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      Caracterización trófica del placóforo intermareal Enoplochiton niger en el norte de Chile: variación ambiental y patrones dietarios a nivel local y region Translated title: Trophic characterization of the intertidal placophoran Enoplochiton niger in northern Chile: environmental variation and dietary patterns at local and regional levels

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          Abstract

          El rol e impacto de los herbívoros en la trama trófica de comunidades intermareales rocosas podría ser más diverso y complejo de lo considerado hasta ahora, particularmente en el caso de consumidores de mayor tamaño y abundancia como el molusco placóforo Enoplochiton niger. Esta especie es uno de los pastoreadores de mayor tamaño (hasta 20 cm) e importancia ecológica en las costas rocosas del norte de Chile, pero también una de las especies menos conocidas en términos tróficos. Este trabajo presenta una evaluación de los patrones dietarios de E. niger en cuatro comunidades del norte de Chile, distribuidas en 1.000 km de costa y muestreadas estacionalmente entre invierno 2004 y otoño 2006. Además se analizó la relación de su dieta con factores biológicos y físicos, incluyendo el efecto potencial del evento El Niño 2004-2005 ocurrido durante el período de estudio. A nivel regional, el espectro dietario de E. niger abarcó un total de 98 recursos (60 ítemes algales y 38 ítemes invertebrados), y los ítemes más importantes fueron organismos sésiles con formas de crecimiento incrustante o en capa. E. niger mostró una gran amplitud de nicho tanto a nivel regional como local (rango: 20,7-28,0; índice de Levins), con una riqueza dietaria a nivel individual independiente del tamaño corporal. Tanto el número de ítemes dietarios consumidos por individuo como la composición taxonómica de la dieta no mostraron diferencias significativas entre comunidades, pero variaron significativamente entre el período asociado al evento El Niño y el período posterior. No hubo ninguna relación clara entre los patrones dietarios de E. niger y los niveles contrastantes de intensidad de surgencia entre las comunidades estudiadas. Los resultados muestran que E. niger es un consumidor generalista y polífago, y un potencial omnívoro, el cual podría tener un alto impacto sobre los patrones de ocupación de espacio en la comunidad intermareal.

          Translated abstract

          The role and impact of herbivores on rocky intertidal food webs could be more complex and diverse than previously considered, particularly in the case of larger and more abundant consumers such as the placophoran mollusc Enoplochiton niger. This species is one of the largest (up to 20 cm) and ecologically most important grazers on rocky shores of northern Chile, but also one of the lesser known species in trophic terms. This work presents an assessment of the dietary patterns of E. niger in four communities of northern Chile, distributed along 1,000 km of coastline and sampled seasonally from winter 2004 to autumn 2006. The analysis included the relationship of its diet with physical and biological factors, and particularly the potential effect of the 2004-2005 El Niño event that occurred during the study period. At a regional level, the dietary spectrum of E. niger comprised a total of 98 food resources (60 algal Ítems and 38 invertebrate Ítems), and the most important Ítems were sessile organisms of encrusting and layer-forming growth habits. E. niger exhibited a very high niche breadth at both local and regional levels (ranging from 20.7 to 28.0; Levins' index), and its dietary richness at the individual level was independent from its body size. Both the number of dietary ítems consumed per individual and the taxonomic composition of the diet did not show statistical differences among communities, but they were significantly different between the El Niño and non-El Niño periods. There was no clear relationship between the dietary patterns of E. niger and the contrasting levels of upwelling intensity among the communities studied. The results show that E. niger is a generalist polyphagous consumer, and a potential omnivore, which could have a high level of impact on space occupancy patterns in the intertidal community.

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          Non-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure

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            A Unified Approach to Marine Plant-Herbivore Interactions. I. Populations and Communities

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              The Ecology and Evolution of Intraguild Predation: Potential Competitors That Eat Each Other

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                rchnat
                Revista chilena de historia natural
                Rev. chil. hist. nat.
                Sociedad de Biología de Chile (Santiago, , Chile )
                0716-078X
                December 2008
                : 81
                : 4
                : 533-546
                Affiliations
                [01] Concepción orgnameUniversidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción orgdiv1Facultad de Ciencias orgdiv2Departamento de Ecología Costera Chile
                [02] orgnameCenter for Advanced Studies in Ecology & Biodiversity Chile pcamus@ 123456ucsc.cl
                Article
                S0716-078X2008000400007 S0716-078X(08)08100407
                10.4067/S0716-078X2008000400007
                920778d1-160d-41f3-825e-728c93133c43

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

                History
                : 20 June 2008
                : 28 March 2008
                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 33, Pages: 14
                Product

                SciELO Chile

                Categories
                ARTICULOS

                El Niño,chiton,upwelling,tamaño corporal,chitón,omnivory,body size,surgencia,omnivoría

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