Estructura gremial de un ensamble de depredadores de la zona intermareal rocosa en Chile central

Abstract

The analysis and identification of guild structure in terrestrial assemblages has been a fundamental aspect in the understanding of the process that determine the communities organization. However, in the marine assemblages this aproximation has been scantily utilized, since in general the studies have been focalized in the taxonomic analysis of communitary components. The aim of this study was to recognize the guild structure of a marine predators assemblage. Through a literature review the trophic behavior of nine predators of intertidal rocky shores in central Chile was characterized. Diet similarities between predatory species were calculated with Pianka's index, posteriorly the diet similarity matrix was subjected to a clustering technique. Phenogram showed the existence of two statiscally significant trophic guilds. One consists of four invertebrate species: the decapods Acanthocyclus gayi and A. hasslery, the muricid Concholepas concholepas and the asteroid Heliaster helianthus. The second guild was composed of two vertebrate predators: the kelp gull Larus dominicanus and the sea otter Lutra felina. Finally, cases are analized where investigation of the guild structure would be considerably more useful than studies on only one taxonomic component of the species assemblage in an intertidal area.