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Science 21 October 1988:
Vol. 242. no. 4877, pp. 440 - 443
DOI: 10.1126/science.242.4877.440
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Articles

Earthquake-Caused Coastal Uplift and Its Effects on Rocky Intertidal Kelp Communities

JUAN CARLOS CASTILLA 1

1 Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile.

The coastal uplift(approximately 40 to 60 centimeters) associated with the Chilean earthquake of 3 March 1985 caused extensive mortality of intertidal organisms at the Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Las Cruces. The kelp belt of the laminarian Lessonia nigrescens was particularly affected. Most of the primary space liberated at the upper border of this belt was invaded by species of barnacles, which showed an opportunistic colonization strategy. Drastic modifications in the environment such as coastal uplift, subsidence, or the effects of the El Niño phenomenon are characteristic of the southern Pacific. Modifications in the marine ecosystem that generate catastrophic and widespread mortalities of intertidal organisms can affect species composition, diversity, or local biogeography.

Submitted on April 18, 1988
Accepted on July 21, 1988


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Inaugural Article: Biography of Juan Carlos Castilla.
C. Brownlee (2004)
PNAS 101, 8514-8516
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)