Multi‐year monitoring shows higher species richness and diversity of fish assemblages in a Danish seagrass meadow as compared to neighbouring non‐vegetated areas

A multi-year study in Kronborg Bay, Denmark, reveals that seagrass meadows significantly enhance fish species richness and diversity compared to adjacent bare sediment areas. The research, conducted over four years using beach seine hauling with a bio-monitoring net, found that the presence of seagrass increased biodiversity metrics such as Pilou's evenness and the Shannon-Wiener index by 2–4 times. Notably, the Atlantic cod was almost exclusively found in the seagrass meadow, while lesser sand eel dominated in bare sediment areas. The study also observed an increase in European plaice abundance over time, highlighting the ecological importance of seagrass habitats for local fish productivity and diversity in dynamic coastal environments like the Øresund strait.

Olesen, S. L., Hansen, M., Jeppesen, J. P., Kühl, M., & Brodersen, K. E. (2024). Multi‐year monitoring shows higher species richness and diversity of fish assemblages in a Danish seagrass meadow as compared to neighbouring non‐vegetated areas. Marine Ecology, 45(6). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.12821