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Although seagrass meadows form a relatively homogenous habitat, escarpments, which form three-dimensional structures and originate from the erosion of seagrass peat, can provide important habitat for reef fishes. Here, we compare fish assemblages and habitat structural complexity among seagrass Posidonia australis escarpments and canopies, as well as limestone reef habitats, to understand the role of seagrass escarpments as reef fish habitat in Shark Bay, Western Australia. The total number of fish species, fish biomass, and top predator biomass were significantly higher in seagrass escarpments and reef habitats than in seagrass canopies due to lower habitat structural complexity and thus becoming suitable habitats for predators and prey in the latter. Both seagrass escarpment and reef habitats host similar assemblages of top predators and carnivorous fishes, such as Epinephelus coioides, Microcanthus strigatus, and Choerodon schoenleinii, that were absent in seagrass canopies. Seagrass escarpments provide an alternative habitat for reef fishes comparable to rocky reefs, which are limited in Shark Bay. Caves and ledges within the escarpments support 13.4 Mg of fish and 3.6 Mg of top predator species of commercial interest within the Shark Bay World Heritage Site. Additional research is needed to further understand the ecological importance of seagrass escarpments in enhancing fish biomass and biodiversity, as reproduction grounds or refuge from predators, and to investigate the role of meadow edges in ecosystem function.

This database contains metadata for the study sites in Serrano et al. 2023 (Ecosphere): - Latitude and longitude data for the survey transects conducted in Posidonia australis escarpments and canopies, and reef in Big Lagoon, Faure Island and Peron Peninsula in Shark Bay (Western Australia) Habitat characteristics, including abiotic factors (habitat height, cave volume, structural complexity) and biotic variables (total species, species richness, fish density, total biomass, biomass of apex predators, carnivores, hervibores, detritivores and planktivores).

Although seagrass meadows form a relatively homogenous habitat, escarpments, which form three-dimensional structures and originate from the erosion of seagrass peat, can provide important habitat for reef fishes. Here, we compare fish assemblages and habitat structural complexity among seagrass Posidonia australis escarpments and canopies, as well as limestone reef habitats, to understand the role of seagrass escarpments as reef fish habitat in Shark Bay, Western Australia. The total number of fish species, fish biomass, and top predator biomass were significantly higher in seagrass escarpments and reef habitats than in seagrass canopies due to lower habitat structural complexity and thus becoming suitable habitats for predators and prey in the latter. Both seagrass escarpment and reef habitats host similar assemblages of top predators and carnivorous fishes, such as Epinephelus coioides, Microcanthus strigatus, and Choerodon schoenleinii, that were absent in seagrass canopies. Seagrass escarpments provide an alternative habitat for reef fishes comparable to rocky reefs, which are limited in Shark Bay. Caves and ledges within the escarpments support 13.4 Mg of fish and 3.6 Mg of top predator species of commercial interest within the Shark Bay World Heritage Site. Additional research is needed to further understand the ecological importance of seagrass escarpments in enhancing fish biomass and biodiversity, as reproduction grounds or refuge from predators, and to investigate the role of meadow edges in ecosystem function.

This database contains metadata for the study sites in Serrano et al. 2023 (Ecosphere): Latitude and longitude data for the survey transects conducted in Posidonia australis escarpments and canopies, and reef in Big Lagoon, Faure Island and Peron Peninsula in Shark Bay (Western Australia) This database contains data on habitat characteristics, including abiotic factors (habitat height, cave volume, structural complexity) and biotic variables (total species, species richness, fish density, total biomass, biomass of apex predators, carnivores, hervibores, detritivores and planktivores).

