ABSTRACT Echinoderms play important ecological roles in the benthic community, but the processes that regulate their distribution are still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to describe the community structure in the shallow rocky reefs of the Wellington region of central New Zealand. Five sites from a harbour and an open coast were surveyed for adult echinoderm density and habitat composition. Additionally, artificial collectors were deployed to assess recruitment patterns. Five taxa were responsible for the assemblage variation within sites and their abundance was highly correlated with habitat composition. Patiriella regularis was highly abundant in all sites, while Coscinasterias muricata and Evechinus chloroticus were dominant in the Harbour. Echinoderm settlement showed interannual variations, as well as differences between locations. There was a significant pulse of C. muricata settlers, while ophiuroids were present in lower numbers but constantly during the studied period. E. chloroticus settlement was sporadic and the absence of a juvenile cohort in the open coast sites suggests that recruitment might not occur for up to 4 years. The present study provides insights on the echinoderm assemblage in the shallow rocky reefs of the Wellington region and contributes to a better understanding of recruitment patterns shaping population structure.

中文翻译：

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新西兰中部浅层岩礁棘皮动物的物种组合和补充模式

摘要棘皮动物在底栖群落中发挥着重要的生态作用，但对其分布的调节过程仍知之甚少。本研究的目的是描述新西兰中部惠灵顿地区浅层岩礁的群落结构。对来自港口和开阔海岸的五个地点进行了棘皮动物成年密度和栖息地组成的调查。此外，还部署了人工收集器来评估招聘模式。五个分类群负责站点内的组合变化，它们的丰度与栖息地组成高度相关。Patiriella regularis 在所有地点都非常丰富，而 Coscinasterias muricata 和 Evechinus chloroticus 在港口占优势。棘皮动物聚落呈现年际变化，以及位置之间的差异。C. muricata 定居者的数量明显增加，而鸦片类动物的数量较少，但在研究期间一直存在。E. chloroticus 定居点是零星的，在开阔的海岸地点没有幼鱼群表明可能在长达 4 年内不会发生招募。本研究提供了对惠灵顿地区浅岩礁中棘皮动物组合的见解，有助于更好地了解塑造种群结构的招募模式。chromoticus 定居点是零星的，而且在开阔的海岸地点没有少年群体表明可能在长达 4 年的时间内不会发生招募。本研究提供了对惠灵顿地区浅层岩礁中棘皮动物组合的见解，有助于更好地了解塑造种群结构的招募模式。chromoticus 定居点是零星的，而且在开阔的海岸地点没有少年群体表明可能在长达 4 年的时间内不会发生招募。本研究提供了对惠灵顿地区浅层岩礁中棘皮动物组合的见解，有助于更好地了解塑造种群结构的招募模式。