The ecology of rafting in the marine environment. I: The floating substrata

Abstract

Rafting has been inferred as an important dispersal mechanism in the marine environment by many authors. The success of rafting depends critically on the availability of suitable floating substrata. Herein currently available information on floating items that have been reported to carry rafting organisms is summarised. Floating items of biotic origin comprise macroalgae, seeds, wood, other vascular plants, and animal remains. Volcanic pumice (natural) and a diverse array of litter and tar lumps (anthropogenic) are the main floating items of abiotic origin. Macroalgae, wood, and plastic macrolitter cover a wide range of sizes while pumice, microlitter, and tar lumps typically are <10 cm in diameter. The longevity of floating items at the sea surface depends on their origin and likelihood to be destroyed by secondary consumers (in increasing order): nonlignified vascular plants/animal carcasses < macroalgae < driftwood < tar lumps/skeletal remains < plastic litter < volcanic pumice. In general, abiotic substrata have a higher longevity than biotic substrata, but most abiotic items are of no or only limited food value for potential rafters. Macroalgae are most abundant at mid-latitudes of both hemispheres, driftwood is of major importance in northern and tropical waters, and floating seeds appear to be most common in tropical regions. Volcanic pumice can be found at all latitudes but has primarily been reported from the Pacific Ocean. Plastic litter and tar lumps are most abundant near the centres of human population and activities. In some regions of abundant supply or zones of hydrography-driven accumulation, floating items can be extremely abundant, exceeding 1000 items km -2 . Temporal supply of floating items is variable, being seasonal for most biotic substrata and highly sporadic for some items such as volcanic pumice. Most reported velocities of floating items are in the range of 0.5-1.0 km h -1 , but direct measurements have shown that they occasionally are transported at much faster velocities. Published trajectories of floating items also coincide with the main oceanic currents, even though strong winds may sometimes push them out of the principal current systems. Many studies hint toward floating items to link source regions with coastal sinks, in some cases across long distances and even entire ocean basins. Fossil evidence suggests that rafting has also occurred in palaeo-oceans. During recent centuries and decades the composition and abundance of floating items in the world's oceans have been strongly affected by human activities, in particular logging, river and coastline regulation, and most importantly oil exploitation and plastic production. The currently abundant supply and the characteristics of floating items suggest that rafting continues to be an important dispersal mechanism in present-day oceans.