Community Recovery in the Algal Zone Interaction Experiment (CRAZIE)

Beginning in 2006, we conducted a field experiment to assess the influence of functional group interactions, succession, and oceanographic conditions on rocky intertidal community structure. At 13 sites nested on four capes along the coasts of Oregon and northern California, we applied four treatments: control with no manipulations, recovery with all organisms removed initially but no further manipulations, macrophyte-only with all organisms removed initially and then regular removal of sessile invertebrates, and invertebrate-only with all organisms removed initially and then regular removal of macrophytes. We monitored community structure in these plots annually, revealing a regime shift from kelp-dominated to mussel-dominated plots at some sites.