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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 61(10)

Effects of La Niña on recruitment and abundance of juveniles and adults of benthic community-structuring species in northern Chile

Carlos F. Gaymer A D , Alvaro T. Palma B , J. M. Alonso Vega A , Cristián J. Monaco A C and Luis A. Henríquez B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Departamento de Biología Marina & Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, Chile.

B Center for Advanced Studies in Ecology and Biodiversity (CASEB), P. Universidad Católicade Chile, Alameda 340, Santiago, Chile.

C Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina,Columbia, SC 29208, USA.

D Corresponding author. Email: cgaymer@ucn.cl

Marine and Freshwater Research 61(10) 1185-1196 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF09268
Submitted: 21 October 2009  Accepted: 19 May 2010   Published: 1 October 2010

Abstract

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been associated with dramatic changes in adult populations of shallow benthic community-structuring species in northern Chile. However, early ontogenetic stages are more likely to be affected by physical processes associated with ENSO (e.g. increased temperature, upwelling), potentially reflected in differences in recruitment intensity. We evaluated recruitment and abundance of juveniles and adults of the major benthic community-structuring groups (kelps, sea urchins, sea stars, crabs and rockfish) during a period affected by La Niña followed by a period of neutral conditions. Recruitment was several times higher during neutral conditions for sea urchins and sea stars. Lower recruitment during La Niña was probably caused by offshore larval transport caused by increased upwelling. Recruitment of crabs tended to be higher during neutral conditions, but this varied among sites. In contrast to invertebrates, kelp abundance seemed to be controlled by post-settlement processes, as reflected by fewer kelp juveniles after La Niña when the abundance of herbivore fishes strongly increased. Our results highlight the importance of evaluating the effects of ENSO at early ontogenetic stages rather than on adult populations, which are less likely to be affected in an upwelling-dominated system.

Additional keywords: crab, ENSO, fish, Humboldt Current System, kelp, recruitment, rocky subtidal, sea urchin, seastar, upwelling.


Acknowledgements

We are grateful to J. Barrios, J. Urriago, F. Schneider, E. Renaud-Roy, I. Borgeaud, A. Ledezma, M. Negrete, C. Narváez, C. Muñoz, M. Díaz, J. Friz, M. Silva, J. Montes and P. Santelices for their help in the sampling in the field and analysing samples in the laboratory, and to three anonymous reviewers who provided insightful comments that helped to improve the manuscript. The study was supported by a FONDECYT (Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, Chile) grant (#1070417) to C.F.G. and A.T.P. This study was authorised by the Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) and complied with Chilean regulations for collecting live animals.


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