DOI: 10.5061/dryad.5qp96
title: Data from: An exotic species alters patterns of marine community development

description: Predictions of ecological patterns can be strengthened through replication
 of foundational studies under different environmental conditions to
 evaluate the consistency in their underlying processes. In this study, we
 replicated Sutherland and Karlson's 1977 classic ecology study that
 tested terrestrial paradigms of community development in a marine fouling
 community. The abundance patterns of marine fouling species were
 quantified on sequentially submerged settlement plates to investigate the
 effects of disturbance date on short- and long-term patterns of community
 development, and the original study's datasets were re-analyzed for
 comparison. In both studies, community structure was initially shaped by
 disturbance date due to monthly and annual variation in larval
 recruitment; however, the influence of disturbance date diminished over
 time. Despite these similarities, the underlying drivers of long-term
 patterns of community development have shifted substantially since the
 1970′s. During the present study, an exotic tunicate, Clavelina oblonga,
 dominated plates over time and its dominance was associated with
 significant declines in species diversity. In contrast, the 1970s
 long-term community was characterized by a heterogeneous mixture of
 species that varied inter-annually, yielding increased species diversity
 over time. Continued observations of our settlement plates (2 years total)
 indicated that C. oblonga remains the dominant species in this community,
 suggesting that these findings are not the result of a single, novel
 recruitment event. These results highlight how an exotic species can alter
 patterns of community development and biodiversity. Moreover, this study
 demonstrates the need to replicate foundational ecological studies to
 evaluate community dynamics and underlying processes in light of ongoing
 ecosystem change.
description: Theuerkauf_2017_CommunityStructure_ShortTermShort-term community structure: Percent cover of each species on each replicate plate (n=3) at approximately 90 days after initial plate deployment. Plates were deployed during August 2014 - September 2015 and were sampled 90 days later (November 2014 - December 2015). Please see main text for additional information.Theuerkauf_2017_CommunityStructure_LongTermExtendedStudyLong-term community structure + extended study: Percent cover of each species on each replicate plate (n=3) at approximately &gt;180 days after initial plate deployment. Specifically, long-term community structure (i.e., ≥ 180 days post initial plate deployment) was defined as the last sampling of the CD plates that could occur by December 2015 (following sampling every 90 days). The final sampling of CD plates occurred from October 2015 – December 2015. Extended study: plates deployed during Aug. 2014 were continually sampled every 90 days through Aug. 2016, including Feb. 2016, May 2016, and Aug. 2016, as reported in rows 31-39. Please see main text for additional information.Theuerkauf_2017_LarvalRecruitment_PresentStudyLarval recruitment: Average monthly percent cover of larval species that settled on larval recruitment plates deployed from August 2014 – November 2015 and sampled four weeks later (September 2014 – December 2015). Recruitment patterns of Ascidia interrupta, Styela plicata, and Ostrea equestris were not observed during the course of this study. Please see main text for additional information.