Variation in Fish Abundance, Diversity and Assemblage Structure in Seagrass Meadows across the Atlanto-Mediterranean Province

Seagrasses worldwide provide key habitats for fish assemblages. Biogeographical disparities in ocean climate conditions and seasonal regimes are well-known drivers of the spatial temporal variation seagrass structure, with potential effects on associated Whether taxonomically disparate assemblages support a similar range ecological functions remains poorly tested ecosystems. In this study, we examined abundance, diversity (from taxonomic functional perspective), assemblage structure community inhabiting nine meadows Cymodocea nodosa across three regions Mediterranean (Mallorca Alicante) adjacent Atlantic (Gran Canaria), identified which attributes typifying meadows, large-scale variability climate, contributed most to explaining such variation. Despite total number species between Mallorca Gran Canaria, latter region had more functionally diverse relative western regions, translated into differences multivariate structure. While abundance conspicuous was largely explained by structural descriptors, accounted descriptor (mean SST), operating at regional scales. Variation was, lesser extent, also local Beyond climatic drivers, our results suggest that lower canopy C. Canaria provides consistent source food protection assemblages, likely enhances abundant there.