A matter of choice: Understanding the interactions between epiphytic foraminifera and their seagrass host Halophila stipulacea

This study explored the nature of the association between foraminifera and the tropical seagrass species H. stipulacea, aiming to determine whether these interactions are facilitative or random. For this, we performed a "choice" experiment, where foraminifera could colonize H. stipulacea plants or plastic "seagrasses" plants. The results show that foraminifera prefer to colonize H. stipulacea, which had a higher abundance and diversity of foraminifera than plastic seagrass plants, which increased over time and with shoot age. These results demonstrate that seagrass meadows are important hosts of the foraminifera community and suggest the potential facilitative effect of H. stipulacea on epiphytic foraminifera.