This research investigates the structure and ecological organization of a coastal marine assemblage characterized by a brown algal canopy, and a conspicuous pavement of crustose and articulated coralline algae. The presence of the latter is associated with a rich mix of invertebrate grazers. A monitoring program will estimate the variation characteristics of the entire assemblage and experiments will be initiated to examine how community complexity effects interactions among taxa. Specific questions addressed will include, (1) does the complexity of multispecific competition generate an outcome different from that predicted by pair-wise experiments? (2) Do crusts inhibit recruitment of brown algal sporelings? And (3) will herbivore addition inhibit, or enhance, algal recruitment. These experiments and their measures will relate to species interaction strength, in the ecology of complex systems; a neglected aspect of food web theory.
