Competition as a determinant of the upper limit of subtidal kelp Ecklonia stolonifera Okamura in the southern coast of Korea

Experiments in the subtidal zone of the southeastern coast of Korea examined the role of competition in determining the upper limit of perennial kelp, Ecklonia stolonifera, which is a dominant species in the subtidal community, but rarely found shallower than 5 m depth. Replicate clearings of dense algal turfs simulating natural disturbance at 1 and 3 m depth zones showed that E. stolonifera is able to settle and develop adult sporophytes in the upper zone. However, these adult sporophytes were eventually excluded from the clearings within one year after clearing. Two-year succession patterns at the clearings fell into three sequential categories: E. stolonifera and polychaete worms (Serpula vermicularis Linnaeus), mussels (Mytilus edulis Linnaeus), and turf-forming algae. A competitor removal treatment revealed that competition with M. edulis for primary space is the direct cause resulting in exclusion of E. stolonifera from the clearings. Recolonization of E. stolonifera after exclusion did not occur at clearings due to preemptive competition with other sessile organisms, which occupied 75-99% of bottom cover during the reproduction period of E. stolonifera (Autumn). Algal turfs, the final colonizer of the clearings, recovered more than 80% of bottom cover within 10 months after exclusion of M. edulis, and their species composition and abundance were not significantly different to those of adjacent controls. Experiments using artificial substrata showed that recruitment of E. stolonifera from spores is essentially impossible on the plates occupied by other sessile organisms (>86% cover). These results indicate that preemptive competition with dense algal turfs for the settlement and competition with M. edulis for survival in the course of succession are two most important factors determining the vertical distribution limits of E. stolonifera.