Structural traits dictate abiotic stress amelioration by intertidal oysters

1.Autogenic ecosystem engineers often provide cool microhabitats which are used by associated organisms to reduce thermal extremes. The value of such habitats is, however, dependant on key structural traits of the ecosystem engineer, and the intensity and duration of thermal exposure.

2.Using an experimental mesocosm that mimicked the rocky intertidal environment, we assessed how the spatial configuration of the habitat formed by an autogenic ecosystem engineer, the oyster, influences its capacity to mitigate heat stress experienced by invertebrates during simulated emersion periods on tropical, Hong Kong rocky shores.

3.At the average temperature experienced during summer low tides, oyster habitat ameliorated environmental and organismal temperatures, irrespective of the structural configuration of the oyster bed. As temperatures increased, however, vertically orientated oysters provided microclimates that facilitated cooler invertebrate body temperatures than horizontal beds, wh...