Spatiotemporal variability in the structure of seagrass meadows and associated macrofaunal assemblages in southwest England (UK): using citizen science to benchmark ecological pattern

Seagrass meadows underpin a variety of ecosystem services and are recognised as globally important habitats and a conservation priority. However, seagrass populations are currently impacted by a range of biotic and abiotic stressors, and many are in decline globally. As such, improved understanding of seagrass populations and their associated faunal assemblages is needed to better detect and predict changes in the structure and functioning of these key habitats. Here, we analysed a large dataset -collected by recreational scuba divers volunteering on a citizen science project - to examine spatiotemporal patterns in ecological structure and to provide a robust and reliable baseline against which to detect future change. Seagrass (Zostera marina) shoot density and the abundance of associated faunal groups was quantified across 2 years at 19 sites nested within 3 locations in southwest UK, by collecting in situ quadrat samples (2518 in total) during 328 dives. Seagrass shoot density and me...