Effect of patch size and in-patch location on the infaunal macroinvertebrate assemblages of Zostera marina seagrass beds

Much recent work on patch-occupancy dynamics has been concentrated in terrestrial ecosystems, with few examples evident from soft-sediment marine habitats. Seagrass landscapes have recently been recognised to be potentially ideal marine models for the study of such ecological concepts. Infaunal macroinvertebrate assemblages of two patch sizes of the seagrass Zostera marina were compared: small (<15 m diameter) and large (>30 m diameter), using an unreplicated random block design. Further comparison was made between infaunal assemblage composition at the edge and centre of each patch. Univariate statistical analysis of data indicated significantly greater total numbers of taxa in samples from large patches than in small. Multivariate analyses indicated significant differences in assemblage composition due to both patch size and in-patch location, and revealed that differences were due to small changes in the relative abundances of many taxa. Possible mechanisms underlying the observed variations of assemblage composition with patch size and in-patch location are discussed. Although the present results support some of the theories relating to the control of infaunal assemblage composition, explanations are not applicable across all taxonomic groups. At the scale of the present study, seagrass patch size and edge-effects appear to be less significant than 'regional' factors, which relate to relatively small variation in environmental parameters, for the structuring of infaunal macroinvertebrate assemblages.