Riera Rodrigo, Bosch Néstor E, Infantes Eduardo, Vasconcelos Joana
Grupo en Biodiversidad y Conservación (BIOCON), ECOAQUA, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, 35017, Spain.
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Kristineberg, Sweden.
Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 13;15(1):8729. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-93015-3.
Human-driven fragmentation of natural habitats increasingly threatens biodiversity, particularly in coastal ecosystems like seagrass meadows. Fragmentation breaks continuous habitats into smaller, isolated patches, amplifying edge effects and disrupting community structures and ecosystem functions. This study examines the effects of habitat fragmentation on large (> 1 mm) and small (0.2-1 mm) epifauna, as well as infauna, within eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows along the Skagerrak coast in western Sweden. We assessed faunal responses across three fragmentation levels (low, medium, and high) and patch zones (Edge, Near-Edge and Center), providing a novel multi-assemblage analysis of these dynamics. Field surveys and statistical modeling revealed distinct community responses: large epifauna, especially amphipods, dominated low and moderately fragmented meadows, whereas highly fragmented areas showed more even species distributions. In contrast, small epifauna exhibited consistent abundance across zones and fragmentation levels. Infaunal communities varied most, with high fragmentation linked to increased evenness and shifts in species composition. These findings underscore the importance of conserving less fragmented meadows and highlight the need for targeted restoration efforts to enhance biodiversity and ecological resilience in degraded areas. By addressing both patch- and seascape-level fragmentation effects, this study offers critical insights into the ecological impacts of habitat fragmentation, supporting the development of targeted conservation strategies for coastal ecosystems.
人类导致的自然栖息地破碎化日益威胁生物多样性，尤其是在海草草甸等沿海生态系统中。破碎化将连续的栖息地分割成更小、孤立的斑块，放大边缘效应并扰乱群落结构和生态系统功能。本研究考察了瑞典西部斯卡格拉克海岸鳗草草甸内大型（>1毫米）和小型（0.2 - 1毫米）底栖动物以及内栖动物受栖息地破碎化的影响。我们评估了三个破碎化水平（低、中、高）和斑块区域（边缘、近边缘和中心）的动物响应，对这些动态进行了新颖的多组合分析。实地调查和统计建模揭示了不同的群落响应：大型底栖动物，尤其是端足类动物，在低破碎化和中度破碎化的草甸中占主导地位，而高度破碎化区域的物种分布更为均匀。相比之下，小型底栖动物在各区域和破碎化水平上的丰度较为一致。内栖动物群落变化最大，高破碎化与均匀度增加和物种组成变化有关。这些发现强调了保护较少破碎化草甸的重要性，并突出了针对性恢复努力的必要性，以增强退化区域的生物多样性和生态恢复力。通过解决斑块和景观层面的破碎化影响，本研究为栖息地破碎化的生态影响提供了关键见解，支持了沿海生态系统针对性保护策略的制定。
