Does coverage matter at mesoscale within a Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow?

Despite the fact that coverage is one of the most widely used descriptors for seagrass meadows, the spatial structure of coverage at mesoscale has not often been taken into account. The present work investigates the structure of P. oceanica coverage at mesoscale and its possible relationship with several factors (depth, type of substrate, relative level within the meadow, type of shoot density and level of anthropic pressure).

Assessment of Jessica oil spill impacts on intertidal invertebrate communities.

The impact of the Jessica oil-spill on intertidal macroinvertebrate communities was studied using a reference-impact design at three tidal levels at sites where oil deposits had been reported by a shoreline assessment team, and adjacent reference sites. Faunal relationships between the various sites did not show any clear pattern related to oil exposure at the time of sampling (4-11 months post-spill). Similarly, no significant differences associated with oiling were detected for total animal density nor species richness data, nor for the abundances of common taxa.