Seagrass meadows provide valuable socio-ecological ecosystem services, including a key role in climate change mitigation and adaption. Understanding the natural history of seagrass meadows across environmental gradients is crucial to deciphering the role of seagrasses in the global ocean. In this data collation, spatial and temporal patterns in seagrass meadow structure, biomass and production data are presented as a function of biotic and abiotic habitat characteristics. The biological traits compiled include measures of meadow structure (e.g. percent cover and shoot density), biomass (e.g. above-ground biomass) and production (e.g. shoot production). Categorical factors include bioregion, geotype (coastal or estuarine), genera and year of sampling. This dataset contains data extracted from peer-reviewed publications published between 1975 and 2020 based on a Web of Science search and includes 11 data variables across 12 seagrass genera. The dataset excludes data from mesocosm and field experiments, contains 14 271 data points extracted from 390 publications and is publicly available on the PANGAEA® data repository (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.929968; Strydom et al., 2021). The top five most studied genera are Zostera, Thalassia, Cymodocea, Halodule and Halophila (84 % of data), and the least studied genera are Phyllospadix, Amphibolis and Thalassodendron (2.3 % of data). The data hotspot bioregion is the Tropical Indo-Pacific (25 % of data) followed by the Tropical Atlantic (21 %), whereas data for the other four bioregions are evenly spread (ranging between 13 and 15 % of total data within each bioregion). From the data compiled, 57 % related to seagrass biomass and 33 % to seagrass structure, while the least number of data were related to seagrass production (11 % of data). This data collation can inform several research fields beyond seagrass ecology, such as the development of nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation, which include readership i

Seagrass meadows provide valuable socio-ecological ecosystem services, including a key role in climate change mitigation and adaption. Understanding the natural history of seagrass meadows across environmental gradients is crucial to deciphering the role of seagrasses in the global ocean. In this data collation, spatial and temporal patterns in seagrass meadow structure, biomass and production data are presented as a function of biotic and abiotic habitat characteristics. The biological traits compiled include measures of meadow structure (e.g. percent cover and shoot density), biomass (e.g. above-ground biomass) and production (e.g. shoot production). Categorical factors include bioregion, geotype (coastal or estuarine), genera and year of sampling. This dataset contains data extracted from peer-reviewed publications published between 1975 and 2020 based on a Web of Science search and includes 11 data variables across 12 seagrass genera. The dataset excludes data from mesocosm and field experiments, contains 14271 data points extracted from 390 publications and is publicly available on the PANGAEA® data repository (10.1594/PANGAEA.929968; Strydom et al., 2021). The top five most studied genera are Zostera, Thalassia, Cymodocea, Halodule and Halophila (84 % of data), and the least studied genera are Phyllospadix, Amphibolis and Thalassodendron (2.3 % of data). The data hotspot bioregion is the Tropical Indo-Pacific (25 % of data) followed by the Tropical Atlantic (21 %), whereas data for the other four bioregions are evenly spread (ranging between 13 and 15 % of total data within each bioregion). From the data compiled, 57 % related to seagrass biomass and 33 % to seagrass structure, while the least number of data were related to seagrass production (11 % of data). This data collation can inform several research fields beyond seagrass ecology, such as the development of nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation, which include readership interested in blue

The use of geostatistical indices to examine fishery-dependent data over time is novel. We assess the value of a range of these indices for describing trends in boat-based recreational fishing in Western Australia and areas of high effort and catches for two demersal species with varying biological characteristics, life histories and distributions. The number of blocks (10- × 10-nautical mile (~19- × 19-km) area) visited decreased by 40%, while the number of fishing trips with demersal species catch increased by 15%. Spatial indices showed a south-easterly shift in demersal catch per unit effort (CPUE) across survey years. The southerly shift of West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma herbraicum) CPUE and subsequent return to the north likely to reflect the response of this temperate species to a marine heatwave. In comparison, CPUE of retained Baldchin groper (Choerodon rubescens) shifted north, whereas released catches shifted south with high probabilities of hotspots present associated with habitat structure. We identified hotspots of retained and released CPUE, highlighting potential areas where species experience high post-release mortality through barotrauma, and targeted spatial management strategies. Spatial indices allow quantitative definition of the structure of the fishery, identify high catch areas, and assess changes over time at a broader scale to sustainably manage multispecies fisheries.

Seagrass, systems export significant amounts of their primary production as large detritus (i.e. macrophytodetritus). Accumulations of exported macrophytodetritus (AEM) are found in many areas in coastal environment. Dead seagrass leaves are often a dominant component of these accumulations, offering shelter and/or food to numerous organisms. AEM are particular habitats, different from donor habitats (i.e. seagrass meadow, kelp or macroalgae habitats) and with their own characteristics and dynamics. They have received less attention than donor habitats despite the fact they often connect different coastal habitats, are the place of intense remineralization processes and shelter associated detritus food web. As for seagrass meadows themselves, AEM are potentially affected by global change and by tropicalization processes. Here, we review briefly general characteristic of AEM with a focus on Mediterranean Sea and Western Australia and we provide some hypotheses concerning their tropicalization in a near future. We conclude that AEM functioning could change either through: (1) declines in biomass or loss of seagrass directly due to increased ocean temperatures or increased herbivory from tropicalized herbivores; (2) increased degradation and processing of seagrass detritus within seagrass meadows leading to reduced export; (3) replacement of large temperate seagrass species with smaller tropical seagrass species; and/or (4) loss or changes to macroalgae species in neighboring habitats that export detritus. These processes will alter the amount, composition, quality, timing and frequency of inputs of detritus into ecosystems that rely on AEM as trophic subsidies, which will alter the suitability of AEM as habitat and food for invertebrates.

