The Victorian naturalist . Figure 11. The three mostcommon secies ofcrabs found in therock-rubble atFlinders. From topto bottom:Paragrapsusqiiadridentatus,Cyclograpsusaiidoidni andC. granulosus. (Scaleline = cm.). MayJune 105 Bennett and Pope, 1953). The differ-ences are: 1) the principal zones arenarrower; 2) an extensive band oflaminarian kelps is lacking; and 3)there is a marked increase in densitiesof certain animals. This third pointis particularly evident in the rockrubble where the densities of crabsand asteroids are very much higherthan on exposed shores. This decreasein exposure a
The Victorian naturalist . Figure 11. The three mostcommon secies ofcrabs found in therock-rubble atFlinders. From topto bottom:Paragrapsusqiiadridentatus,Cyclograpsusaiidoidni andC. granulosus. (Scaleline = cm.). MayJune 105 Bennett and Pope, 1953). The differ-ences are: 1) the principal zones arenarrower; 2) an extensive band oflaminarian kelps is lacking; and 3)there is a marked increase in densitiesof certain animals. This third pointis particularly evident in the rockrubble where the densities of crabsand asteroids are very much higherthan on exposed shores. This decreasein exposure also contributes to thehigher densities of the predatorysnail Lepsiella vinosa in the mid-littoral zone. Hence this animal mayexert a greater influence on the lowerlimits of some mollusc species atFhnders than it does on more ex-posed shores. This description of the ecology ofthe Fhnders reef provides an intro-duction to the physical and biologicalprocesses which interact on rockyshores, and gives some idea of thecomplexity of the communities pre-sent. It should be stressed that ifthese communities are disturbed ordisrupted, by the removal or dis-placement of organisms from theirmicrohabitats, there may be
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdec, booksubjectnaturalhistory, bookyear1884
