Ontogenetic changes in habitat use and diet of the sea-star <i>Heliaster helianthus</i> on the coast of central Chile

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dc.contributor.authorManzur, Tatiana
dc.contributor.authorBarahona, Mario
dc.contributor.authorNavarrete, Sergio A.
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-21T00:06:00Z
dc.date.available2025-01-21T00:06:00Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.description.abstractOntogenetic shifts in habitat use and diet are ubiquitous in nature and usually have profound consequences for the ecology and evolution of the species. In the case of species with strong interactions within their communities, such as keystone predators, understanding this kind of size-related change is critical to understand variation and connectivity among spatially distinct habitats of coastal communities. Yet the ecology of early life stages of marine benthic invertebrates, particularly asteroids, is poorly understood. Here we describe the results of surveys to characterize the habitat and quantify the abundance and diet of recruits of the sun star Heliaster helianthus, a keystone predator at rocky intertidal sites in central Chile. Our results support the existence of size-related, ontogenetic changes in habitat use and diet of this species. Recruits occupy boulders and crevices in the high or mid-high intertidal zones of wave-protected habitats and as they grow they move down towards lower tidal levels. Adults are characteristically found in the low intertidal zone of wave exposed and semi-exposed habitats. These changes in habitat use are accompanied by changes in diet composition and particularly by a broadening of the prey species incorporated in the diet. Since early stages of Heliaster appear to be most sensitive to predation and abiotic stress and since adults are such important predators in wave exposed rocky shores, knowledge of the basic ecology of early stages of this species is critical to fully understand the dynamics of intertidal communities.
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.doi10.1017/S0025315409990786
dc.identifier.issn0025-3154
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315409990786
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/95571
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:000278644200013
dc.issue.numero3
dc.language.isoen
dc.pagina.final546
dc.pagina.inicio537
dc.revistaJournal of the marine biological association of the united kingdom
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectrecruitment
dc.subjecthabitat preferences
dc.subjectdiet changes
dc.subjectrocky intertidal
dc.subjectgrowth
dc.subjectontogeny
dc.subject.ods14 Life Below Water
dc.subject.ods15 Life on Land
dc.subject.ods13 Climate Action
dc.subject.odspa14 Vida submarina
dc.subject.odspa15 Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.subject.odspa13 Acción por el clima
dc.titleOntogenetic changes in habitat use and diet of the sea-star <i>Heliaster helianthus</i> on the coast of central Chile
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen90
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
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