Ecological consequences of seagrass decline on macrozoobenthic communities: a case study of a Zostera noltii meadow in Arcachon Bay, France

IF 3.4 3区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Marine environmental research Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-16 DOI:10.1016/j.marenvres.2026.107857

Adeline Tauran, Xavier de Montaudouin, Danaé Dubrasquet, Lucille Zaragosi, Benoit Gouillieux, Nicolas Lavesque, Hugues Blanchet

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Abstract

Seagrasses form critical coastal habitats that are experiencing worldwide decline, often resulting in reduced abundance and diversity of associated macrofauna. This study focuses on Arcachon Bay (SW France), a coastal lagoon characterised by an extensive Zostera noltii meadow (40 km² in 2019) that has declined by 44 % since 1989. This work aimed to characterise benthic community responses to environmental changes, including seagrass loss, using uni and multivariate analyses of two broad-scale surveys (49 stations) conducted in 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a biennial survey at a single station over 22 years. Results reveal significantly different benthic communities in 2002 and 2023 associated with a significant loss in macrofauna densities, while diversity remained similar. Temporal β-diversity (β_SOR = 0.65) was primarily due to turnover (species replacement) rather than nestedness (species loss/gain). Five distinct benthic communities were identified, mainly influenced by seagrass biomass, elevation, distance to the ocean and sediment characteristics. The biennial surveys offered additional insights into the temporality of these changes at one station. The combined effect of these modifications and habitat fragmentation on the ecosystem functioning remains to be addressed more specifically.

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海草减少对大型底栖动物群落的生态影响：以法国Arcachon湾notii Zostera草甸为例

海草是重要的沿海栖息地，在世界范围内正在减少，往往导致相关大型动物的丰度和多样性减少。这项研究的重点是Arcachon湾（法国西南部），这是一个沿海泻湖，其特征是大面积的Zostera noltii草甸（2019年为40平方公里），自1989年以来已经减少了44%。本研究旨在通过对2002年和2023年进行的两次大规模调查（49个站点）的单因素和多因素分析，并辅以22年来在单个站点进行的两年一次的调查，来描述底栖生物群落对环境变化（包括海草损失）的反应。结果表明，2002年和2023年底栖生物群落显著不同，大型动物密度显著下降，但多样性保持不变。时间β-多样性（βSOR = 0.65）主要是由于更替（物种替换）而不是巢性（物种损失/增加）。发现了5种不同的底栖生物群落，主要受海草生物量、海拔、与海洋的距离和沉积物特征的影响。两年一次的调查对一个站点的这些变化的时效性提供了更多的见解。这些变化和生境破碎化对生态系统功能的综合影响仍有待更具体地解决。

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来源期刊

Marine environmental research 环境科学-毒理学

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

3.00%

发文量

217

审稿时长

46 days

期刊介绍： Marine Environmental Research publishes original research papers on chemical, physical, and biological interactions in the oceans and coastal waters. The journal serves as a forum for new information on biology, chemistry, and toxicology and syntheses that advance understanding of marine environmental processes. Submission of multidisciplinary studies is encouraged. Studies that utilize experimental approaches to clarify the roles of anthropogenic and natural causes of changes in marine ecosystems are especially welcome, as are those studies that represent new developments of a theoretical or conceptual aspect of marine science. All papers published in this journal are reviewed by qualified peers prior to acceptance and publication. Examples of topics considered to be appropriate for the journal include, but are not limited to, the following: – The extent, persistence, and consequences of change and the recovery from such change in natural marine systems – The biochemical, physiological, and ecological consequences of contaminants to marine organisms and ecosystems – The biogeochemistry of naturally occurring and anthropogenic substances – Models that describe and predict the above processes – Monitoring studies, to the extent that their results provide new information on functional processes – Methodological papers describing improved quantitative techniques for the marine sciences.