Benthic macrofauna communities in four distinct coastal habitats are monitored annually within a long-term monitoring program conducted on a regional scale in Brittany (France). These habitats are sandy beaches (top left), eelgrass beds (top right), subtidal soft-sediments (bottom left) and maerl beds (bottom right). Using  Community Trajectory Analysis, we describe, quantify and compare macrofauna temporal dynamics of these bare and biogenic habitats. Our findings suggest a temporal stability of these communities on a regional scale, but also habitat-dependent dynamics, highlighting the influence of the nature of the habitat on community dynamics.

Photo credits: Erwan Amice, Nolwenn Quillien. Assembly: Floriane Ballestra. 

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