Habitat Provision and Erosion Are Influenced by Seagrass Meadow Complexity: A Seascape Perspective

Habitat complexity plays a critical role in shaping biotic assemblages and ecosystem processes. While the impacts of large differences habitat are often well understood, we know less about how subtle structure affect key functions or properties such as biodiversity biomass. The late-successional seagrass Posidonia australis creates vital for diverse fauna temperate Australia. Long-term human have led to decline P. some estuaries eastern Australia, where it is now classified an endangered ecological community. We examined influence structural at small (seagrass density) (meadow fragmentation) spatial scales on fish epifauna communities, predation sediment erosion. Fine-scale spatially balanced sampling was evenly distributed across suite environmental covariates within six Australia using Generalised Random Tessellation Structures approach. found reduced erosion areas with higher density, greater abundance more fragmented richness vegetated further from patch edges. fish, species were lower density did not correlate distance edge). These findings can inform restoration efforts by identifying meadow characteristics that