on the marinecommunities; nevertheless, positive and neutral effects have also been reported.We hypothesized that the macroalgal canopy plays an important role in secondaryconsumers like the scavenger snail Buccinastrum deforme through amelioration ofphysical stress and through carrion retention below the canopy. We evaluated if thecanopy provided by Ulva spp. affected the habitat conditions and population traits ofB. deforme in a macrotidal coastal system of North Patagonia. Our results indicatedthat the Ulva canopy was associated with lower desiccation, a higher abundance ofcrab carrions, and with larger and heavier snails. We did not, however, find differencesin the sex ratio, the juvenile, and total density of B. deforme between microhabitatswith and without an Ulva canopy. These results suggest that macroalgal canopy ofUlva has a modest ecological effect on B. deforme.