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Endolithic invertebrate communities and bioerosion rates in southwestern Atlantic intertidal consolidated sediments

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Abstract

Organisms boring into intertidal consolidated sediments generate bioerosion. It is generally unknown, however, whether they can significantly contribute to coastline retraction. In this paper, we describe endolithic communities and estimate bioerosion and physical erosion rates at three southwestern Atlantic intertidal sites (37, 38, and 42°S; Argentina). In the northernmost site, we have also analyzed spatial variation in species richness and abundance as a function of height within the tidal slope, orientation of the rock surface in relation to breaking waves (i.e., facing or not), and rock hardness. The number of species and the combined abundance of individuals from the different species were larger at the low intertidal level but did not differ between surface orientations. The density of chemically boring organisms increased with increasing rock hardness and calcium carbonate content. In contrast, no correlation was found between rock hardness and the abundance of organisms that bore by mechanical means. Endolithic community composition and bioerosion rates differed among the three sites, the latter being higher at the site with the softer substrate. Bioerosion estimates were two orders of magnitude lower than physical erosion estimates at each site. The bivalve Lithophaga patagonica was the species that contributed the most to bioerosion at all these locations. While results suggest that bioerosion contributes little to overall coastal erosion at the three study sites, boring organisms might still facilitate physical erosion by weakening the rock either via chemical or mechanical means. Besides, their apparently inconsequential direct action as bioeroders can have positive consequences for biodiversity via increased habitat complexity.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Guido Pastorino for help in species identification, Carlos Sánchez Antelo and Sabrina Soria for field assistance, and Eleonor Tietze, Diana Montemayor, Jesús Nuñez and Emiliano Ocampo for housing during field trips. We also thank the staff at Estación Hidrobiológica de Puerto Quequén and the municipal camping site in Puerto Pirámides. The research presented here was partly funded by a CONICET grant (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; PIP 112-200801-00732) to MGP and JLG. MB and LPA were supported by CONICET doctoral fellowships. The bivalves in the protected area of Puerto Pirámides were collected with permission from the Chubut Province (Secretaría de Turismo y Áreas Protegidas de Chubut). This is a contribution to the program of GrIETA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” (MACN-CONICET), Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, 3er Piso Lab. 57, C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Bagur, Lorena P. Arribas & M. Gabriela Palomo

  2. Grupo de Investigación y Educación en Temas Ambientales (GrIETA), San Eduardo del Mar, Argentina

    Jorge L. Gutiérrez & M. Gabriela Palomo

  3. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales and CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Jorge L. Gutiérrez

  4. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, 12545, USA

    Jorge L. Gutiérrez

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  1. María Bagur
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  2. Jorge L. Gutiérrez
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  4. M. Gabriela Palomo
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Correspondence to María Bagur.

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Communicated by M. Huettel.

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Bagur, M., Gutiérrez, J.L., Arribas, L.P. et al. Endolithic invertebrate communities and bioerosion rates in southwestern Atlantic intertidal consolidated sediments. Mar Biol 161, 2279–2292 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2505-8

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