Distribution and population structure of Patella vulgata linnaeus, 1758 (Gastropoda: Patellidae) on intertidal seawalls and rocky shores in the ría de Ferrol (Galicia, NW Iberian peninsula)
- Autores: Guillermo Díaz Agras, Juan Moreira, Ramiro Tato, Xandro García Regueira, Victoriano Urgorri
- Localización: Thalassas: An international journal of marine sciences, ISSN 0212-5919, Vol. 26, Nº. 2, 2010, págs. 79-91
- Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
Intertidal seawalls are a common feature on the shoreline of many urbanized coastal areas. In the Ría de Ferrol (Galicia, NW Iberian Peninsula), many seawalls are built vertically and have replaced or fragmented most of the natural horizontal rocky shores.
Grazing gastropods, including the limpet, Patella vulgata Linnaeus, 1758, play an important role in the structuring of the assemblages of intertidal organisms, by affecting the distribution and abundance of algae, sessile and mobile invertebrates. In order to compare patterns of abundance and population structure of P. vulgata on intertidal horizontal rocky shores and vertical seawalls in the Ría de Ferrol, four sampling stations were selected at the middle part of the ria, corresponding to semi-exposed areas. At each station, two rocky shores and two seawalls extensive enough for the intended sampling were selected and two sites separated by 5-10 m were visually sampled at each seawall/rocky shore. There were no clear differences regarding abundance, frequency of occurrence and population structure between the two studied habitats.
Differences were found between sites (at the scale of metres) within any given seawall or rocky shore.
Nevertheless, at some stations maximal sizes of limpets were greater on rocky shores than on seawalls. These results need to be further explored by manipulative experiments in order to understand whether seawalls constitute a surrogate habitat for limpets.
