Seagrass amphipod assemblages in a Mediterranean marine protected area: a multiscale approach

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a key tool for conservation purposes, but few studies have assessed the responses of small macrozoobenthic assemblages to different protection levels in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, we used a hierarchical sampling design spanning three orders of magnitude (1-10-100 metres) to investigate whether a marine protected area exerts an effect on amphipod assemblages associated with Posidonia oceanica meadows. This study reports spatial and temporal variability patterns of amphipod assemblages in four different protection levels and discusses potential confounding effects, such as habitat features. The structure of amphipod assemblages based on density data was patchy at all spatial scales investigated, but differed markedly among protection levels. Among outstanding points, multiscale analyses showed that lower densities and/or biomasses of several taxa occurred within fully protected and external areas in comparison with partially protected areas (PPAs). Furthermore, Posidonia oceanica meadow features (shoot density, leaf and epiphyte biomasses, coefficient A and litter biomass) accounted for only a low proportion of the total variability. We can consequently infer that the observed patchiness is likely to occur for multiple and interconnected reasons, ranging from the ecological and behavioural traits of amphipod species to protection-dependent processes (e.g. fish predation). Long term multiscale spatial and temporal monitoring, as well as experimental manipulations, are clearly needed to fully understand the effects of protection on macrozoobenthic assemblages.