Spatial patterns of ascidian assemblages on subtidal rocky reefs in the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park, New South Wales

Kathryn L. Newton*, Bob Creese, David Raftos

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    5 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Spatial and temporal patterns of variability in ascidian assemblages were investigated on horizontal subtidal rocky reefs at Port Stephens, New South Wales (NSW). The study was designed to provide a baseline dataset on ascidian diversity and distribution patterns for an area destined to become a marine park (the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park: PSGLMP). Differences in ascidian assemblages between exposed oceanic island reefs and sheltered reefs within Port Stephens, and between two depth zones within each subtidal reef, were quantified using non-parametric multivariate techniques coupled with analysis of variance (ANOVA). Ascidian assemblages were highly variable between reef sites, reef exposures and particularly between depth zones within each reef surveyed. However, temporal variation was only observed for a few ascidian species. These highly variable spatial patterns in diversity indicate that numerous subtidal reefs may need to be protected within PSGLMP if the aim of the marine park is to adequately represent the entire array of marine biodiversity in the area.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)843-855
    Number of pages13
    JournalMarine and Freshwater Research
    Volume58
    Issue number9
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2007

    Keywords

    • species diversity

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