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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(9)

Is the species composition of rocky intertidal invertebrates across a biogeographic barrier in south-eastern Australia related to their potential for dispersal?

Eszter Z. Hidas A C , Trudy L. Costa A B C , David J. Ayre A and Todd E. Minchinton A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute for Conservation Biology and School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.

B Present address: Marine Invertebrates Department, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Vic. 3073, Australia.

C Equal contribution as first author.

D Corresponding author. Email: tminch@uow.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 58(9) 835-842 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF06235
Submitted: 7 December 2006  Accepted: 27 August 2007   Published: 26 September 2007

Abstract

This paper presents the results of surveys quantifying species richness of rocky intertidal invertebrates across a potential biogeographic barrier on the south-eastern coast of Australia, as well as at Red Bluff, which is an isolated rock platform within the otherwise soft-sediment barrier. It was predicted that the number and composition of invertebrate species would differ on either side of the barrier and at Red Bluff and that these differences would be related to the potential for dispersal of the constituent species. Time-per-area searches at two sites within each of five rock platforms on either side of the barrier and at Red Bluff revealed that species richness and composition differed significantly on either side of the barrier, and that Red Bluff supported many species on both sides of the barrier, indicating its potential as a stepping-stone. The distribution of species was not related to their potential for dispersal, because potentially ‘good’ dispersers with planktonic larvae were sometimes restricted to one side of the barrier and potentially ‘poor’ dispersers with direct developing juveniles were present on both sides of the barrier. These results support increasing evidence that the geographic distribution of intertidal invertebrates cannot be inferred by simple reference to their life histories.

Additional keywords: larvae, life history, marine, recruitment, species richness, stepping-stone.


Acknowledgements

We thank R. W. Creese, A. R. Davis, P. F. E. Addison and several colleagues for comments on drafts of this paper, R. J. Doran from Museum Victoria for creating the map and I. Loch from the Australian Museum for help with species identification. Funding was provided by the Institute for Conservation Biology at the University of Wollongong and the Australian Research Council.


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