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Effects of temperature and light on the composition of brackish-water rock pool ecosystems

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Abstract

I examined the effect of temperature and light on ecosystem composition was examined in a two factorial design using microcosms set up from natural rockpool communities. Furthermore I tested if the effect of temperature on different ecosystem components was dependent on the initial community composition by using communities from seven different rockpools that differed considerably in standing stocks of phytoplankton, zooplankton, zooplankton species composition, sediment mass and nutrient concentrations. Increased light caused phytoplankton biomass to decrease while zooplankton biomass and sediment dry weight was positively correlated to increased light levels. The effect of temperature on phytoplankon was largely determined by community type. Zooplankton biomass decreased with increasing temperature between 10 °C and 25 °C and this trend was not significantly different between different community types. A negative effect on zooplankton biomass was found at 7 °C in one community. I propose, that the stronger temperature sensitivity of metabolical cost for herbivorous organisms compared to algae productivity might explain the decrease in zooplankton biomass at high temperatures. I discuss how edibility of algae and grazer characteristics may influence the response of ecosystem composition to temperature.

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  1. Jon Norberg
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Norberg, J. Effects of temperature and light on the composition of brackish-water rock pool ecosystems. Aquatic Ecology 32, 323–334 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009947928529

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