Influence of human disturbance on marine invertebrate biodiversity in Acadia National Park’s rocky intertidal community

Within rocky intertidal communities, trampling from human visitation may
be an important ecological stressor influencing community biodiversity
(Addessi 1994; Olson 2009; Werfhorst and Pearse 2007; Pour et al. 2013).
Little information is known regarding the biodiversity of
macroinvertebrates within the rocky intertidal zone of Acadia National
Park (ANP). Three paired sample areas were surveyed along the western side
of ANP including locations near Bass Harbor Head, Ship Head Harbor and
Wonderland located in Southwest Harbor. All macroinvertebrate individuals
were identified or noted as unidentified and counted. A total of 26
species and 37,230 individuals were recorded within the quadrats sampled
in the study. No significant difference was found between high and low
visitation or across paired sites although patterns could be seen. Further
studies need to be conducted to effectively determine the severity of
human disturbance on the biodiversity of ANPs macroinvertebrates.