Document of bibliographic reference 348018

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

A recurring population of the sea hare Bursatella hirsuta (Gastropoda: Aplysiidae) at Rottnest Island, Western Australia

Abstract

In many, but not all, years a recurring population of the marine aplysiid Bursatella hirsuta occurs on an intertidal limestone platform stretching between Little Armstrong Bay and North Point at Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Using a transect/quadrat method, we measured densities of B. hirsuta during the austral summer of 2020/2021. No individuals were present in December 2020, but a population with a mean density of 16.5 ± 1.6 (SE) inds m⁻² was present on 17 January 2021. Density was low in bare sand (2.6 ± 3.2 inds m⁻²) and in the seagrass Amphibolis antarctica (2.0 ± 1.4 inds m⁻²), high in mixed algae, mostly Phaeophyceae (18.2 ± 1.8 inds m⁻²) and greatest (27.2 ± 14.3 inds m⁻²) in a small number of quadrats with a mixture of sand and algae or sand and A. antarctica. The population was estimated at >600,000 individuals. The species was present in February but had disappeared by late March 2021. The population at Little Armstrong Bay and North Point provides a fertile opportunity for developing a better understanding of the biology of B. hirsuta and broader questions of boom-and-bust populations.

WebOfScience code

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000722121800001

Bibliographic citation

Wells, F.E.; Bessey, C.; Gagnon, M.M.; Keesing, J.K.; Prince, J. (2021). A recurring population of the sea hare Bursatella hirsuta (Gastropoda: Aplysiidae) at Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Moll. Res. 41(4): 285-288. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13235818.2021.2007750

Topic

Marine

Is peer reviewed

true