Does geologic history matter?
The effects of substratum on community ecology. Perotti, Elizabeth*,1, Lindberg, David1, 1 University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA ABSTRACT- Rocky intertidal communities exist in a mosaic of rock substrates. Nowhere else in the world is this mosaic more pronounced than along the western edge of North America because of the geologic origin and tectonics of this area. Organisms have their own histories as well and have been interacting on different substrates and with other organisms for different amounts of time. The abundance of different rock types in close proximity in the Marin Headlands provides a unique opportunity to directly test substrate effects on intertidal ecology. This study begins to 1) evaluate the relative importance of an important rock property-surface topography-on local diversity of a rocky intertidal community, 2) test how substrate type influences succession, structure, and diversity of communities of intertidal organisms, and 3) identify specific groups
