Unravelling the impact of harvesting pressure on canopy-forming macroalgae
Doriane Stagnol A B C , Renaud Michel A B and Dominique Davoult A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 6, Station Biologique, Place Georges Teissier, F-29682 Roscoff, France.
B CNRS, UMR 7144 AD2M, Place Georges Teissier, F-29682, Roscoff, France.
C Corresponding author. Email: doriane.stagnol@gmail.com
Marine and Freshwater Research 67(1) 153-161 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF14198
Submitted: 6 July 2014 Accepted: 8 May 2015 Published: 9 July 2015
Abstract
Canopy-forming macroalgae create a specific surrounding habitat (the matrix) with their own ecological properties. Previous studies have shown a wide range of responses to canopy removal. Magnitude and strength of the effects of harvesting are thought to be context-dependent, with the macroalgal matrix that can either soften or exacerbate the impact of harvesting. We experimentally examined in situ the effect of harvesting on targeted commercial species, and how these potential impacts might vary in relation to its associated matrix. We found that patterns of recovery following the harvesting disturbance were variable and matrix specific, suggesting that local factors and surrounding habitat characteristics mediated the influence of harvesting. The greatest and longest effects of harvesting were observed for the targeted species that created a dominant and monospecific canopy on their site prior to the disturbance. Another relevant finding was the important natural spatiotemporal variability of macrobenthic assemblages associated with canopy-forming species, which raises concern about the ability to discriminate the natural variability from the disturbance impact. Finally, our results support the need to implement ecosystem-based management, assessing both the habitat conditions and ecological roles of targeted commercial species, in order to insure the sustainability of the resource.
Additional keywords: benthic, biodiversity, ecology, ecosystem-based management.
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