The importance of water-retaining features for biodiversity on artificial intertidal coastal defence structures

Firth, Louise B., Thompson, Richard C., White, Freya J., Schofield, Meredith, Skov, Martin W., Hoggart, Simon P. G., Jackson, Juliette, Knights, Antony M., Hawkins, Stephen J. and Defeo, Omar (2013) The importance of water-retaining features for biodiversity on artificial intertidal coastal defence structures. Diversity and Distributions, 19 (10), 1275-1283. (doi:10.1111/ddi.12079).

Abstract

Artificial coastal defence structures are proliferating in response to rising and stormier seas. These structures provide habitat for many species but generally support lower biodiversity than natural habitats. This is primarily due to the absence of environmental heterogeneity and water-retaining features on artificial structures. We compared the epibiotic communities associated with artificial coastal defence structures and natural habitats to ask the following questions: (1) is species richness on emergent substrata greater in natural than artificial habitats and is the magnitude of this difference greater at mid than upper tidal levels; (2) is species richness greater in rock pools than emergent substrata and is the magnitude of this difference greater in artificial than natural habitats; and (3) in artificial habitats, is species richness in rock pools greater at mid than upper tidal levels?

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