Do artificial structures cause shifts in epifaunal communities and trophic guilds across different spatial scales?

In the current frame of proliferation of artificial structures in the sea, the ecological effects of artificial substrates on marine environments and their associate biota become a topic of great scientific and conservationist interest. This study was focused on the amphipod communities from western Mediterranean Sea and tested, using the same secondary substrate, Ellisolandia elongata, if the community and trophic structure differ between artificial (two concrete-based: cubes and tetrapods, and one natural rock-based: rip-raps) and natural substrates. Results usually showed lower taxa number and diversity in artificial substrates, as well as differences in composition and trophic structure of the amphipod community. However, patterns were not consistent for all localities, evidencing the importance of local scale. Other potential factors, besides the substrate type, should be considered to understand particularities of each locality in management and conservation strategies.

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Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.