DISPERSAL POTENTIAL OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES IN DIVERSE HABITATS: Ecological Archives A013-001-A1

Life‐history parameters were used to estimate the dispersal potential of 1021 marine macroinvertebrates recorded in species lists from 91 sites comprising rocky intertidal, subtidal, kelp forest, sandy beach, and soft‐bottom habitats in Washington, Oregon, and California. Mean species richness was significantly greater in the California rocky subtidal habitat. Data on development mode, planktonic larval duration, rafting potential, and adult mobility were compiled, and summaries of the dispersal potentials of taxa within each habitat type were generated and compared. In summary, development mode was known or estimated for 76% of species; larval planktonic duration for 49%; adult mobility for 76%; and rafting potential for 46%. In comparisons of species' life‐history traits among habitats, sand‐dominated habitats were distinct from rocky habitats. In rocky habitats, ∼42% of species had planktonic feeding larvae, 43% had planktonic nonfeeding larvae, and 15% had nonplanktonic larvae. Sandy intertidal habitats had higher proportions of taxa with nondispersing, nonplanktonic larvae and lower proportions of planktonic feeding and nonfeeding larvae than all other sites. Soft‐bottom subtidal communities had the highest proportion of taxa with planktonic feeding development and larvae with planktonic lifespans >30 d. Species in soft‐bottom subtidal sites, therefore, have the greatest potential for extensive larval dispersal, whereas species in soft‐bottom intertidal sites have the least potential for larval dispersal. In these sites with limited larval dispersal potential, there is greater potential for adult dispersal through adult movement and rafting. These differences in the dispersal potential of larvae and adults suggest that the effect of environmental changes and the effectiveness of reserves may differ between habitats. Conservation methods, including the use of marine reserves, must therefore be tailored to the habitat of interest if effective protection of community resources is to be achieved.