Md. Bertness et al., WIND-DRIVEN SETTLEMENT-PATTERNS IN THE ACORN BARNACLE SEMIBALANUS BALANOIDES, Marine ecology. Progress series, 137(1-3), 1996, pp. 103-110
We quantified daily larval settlement of the acorn barnacle Semibalanu
s balanoides in a small embayment within Narragansett Bay, Rhode Islan
d, USA, to examine the hypothesis that local wind patterns influence s
horeline settlement. Daily larval settlement and the accumulation of b
arnacle recruits were both strongly correlated with local wind pattern
s within and among years. When prevailing winds were out of the south,
larval settlement was enhanced on the northern side of the bay, where
as when winds were out of the north, larval settlement was enhanced on
the southern side of the bay. These patterns were observed over 2 set
tlement seasons and led to daily as well as interannual spatial patter
ns in both larval settlement and the accumulation of barnacle recruits
. The patterns of shoreline settlement appear to be caused by wind-ind
uced changes in larval concentrations on different sides of the bay. W
ater column larval densities were strongly correlated with daily wind
patterns. Larval densities were always highest on the down-wind side o
f the bay. Our data show that spatial and temporal patterns in the set
tlement of benthic invertebrates can be strongly Linked to local weath
er conditions through the transport of larvae by wind-driven currents.