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Upwelling intensity modifies coastal primary production and influences individual traits of habitat-forming species. Along the Peruvian coast, beds of the mytilid Perumytilus purpuratus provide structurally complex habitats that harbour many organisms. We predict that in the nutrient-rich system of Central Peru, the modification of structural complexity would have stronger effects on the Perumytilus community than nutrient addition. We experimentally examined the effects of nutrient addition on the Perumytilus-dominated assemblage and we evaluated the potential effect of varying shell size on the Perumytilus-dominated assemblage. Nutrient addition to the mussel bed with slow-release fertilizers caused no changes in the total macro- and microalgal biomass and did not affect abundances or composition of the assemblage. To explore the effect of structural complexity on the Perumytilus assemblage, we manipulated mussel size with experimental bags containing small and large individuals. Predators, grazers and mobile organisms were more abundant among smaller mussels, with smaller gap volume, whereas the barnacle Jehlius cirratus was more abundant on larger mussels. In conclusion, point-source nutrient addition to the mussel bed did not enhance primary production. However, the modification of structural characteristics related to mussel size induced changes in the faunal assemblage. Thus, it seems that in this nutrient-rich system, nutrient enhancement would not significantly affect Perumytilus and its assemblage, whereas structural habitat seems to play an important role in shaping this community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Echinolittorina peruviana is the most common gastropod in the high intertidal zone of Peru, representing more than 80% of the individuals present at that zone. Experimental removal of snails was used to evaluate their effects on (a) abundance of epilithic biofilm, (b) barnacle recruitment, and (c) abundance of macroalgae under 'normal' conditions of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Experiments were carried out from October 2005 to April 2007 at two intertidal levels of a semi-protected rocky shore of central Peru. Results demonstrated that E. peruviana is able to control biofilm abundance and barnacle recruitment at both heights investigated, with marked effects in the lower zone. Erect macroalgae ( Ulva spp. and Gelidium spp.) were less affected by grazing; but negative effects were observed on macroalgal crusts. Season and physical stress seem to play a more important role in the abundance of macroalgae in the high intertidal. Our results are similar to those reported elsewhere for high shore littorinids and represent baseline data to understand how the role of intertidal consumers will vary under the cold (La Niña) and warm (El Niño) phases of ENSO on these shores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]