Community Organisation on Intertidal Rock Platforms at Rottnest Island, Western Australia: The Functional Role of the Sea Urchin Echinometra mathaei

The sea urchin Echinometra mathaei exists in high densities on intertidal rock platforms at Rottnest Island, Western Australia. In terms of both numbers and biomass, it is the dominant species in the benthic community. From November, 1984 to November, 1986 experiments were carried out to see if this numerical dominance also had functional significance, specifically in the determination of the species composition and the patterns of distribution and abundances in the surrounding benthic community.

Echinometra mathaei海胆在澳大利亚西部罗特内斯特岛的潮间带岩滩上以高密度分布。从个体数量与生物量两方面来看，它均为该底栖生物群落（benthic community）中的优势物种。1984年11月至1986年11月期间，研究人员开展了相关实验，以探究该物种的数量优势是否具备功能意义，具体而言，即该优势是否会决定周边底栖生物群落的物种组成、分布格局及物种丰度模式。