Foundation species that modify their habitat can facilitate other species, including other foundation species. Most studies focus solely on a single foundation species, overlooking such facilitation cascades. In this study, we investigated the interactions between the two coastal foundation species Mytilus edulis (blue mussel) and Lanice conchilega (sand mason worm). We investigated whether these species engage in facilitative interactions or if their association simply reflects a shared ecological niche on the soft-sediment intertidal flats of the Dutch Wadden Sea. To do so, we performed species distribution modeling, manipulative field experiments, and field surveys. We found a positive association between both foundation species, with a 2.45 times higher occurrence of both species compared to a random distribution. In addition, these species partially occupied the same ecological niche. We demonstrated that L. conchilega provided settlement substrate for M. edulis spat, increasing densities by 400 times compared to bare plots. Furthermore, M. edulis reefs facilitated L. conchilega occurrence in the wake of the reef. Biogenic reef development revealed that this interspecific facilitation resulted in spatial habitat heterogeneity. Therefore, we conclude that interspecific facilitation can significantly enhance the occurrence of these two important intertidal foundation species. Acknowledgment of such complex facilitation interactions has an untapped potential for improving the success of restoration and conservation programs.

中文翻译：

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基础物种贻贝和Lanice conchilega之间的相互促进促进了滩涂生境的异质性

改变栖息地的基础物种可以促进其他物种，包括其他基础物种。大多数研究只关注单一的基础物种，忽视了这种促进级联。在这项研究中，我们研究了两种沿海基础物种之间的相互作用贻贝（蓝色贻贝）和兰尼斯·贝壳（沙石虫）。我们调查了这些物种是否参与促进性相互作用，或者它们的关联是否仅仅反映了荷兰瓦登海软沉积物潮间带的共享生态位。为此，我们进行了物种分布建模、操作性实地实验和实地调查。我们发现这两个基础物种之间存在正相关关系，与随机分布相比，这两个物种的出现率高出 2.45 倍。此外，这些物种部分占据相同的生态位。我们证明了贝壳 L.提供沉降基质美味贻贝与裸地相比，密度增加了 400 倍。此外，M. edulis 珊瑚礁促进了贝壳 L.发生在珊瑚礁之后。生物礁的发育表明，这种种间促进导致了空间栖息地的异质性。因此，我们得出结论，种间促进可以显着提高这两种重要的潮间带基础物种的出现。承认这种复杂的促进相互作用对于提高恢复和保护计划的成功率具有尚未开发的潜力。