The biota of Malgas Island off the west coast of South Africa is dominated by seaweeds and by rock lobsters that consume settling mussels, preventing them from becoming established, they also prey on whelks. Marcus Island, four km away, has extensive mussel beds and whelks at high densities, but rock lobsters and seaweeds are virtually absent. Rock lobsters transferred to Marcus Island are overwhelmed and consumed by the whelks a reversal of the normal predator-prey relation between the two species.
Disturbance increases species diversity.
Joseph Connell Connell performed his studies in Scotland, but similar species of Balanus , Chthamalus , and Nucella live on the California coast . Note that the barnacle, Chthamalus , settles from the plankton from high to low on the shore but only survives to adulthood in the high intertidal. Systems can have more than one persistent steady state. Kelp forests are among the most productive communities on Earth. Keep the following study guides in mind as you read the remainder of Chapter 14.