Seagrass detritus as marine macroinvertebrates attractor Valentina Costa Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Italy Renato Chemello University of Palermo, Italy Davide Iaciofano University of Palermo, Italy Sabrina Lo Brutto University of Palermo, Italy Francesca Rossi ECOSEAS, France This is a section of Ninth International Symposium “Monitoring of Mediterranean Coastal Areas: Problems and Measurement Techniques”(DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-0030-1) by Laura Bonora, Donatella Carboni, Matteo De Vincenzi, Giorgio Matteucci Firenze University Press Firenze 2022 https://doi.org/10.36253/979-12-215-0030-1.58

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Seagrass detritus is used as food, physical habitat and shelter. Using natural and artificial detritus, we tested if: 1) the colonisation was related to substrate availability rather than food 2) the assemblages were similar according to meadow structural complexity. A total of 11,270 invertebrates were identified. Neither the habitat complexity, nor the substrate type shown any effects on the colonisation, with both substrates acting as a faunal magnet. The detritus can be colonised by a rich and diverse community, highlighting its important role in maintaining the seagrass meadow biodiversity

 Beach-dunes Rocky ecosystems. Artificial ecosystems Abiotic factors and water quality Biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems Impact mitigation and restoration methodologies Analysis of the effects of impact factors on ecosystems Monitoring of c

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