Abstract
ABSTRACT: Microhabitat partitioning is a widespread mechanism that reduces competition andthus facilitates the coexistence of species. The extent to which microhabitat partitioning occursdepends on a variety of environmental parameters and biotic interactions. In the present study, wemanipulated factors (animal density, presence of heterospecifics, and presence of predator cues)that potentially influence the differential use of microhabitats by 2 hemi-sessile congeners thatcoexist on small spatial scales at very high densities: the amphipod crustaceans Jassa marmorata and J. herdmani . In both species, the presence of heterospecifics had a clear effect on which partof an offered macroalga was preferably colonized, suggesting that the extent of microhabitatpartitioning depends on the presence/absence of heterospecifics. Furthermore, ‘predatory fishcues’ in the seawater induced an avoidance behaviour, which should reduce the extent of habitatpartitioning and inevitably increase competition between the species. The results clearly showsome flexibility of habitat selection in, and thus habitat segregation between, the studied species,allowing for a trade-off between interspecific competition and predation pressure.KEY WORDS: Amphi poda · Coexisting species · Interspecific competition · Intraguild interference ·Marine fouling · Microhabitat partitioning · Predator avoidance
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