Benthic biodiversity of drifting Furcellaria lumbricalis and Fucus spp. mats similar to seagrass meadows, despite low oxygen concentrations
Severinson, J.; Moksnes, P.O. (2026). Benthic biodiversity of drifting Furcellaria lumbricalis and Fucus spp. mats similar to seagrass meadows, despite low oxygen concentrations. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 785: 1-20. https://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps15132
In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. Inter-Research: Oldendorf/Luhe. ISSN 0171-8630; e-ISSN 1616-1599, more
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| Keywords |
Biodiversity
Oxygen
Fucus Linnaeus, 1753 [WoRMS]; Furcellaria J.V.Lamouroux, 1813 [WoRMS]; Zostera L. [WoRMS]
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| Author keywords |
Drift algae · Epifauna · Infauna |
| Authors | | Top |
- Severinson, J.
- Moksnes, P.O.
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| Abstract |
Following seagrass decline, many shallow bays on the Swedish west coast are today instead occupied by large algal mats of perennial species (Furcellaria lumbricalis or Fucus serratus). This field study aims to elucidate how this shift in habitat-forming vegetation has affected the biodiversity of associated benthic fauna. This was done by measuring oxygen levels, collecting epifauna and infauna, and comparing these between 4 different habitats at 2 sites where these algal mats have replaced eelgrass meadows. The results revealed significantly lower oxygen concentrations within the drift algae habitats compared to concurrently measured unvegetated sediments. Despite this, species richness, abundance, and biomass of epifauna within the drift algae and seagrass were comparable and consistently significantly higher compared to unvegetated sediments. The infauna was mostly unaffected by the algal mats, as the drift algae supported similar species richness, abundance, and biomass as unvegetated sediments. However, the species composition of epifauna differed significantly across all habitats, and infauna differed between the drift algae and unvegetated sediments. While the shift from seagrass to drift algae has impacted species composition, it has not significantly reduced benthic biodiversity or abundance, indicating that these drifting algal mats of perennial species do not negatively affect infauna and provide important habitat functions for epifauna, comparable to seagrass meadows. |
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