Article
Post-settlement movement as response to interspecific competition between the bioengineer mussels Semimytilus algosus and Perumytilus purpuratus
Movimiento post-liquidación como respuesta a la competencia interespecífica entre los mejillones bioingenieros Semimytilus algosus y Perumytilus puratus
Registro en:
Journal of Sea Research 154 (2019) 101809
1385-1101
Autor
Brante, Antonio
Riera, Rodrigo
Cartes, Verónica
Resumen
Post-settlement movement has been reported mainly in marine species with low or reduced adult mobility,
where distribution varies in accordance with ontogeny, thus avoiding or reducing environmental stress or
biological interactions. Mussels show high dispersal at the larval stage, and settlement is a highly complex
process in which larvae must choose an appropriate site to attach. Although adults are mainly sedentary, it has
been shown that they move on a local scale during the benthic phase in response to physical and biological
factors. Semimytilus algosus and Perumytilus purpuratus are two bioengineer mussel species cohabiting most of the
Chilean rocky shores. While S. algosus occurs in the low intertidal zone, P. purpuratus dominates the mid and midhigh zones. Field and laboratory experiments have shown that S. algosus is a weak competitor with respect to P.
purpuratus, and post-settlers present high mobility to relocate in the intertidal. Under this scenario, we evaluated
the dispersal behavior of juveniles and adults of S. algosus as a potential response to competition with P. purpuratus. We also measured the attachment strength of S. algosus in the presence of its competitor, as a measure of
its escape response ability. Our results showed that the presence of P. purpuratus increased the movement activity
of juveniles and adults of S. algosus and decreased their attachment strength. Field experiments carried out with
marked individuals in a Chilean rocky shore, showed that S. algosus exhibits higher local dispersion in the zone
where P. purpuratus is present. Mussels' high dispersal ability throughout the whole benthic phase may not only
serve to reach the optimal physiological position in the intertidal, but also to reduce competition interaction.