Sandy beaches are iconic interfaces that functionally link the ocean with the land via the flow of organic matter from the sea. These cross-ecosystem fluxes often comprise uprooted seagrass and dislodged macroalgae that can form substantial accumulations of detritus, termed ‘wrack’, on sandy beaches. In addition, the tissue of the carcasses of marine animals that regularly wash up on beaches form a rich food source (‘carrion’) for a diversity of scavenging animals. Here, we provide a global review of how wrack and carrion provide spatial subsidies that shape the structure and functioning of sandy-beach ecosystems (sandy beaches and adjacent surf zones), which typically have little in situ primary production. We also examine the spatial scaling of the influence of these processes across the broader land- and seascape, and identify key gaps in our knowledge to guide future research directions and priorities. Large quantities of detrital kelp and seagrass can flow into sandy-beach ecosystems, where microbial decomposers and animals process it. The rates of wrack supply and its retention are influenced by the oceanographic processes that transport it, the geomorphology and landscape context of the recipient beaches, and the condition, life history and morphological characteristics of the macrophyte taxa that are the ultimate source of wrack. When retained in beach ecosystems, wrack often creates hotspots of microbial metabolism, secondary productivity, biodiversity, and nutrient remineralization. Nutrients are produced during wrack breakdown, and these can return to coastal waters in surface flows (swash) and aquifers discharging into the subtidal surf. Beach-cast kelp often plays a key trophic role, being an abundant and preferred food source for mobile, semi-aquatic invertebrates that channel imported algal matter to predatory invertebrates, fish, and birds. The role of beach-cast marine carrion is likely to be underestimated, as it can be consumed rapidly by highly m

Sandy beaches are iconic interfaces that functionally link the ocean with the land via the flow of organic matter from the sea. These cross-ecosystem fluxes often comprise uprooted seagrass and dislodged macroalgae that can form substantial accumulations of detritus, termed ‘wrack’, on sandy beaches. In addition, the tissue of the carcasses of marine animals that regularly wash up on beaches form a rich food source (‘carrion’) for a diversity of scavenging animals. Here, we provide a global review of how wrack and carrion provide spatial subsidies that shape the structure and functioning of sandy-beach ecosystems (sandy beaches and adjacent surf zones), which typically have little in situ primary production. We also examine the spatial scaling of the influence of these processes across the broader land- and seascape, and identify key gaps in our knowledge to guide future research directions and priorities. Large quantities of detrital kelp and seagrass can flow into sandy-beach ecosystems, where microbial decomposers and animals process it. The rates of wrack supply and its retention are influenced by the oceanographic processes that transport it, the geomorphology and landscape context of the recipient beaches, and the condition, life history and morphological characteristics of the macrophyte taxa that are the ultimate source of wrack. When retained in beach ecosystems, wrack often creates hotspots of microbial metabolism, secondary productivity, biodiversity, and nutrient remineralization. Nutrients are produced during wrack breakdown, and these can return to coastal waters in surface flows (swash) and aquifers discharging into the subtidal surf. Beach-cast kelp often plays a key trophic role, being an abundant and preferred food source for mobile, semi-aquatic invertebrates that channel imported algal matter to predatory invertebrates, fish, and birds. The role of beach-cast marine carrion is likely to be underestimated, as it can be consumed rapidly by highly m

Seagrass meadows form highly productive and diverse ecosystems that provide a range of ecosystem services along coasts of most continents (Barbier et al., 2011; Nordlund et al., 2016), yet they continue to experience large losses through direct and indirect human disturbances (Waycott et al., 2009; Duarte et al., 2018). Like other coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs and kelp forests, seagrasses are showing strong negative responses to elevated ocean temperatures and heatwaves, in which rising temperatures exceed their thresholds for survival [...].