Synchrony of frond dynamics among patches of the clonal seaweed Mazzaella parksai (Rhodophyta) at local spatial scale

This study investigated the synchrony of frond dynamics among patches of the intertidal seaweed Mazzaella parksii (=M. cornucopiae; Rhodophyta: Gigartinales) at local spatial scale. At Prasiola Point (Pacific coast of Canada), the mean synchrony of the seasonal changes in frond density among seven permanent, 100-cm(2) quadrats was significant (mean Pearson's r=0.73, with 0.65-0.81 as 95% confidence limits) between 1993 and 1995. This indicates that predicting seasonal trends for non-monitored patches at local spatial scale can be done relatively well based on observations on a limited number of quadrats. The identification of the spatial scales at which seaweed populations covary synchronously swill permit minimizing sampling effort while retaining the ability to make valid predictions for non-monitored sites.