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Nutrient Addition to Experimental Rocky Shore Communities Revisited: Delayed Responses, Rapid Recovery

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Abstract

Coastal eutrophication may alter the dominance patterns of marine macroalgae, with potential consequences for the associated fauna and the entire ecosystem. Benthic macroalgae and animals in control and nutrient-enriched mesocosms were monitored to investigate eutrophication-induced changes in rocky shore communities. During a 3-year project, nutrient addition had only minor effects on the community structure, such as increased cover and biomass of green Ulva spp. and increased abundance of certain animal species at high nutrient levels. This study is a 4-year extension of a previously reported project, with 2 extra years of effect studies (altogether 5 years) and a subsequent 2 years for recovery. During the 4th year of nutrient enrichment, the cover of Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus serratus started to decline. In the 5th year, these canopy species crashed and there was an evident take-over by green algae at high nutrient addition levels. The previously observed abundance stimulation for fauna disappeared later in the time series, probably due to the loss of the macroalgal canopy. After less than 2 years on regular seawater, the algal and animal communities had returned to within the range of normal variability. The results indicate that established rocky shore communities of perennial algae with associated fauna are able to persist for several years, even at very high nutrient levels, but that community shifts may suddenly occur if eutrophication continues. They also indicate that rocky shore communities have the ability to return rapidly to natural undisturbed conditions after the termination of nutrient enhancement.

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AcknowledgEments

The European Commission (through MAST III program MAS3–CT97-0153), MARICULT, and Norsk Hydro financed the first part of this work. From May 2001 on, the project was supported by a financial contribution from Åbo Akademi University, Carl Cedercreutz stipendiefond at Svenska Kulturfonden, Ella och Georg Ehrnrooths Stiftelse, Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland (Ingrid, Margit och Henrik Höijers donationsfond II), Oskar Öflunds Stiftelse, Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, Letterstedska Föreningen, and the Academy of Finland (P.K.). K. O’Brien kindly served as editor. This study could never have been completed without the aid of the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, which agreed to keep the mesocosms running over the 4 extra years despite a lack of external funding. The paper is contribution number 54 from Marine Research Station Solbergstrand. The Solbergstrand mesocosms and the Oslofjord can be viewed live at the following Web-cam link: http://151.157.160.150/view/index.shtml (user name and password = mfs).

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  1. Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, Akademigatan 1, FIN-20500, Turku/Åbo, Finland

    Patrik Kraufvelin

  2. Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), P.O. Box 173, Kjelsaas, N-0411, Oslo, Norway

    Frithjof E. Moy, Hartvig Christie & Tor L. Bokn

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  1. Patrik Kraufvelin
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Kraufvelin, P., Moy, F.E., Christie, H. et al. Nutrient Addition to Experimental Rocky Shore Communities Revisited: Delayed Responses, Rapid Recovery. Ecosystems 9, 1076–1093 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-005-0188-1

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