Top-down impact through a bottom-up mechanism. In situ effects of limpet grazing on growth, light requirements and survival of the eelgrass Zostera marina
Rc. Zimmerman et al., Top-down impact through a bottom-up mechanism. In situ effects of limpet grazing on growth, light requirements and survival of the eelgrass Zostera marina, MAR ECOL-PR, 218, 2001, pp. 127-140
Temporal changes in abundance, size, productivity, resource allocation and
light requirements of a subtidal eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) population we
re followed for 2 yr after the September 1993 appearance of a previously ra
re oval form of the commensal limpet Tectura depicta (Berry) in Monterey Ba
y, California, USA, By exclusively targeting the epidermis, limpet grazing
impaired photosynthetic performance but left respiratory demand, meristemat
ic growth and more than 90 % of the leaf biomass intact, The resulting low
P:R ratios of grazed plants raised the light requirements for the maintenan
ce of positive carbon balance almost 2-fold relative to healthy ungrazed pl
ants and prevented the summertime accumulation of internal carbon reserves.
Shoot density in this once-continuously vegetated 30 ha meadow declined fr
om more than 50 shoots m(-2) (2230 g fresh wt [FW] m(-2)) to sparse patches
supporting an average of 16 shoots m(-2) (380 g FW m(-2)). More than 50 %
of the continuously vegetated meadow was converted to bare sand despite amb
ient light availability and water temperatures that were favorable for grow
th of healthy, ungrazed plants. Plant size declined by 50 % and internal su
gar reserves declined more than 4-fold within 6 mo after the appearance of
T. depicta, Plant losses were most extensive during winter, when internal c
arbon reserves were minimal, The dramatic decline in eelgrass vigor and abu
ndance reported here, despite a physical environment that was favorable for
healthy eelgrass survival, illustrates the amplification of top-down contr
ol by this relatively inconspicuous limpet through a feeding mechanism that
specifically impairs photosynthesis, a bottom-up process.