The resistance of <i>Lanice conchilega</i> reefs to physical disturbance

One way to generate detailed knowledge of the response to physical disturbance is quantifying the resistance of biogenically created emergent structures towards fisheries. The biogenic structures targeted in the present study are shaped by the ecosystem engineering polychaeteLanice conchilega. Direct mortality ofL. conchilega as a consequence of sustained physical disturbance at varying frequencies has been tested to quantify the resilience of this particular reef system. Research is based on a laboratory experiment in which four different disturbance regimes were applied (disturbance every other 12, 24 and 48 h and no fishing disturbance as a control). Survival proportions were measured over time and tested with a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). Survival dropped ignificantly after 10 and 18 days (with a disturbance frequency of every 12 and 24 h, respectively). The results indicate that L.conchilega is relatively resistant to physical disturbance but that reef systems can potentially collapse under continuous high frequency disturbance. The results of this experiment are discussed in the light of beam trawl fisheries, a common physical disturbance in areas where knowledge of the general resilience