2026-10-12T12:06:22Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/30698432 2026-09-29T16:19:40Z category_24217 item_type_6 month_year_09_2026

<b>Top-down control of rocky intertidal “trees”: the sea palm-limpet interaction</b> Bruce Menge (15300493) Carol A Blanchette (22677044) Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology) Postelsia palmaeformis limpets Lottia pelta rocky intertidal intertidal forest grazing experiment Oregon sea palm <p dir="ltr">The Laminarian kelp, <i>Postelsia palmaeformis</i> forms intertidal “forests” on wave exposed, rocky headlands along the northeastern Pacific coast. These forests occupy space in the upper intertidal on (a) horizontal or slightly sloping mussel-dominated areas and (b) steeply sloping rocky areas. Steep-wall <i>Postelsia</i> forests shade a species-rich understory. Observations revealed that the small (1-3 cm length) limpet <i>Lottia pelta </i>fed heavily on the much larger (50-70 cm tall) <i>Postelsia</i>. Limpet grazing effects on the sea palm community were tested in 1 m² plots in the center of the <i>Postelsia </i>bed, in half of which we manually removed limpets. Contrary to our hypothesis that grazing would have minimal effects, limpets reduced the density, percent cover, and size of <i>Postelsia, </i>maintained higher diversity,<i> </i>and had mostly positive indirect effects on the understory. The study indicated that by reducing competition with sea palms, herbivory was an important determinant of understory community structure.</p> 2026-09-29T16:19:40Z Text Journal contribution 10.6084/m9.figshare.30698432.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/_b_Top-down_control_of_rocky_intertidal_trees_the_sea_palm-limpet_interaction_b_/30698432 CC BY 4.0