Invertebrate communities growing epifaunally on prop roots of red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) were studied to determine what processes produce patterns of distribution and abundance. Root epifauna were compared among channels in a mangrove island in the Indian River, Florida. Except for flow rate, physical factors did not differ among channels and were not responsible for qualitative and quantitative differences in species' abundances. Neither did flow rate per se explain distributional patterns as survival of transplanted adults and early recruits was similar in channels experiencing very different flow. Epifaunal distributions are explained by patterns of larval supply and recruitment. Species with long-lived planktotrophic larvae were distributed evenly throughout the island. Species with short-lived lecithotrophic larvae were distributed heterogeneously with recruitment patterns and adult abundances reflecting locations of source populations and predominate flow patterns. / Dynamics of a mangrove root epifaunal community in the Florida Keys were studied for three years. Despite long-lived species, low recruitment rates, and little climatic seasonality, populations of the dominant epifauna showed large temporal fluctuations in abundance. Species commonly disappeared from roots and dominant species changed continually. The stochasticity of this community resulted from seasonal growth, predation, disturbance, and variable recruitment. / Comparisons of recruitment on ceramic tiles, wooden dowels, and Rhizophora roots revealed that caution must be used in modeling natural substrata with artificial surfaces. Artificial surfaces were useful, however, in answering ecological questions related to scale. / Eight mangrove root sponge species were tested for allelopathic effects on settling larvae. There was little evidence of recruitment inhibition for any species. On the contrary, recruitment of several species was higher in the presence of sponges. Flow effects and patchy larval supply were more important in structuring the communities than were allelopathic effects of resident sponges. / Dispersal of swimming and non-swimming larvae of the ascidian Ecteinascidia turbinata was compared. Swimming larvae traveled significantly shorter distances than non-swimming larvae. Swimming appeared to prevent advection of the larvae and enables populations to persist in a patchy mangrove habitat. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-04, Section: B, page: 1611. / Major Professors: Craig M. Young; Richard N. Mariscal. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_78241 |
| Contributors | Bingham, Brian Lynn., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 239 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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