Seasonal population structure of the sea star Anasterias antarctica in intertidal boulders of the Protected Natural AreaPuerto Lobos, Atlantic Patagonia

ARRIBAS, LORENA; BROGGER, MARTÍN I.; ALARCÓN SAAVEDRA, ARIANA B.; REBOLLEDO, SOL A.; ALFAYA, JOSÉ E. F.; BIGATTI GREGORIO

Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, nueva serie

Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2025 vol. 27 p. 119 - 128

1853-0400

Intertidal boulders are complex marine environments which support unique marine assemblages, in-cluding species generally restricted to tide-pools, and also characteristics which make them ideal for experimentalstudies to further understanding ecological patterns. The goals of this study were to describe the seasonal popula-tion structure of the sea starAnasterias antarctica over two years and test the effects of environmental conditionsover sea stars population in intertidal boulders of the Protected Natural Area Puerto Lobos in San Matías Gulf,Atlantic Patagonia. Our results showed seasonal differences in biomass and size of A. antarctica population overthe two years sampled, although not significant relation was observed due to environmental conditions measured.To better understand A. antarctica population structure in the intertidal boulder fields of Puerto Lobos area moreenvironmental variables need to be measured, as well as carrying out specific sampling to detect the smallestsizes of sea stars after the release of juveniles. These findings underscore the necessity of incorporating seasonaldynamics into monitoring programs for species that play key roles in communities, enabling us to detect potentialchanges driven by anthropogenic pressure or climate change, highlighting the importance of the study of theseunique and poorly known rocky environments in Atlantic Patagonia.