Restored seagrass beds support Macroalgae and Sea Urchin communities

Abstract

Seagrass decline and loss have been reported worldwide. Restoration is an increasingly popular approach to improving ecosystem services and may become a mitigation measure for seagrass habitat loss. However, in Indonesia seagrass restoration is still at a trial stage and small scale. This study aimed to compare the seaweeds and sea urchin communities in restored seagrass beds and in control areas (natural seagrass beds) around Barrang Lompo Island, Indonesia. Sea urchin and seaweed community structure was compared using non-metric multidimensional scaling and Bray-Curtis cluster analysis, while (as an indicator of ecosystem service provision) species contribution to the difference in sea urchin and seaweed community structure was analysed using SIMPER (similarity of percentages); both analyses were implemented in PRIMER v7. Regression analysis in SPSS v25 was applied to evaluate the correlations between sea urchin and seaweed density, sea urchin and seagrass density, seaweed and seagrass density. The results indicate that, although the ability to harbour associated organisms differed, restored seagrass beds can provide habitat for associated organisms and improve ecosystem services.