Stasis or kinesis? Hidden dynamics of a rocky intertidal macrophyte mosaic revealed by a spatially explicit approach

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...