Survival Of Barnacles Research Articles

Long-term effects of oil dispersants on intertidal benthic invertebrates: I. Survival of barnacles and bivalves

Field studies directed towards evaluating the toxicity of oil dispersants to intertidal invertebrates were conducted at Anawhata, on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Observations were concentrated on the barnacles Chamaesipho brunnea, Chamaesipho columna and Epopella plicata and the bivalves Xenostrobus pulex and Perna canaliculus . The field studies extended for a period of 140 days after treatment. Two recent dispersants, Shell SD LTX and BP1100 WD (Synperonic OSD 20) were compared with a dispersant, BP1002, from the Torrey Canyon era.

High intertidal community organization on a rocky headland in Maine, USA

A mosaic patchwork of the barnacle Balanus balanoides L., the mussel Mytilus edulis L., and the alga Fucus vesiculosus L. was found in the transitional region between the mid and high intertidal zones on a rocky headland on Mount Desert Island, Maine, USA. The development of the mosaic was observed by following recruitment and survival of B. balanoides in denuded patches located at the same tidal level along a 60 m stretch of shore. Barnacle recruitment was least under canopies of F. vesiculosus and greatest in open areas kept moist at low tide by surf. Barnacle survival after settlement was least under the F. vesiculosus canopy due to the whiplash effect of the algal fronds in the surf and greatest in open areas free from competition from mussels. In open areas, early mortality was correlated with settlement density. In areas of dense settlement (60 spat cm-2) up to 90% mortality resulted within 5 months from crowding associated with growth. In older individuals crowding produced hummocks of elongated, weakly attached barnacles which were more prone to removal by surf than uncrowded barnacles. Mussels exerted competitive dominance over barnacles for space and the presence of mussel beds prevented further barnacle recruitment. Mussels suffered extensive mortality during winter storms when surf removed dense mats of weakly attached mussels. The patchy distribution of mussels and barnacles results from irregular rock substrata producing numerous environmental patches with respect to wave exposure and drainage at low tide, and from densitydependent mortality of both mussels and barnacles which creates patches of new colonizable space within each environmental patch.

Breeding, settlement and survival of barnacles at artificially modified shore levels at Leigh, New Zealand

Summary The breeding and settlement seasons of the intertidal barnacles Chamaesipho brunnea, C. columna and Elminius plicatus were determined, and experiments using cages on the shore to examine barnacle survival and growth rate at four levels were carried out at Leigh during 1964–66. Chamaesipho brunnea bred in spring and summer; C. columna and E. plicatus bred throughout the year, but settled intermittently. When protected from predators and from overgrowth by algae, all three species survived at levels lower than normal. At higher levels C. columna, E. modestus, Balanus trigonus and Tetraclita purpuraseens survived for significant periods (C. brunnea occurs naturally higher on the shore than the highest experimental level).