Seasonal fish larvae abundance and composition in seagrass habitats of coastal East Africa.

Seagrass habitats play a major role in fisheries productivity through nursery functions and feeding grounds for diverse fish species. However, little is known about the seasonal distribution of fish larvae at large spatial scales in coastal East Africa. We investigated drivers of the seasonal fish larvae abundance and composition in seagrass habitats in Kenya and Tanzania.

Effect of nutrient enrichment on seagrass associated meiofauna in Tanzania.

Abundance, diversity and community structure of meiofauna, with special emphasis on epiphytic harpacticoid copepods, occurring in Tanzanian seagrass beds under various nutrient inputs was determined. All measured parameters for epiphytic meiofauna and diatoms (fucoxanthin) were negatively affected by nutrient input and this was detected even at the higher taxonomic levels of meiofauna, supporting the validity of higher taxon surrogacy in environmental impact studies. However, benthic meiofauna and other biofilm characteristics (chlorophyll a) did not show any difference between sites suggesting that nutrient enrichment had less impact on these variables.