Breeding, settlement and survival of barnacles at artificially modified shore levels at Leigh, New Zealand

Abstract

Summary The breeding and settlement seasons of the intertidal barnacles Chamaesipho brunnea, C. columna and Elminius plicatus were determined, and experiments using cages on the shore to examine barnacle survival and growth rate at four levels were carried out at Leigh during 1964–66. Chamaesipho brunnea bred in spring and summer; C. columna and E. plicatus bred throughout the year, but settled intermittently. When protected from predators and from overgrowth by algae, all three species survived at levels lower than normal. At higher levels C. columna, E. modestus, Balanus trigonus and Tetraclita purpuraseens survived for significant periods (C. brunnea occurs naturally higher on the shore than the highest experimental level).