University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Fall 1984 ECOLOGY OF ROCKY SUBTIDAL COMMUNITIES: THE ROLE OF MODIOLUS MODIOLUS (L) AND THE INFLUENCE OF DISTURBANCE, COMPETITION, AND MUTUALISM JON DREW WITMAN University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation WITMAN, JON DREW, "ECOLOGY OF ROCKY SUBTIDAL COMMUNITIES: THE ROLE OF MODIOLUS MODIOLUS (L) AND THE INFLUENCE OF DISTURBANCE, COMPETITION, AND MUTUALISM" (1984). Doctoral Dissertations. 1438. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/1438 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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University Micrdnlms International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8428162 Witman, Jon Drew ECOLOGY OF ROCKY SUBTIDAL COMMUNITIES: THE ROLE OF MODIOLUS MODIOLUS (L) AND THE INFLUENCE OF DISTURBANCE, COMPETITION, AND MUTUALISM University of New Hampshire Ph.D. 1984 University Microfilms International 300 N.Zee b Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V . 1. Glossy photographs or pages ^ 2. 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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ECOLOGY CF ROCKY SUBTIDAL COMMUNITIES: THE RCLE CF MODIOLUS MODIOLUS (L) fflJD THE INFLUENCE! CF DISTURBANCE, COMPETITION, MD MUTUALISM BY JCN D. WITMAN B.A., University of New Hampshire, 1977 M.S., University of New Hampshire, 1982 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of Net/ Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology September, 1984 ■ • i ; Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation has been examined and approved. Thesis (Sector, Larry G. Harris Associate Professor of Zoology Davii unct Professor of Zoology Arthur C. Mathieson, Professor of Botany Kenneth P. Sebens, Assistant Professor of Zoology Harvard University c Janes T. Taylor, Associate Professor of Zoology Charles W. Walker, Associate Professor of Zoology Ap** n,/m Date J _ Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACMiCWLEDGEMENTS I thank rty thesis advisor, Larry G. Harris, for introducing me to rocly srbtidal communities in the Gulf of Maine, for the unfailing enthusiasm with which he supported my work, and for his friendship. I would like to thank my other committee members: David J. Hartzband, Arthur C Mathieson, Kenneth P. Sebens, James T. Taylor, and Charles W. Walker for improving the quality of my research and dissertation. Discussions with Larry G. Harris, Kenneth P. Sebens, David Q Duggins, Than as H. Suchanek, James T. Taylor, Thomas a Lee, and Alan W. Hulbert helped me interpret sub tidal community dynamics I thank Thanas a Suchanek for sharing his expertise on mussel ecology and David J. Hartzband for providing valuable advice on multivariate analysis. I am grateful to divers Alan Hulbert, Larry Harris, Steve Lemos, Kerry Irons, Sean Craig, Don Jones, Martha Morehead, Michael Lesser, Liz Kintzing, Nadine Folino, Peg Brady-Camjbell and others for many cold hours of assistance underwater. I am especially grateful for the excellent seamanship of Captain Ned Macintosh, Captain Paul Pelletier, and Diving Safety Officer Paul Lavoie on board the R.V. Jere A Chase. Without their dedicated help offshore, none of this research would have been possibla Special thanks to Paul Pelletier and Paul Lavoie for j enduring rough sea conditions at Murray Rock, and for putting up with me through six winters of diving in the Gulf of Maine. I am deeply indebted to my steadfast diving companion, Paul Lavoie, for engineering advice and for enabling me to accomplish all that I set out to do underwater. i i i 5 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ; j Community-level research entails processing innumerable samples of organians. Benthic sorters Melissa Nickerson, Sean Craig, and Joanne Hulbert helped immeasurably. I am grateful for taxonomic assistance provided by Dr. Willard Hartman (sponges). Dr. Nancy Maciolek Blake (polychaetes), Dr. Ruth Turner (gastropods), Dr. Larry Harris (nudibrandis), Dr. John Dickinson (amphipods), Doug Denniger (caprellids), and Dr. Harold Plough (ascidians). Algal identifications were kindly provided by Paula K. Busse and Dr. Arthur C. Mathieson. Most of all, I am grateful to my partner, Morgan Hardwick-Witman, for her indispensible assistance, support, and encouragement throughout every aspect of this study. This research was supported by the Lerner-Gray Fund for Marine Research, the University of New Hampshire Marine Program, a George M. I Moore Scholarship* and by several grants to L.G Harris from the Dreyfus Foundation, the Northeast Pollution Monitoring Program (#NAc-79-FAC- 00013), and from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea I Grant Program. j iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE CF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................... i i i LIST CF TABLES................................................................................................................ v i i i LIST CF FIGURES............................................................................................................. ix LIST CF APPENDICES....................................................................................................... x i ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................... x ii PAGE CHAPTER I: The Effects of Biological Disturbance