Stasis or kinesis? Hidden dynamics of a rocky intertidal macrophyte mosaic revealed by a spatially explicit approach Bruce A. Menge a, * , Gary W. Allison b , Carol A. Blanchette c , Terry M. Farrell d , Annette M. Olson a , Teresa A. Turner e , Peter van Tamelen f a Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2914, USA b Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43212-1156, United States c Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States d Biology Department, Box 8270, Stetson University, 421 North Woodland Blvd, DeLand, FL 32720, United States e Division of Science and Mathematics, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, USVI, 00802, United States f 14320 Otter Way, Juneau, AK 99801, United States Received 8 August 2004; received in revised form 28 August 2004; accepted 5 September 2004 Abstract Macrophyte mosaics, or tile-like assemblages of turfy marine macroalgae and surfgrass (Phyllospadix scouleri ), are persistent and highly diverse along the central Oregon coast. To test the hypothesis that spatial pattern and species abundances are relatively invariant in this system, we studied community structure, disturbance, and species interactions from 1985 to 1990. Abundances and disturbance in permanently marked plots at each of five sites spanning wave-exposed to wave-protected areas were monitored photographically each year. The analysis was spatially explicit, incorporated position effects, and allowed determination of species displacements. To interpret the potential influence of substratum on disturbance, we quantified rock hardness and sediment depth at each site. Field experiments tested the role of grazers and spatial interactions on maintenance of between-patch boundaries. Mosaic dynamics varied with wave exposure. At wave-exposed and wave-protected sites, average patterns of abundance and assemblage structure were relatively constant through time, but analysis of transition probabilities showed high rates of change among mosaic elements at wave-exposed sites and low rates of change at wave-protected sites. At wave-exposed sites, most changes involved Phyllospadix displacing neighboring macroalgal turfs but rarely the reverse. At all wave-exposures, surfgrass was the most frequently disturbed mosaic element. Disturbed areas were quickly colonized by macroalgae. At wave-exposed sites, disturbances were closed by regrowth of surfgrass. Disturbance rates were similar across wave-exposures, with wave forces causing most loss at wave-exposed sites and a combination of substratum failure and sediment burial causing most loss at wave-protected sites. At wave-exposed sites, disturbances tended to be larger (436.7 vs. 278.6 cm 2 ) but less numerous (228 vs. 484 total disturbances) than at wave-protected sites. At wave-exposed sites, surfgrass overgrew all other species except the kelp Lessoniopsis littoralis , which was competitively equivalent to surfgrass. Grazing had no effect on spatial interactions. Disturbance prevented surfgrass monocultures, and with 0022-0981/$ - see front matter D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2004.09.015 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 541 737 5358; fax: +1 541 737 3360. E-mail address: MengeB@oregonstate.edu (B.A. Menge). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 314 (2005) 3 – 39 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe