Habitat configuration alters biomass and community structure but not richness in seagrass epibionts

Document Type

Journal Article

Role

Author

Published In

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Volume

794

Article Number

meps15263

Publication Date

9-17-2026

Abstract

Habitat loss alters both the total amount and spatial arrangement of remaining habitat, yet the independent effects of habitat configuration, including fragmentation and isolation, remain debated, particularly in marine systems. We experimentally manipulated habitat configuration by varying fragmentation level and isolation while holding habitat area constant, thereby testing the effects of fragmentation per se on seagrass epibiont communities. Using artificial seagrass units arranged into 5 configurations—continuous; low fragmentation-low isolation; low fragmentation-high isolation; high fragmentation-low isolation; and high fragmentation-high isolation—we quantified species richness, biomass, species accumulation curves, and community composition in a temperate estuary. Species richness did not differ among configurations, consistent with predictions that habitat fragmentation per se has little influence over species richness. However, habitat configuration influenced other aspects of community structure. High isolation treatments exhibited reduced biomass consistent with reduced connectivity. Habitat configuration also influenced community structure, suggesting that compositional shifts result from changes in species occurrence patterns rather than complete loss of species. These results demonstrate that while habitat configuration has little effect on species richness, it does shape community assembly, biomass, and species composition in seagrass epibiont communities. These findings highlight the importance of considering spatial arrangement and connectivity in addition to habitat amount when evaluating the ecological consequences of habitat loss in marine systems.

Keywords

biodiversity, habitat fragmentation, habitat isolation, fragmentation per se, habitat loss, species composition

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