Shifts in biodiversity and physical structure of seagrass beds across 5 decades at Carriacou, Grenadines

Formal analysis: Robert E. Scheibling, Karen Filbee-Dexter. Funding acquisition: David Patriquin. Investigation: David Patriquin, Robert E. Scheibling. Methodology: David Patriquin, Robert E. Scheibling. Project administration: David Patriquin, Robert E. Scheibling. Resources: David Patriquin, Robert E. Scheibling. Supervision: David Patriquin, Robert E. Scheibling. Validation: David Patriquin, Robert E. Scheibling. Visualization: David Patriquin, Robert E. Scheibling, Karen Filbee-Dexter. Writing – original draft: David Patriquin, Robert E. Scheibling, Karen Filbee-Dexter. Writing – review & editing: David Patriquin, Robert E. Scheibling, Karen Filbee-Dexter. References 1. Short F, Carruthers T, Dennison W, Waycott M. Global seagrass distribution and diversity: a bioregional model. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol. 2007; 350: 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2007.06.012 2. Dorenbosch M, Verberk WC, Nagelkerken I, Van der Velde G. Influence of habitat configuration on con- nectivity between fish assemblages of Caribbean seagrass beds, mangroves and coral reefs. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 2007; 334: 103–116. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps334103 3. Rooker JR, Dance MA, Wells RD, Quigg A, Hill RL, Appeldoorn RS, et al. Seascape connectivity and the influence of predation risk on the movement of fishes inhabiting a back-reef ecosystem. Ecosphere. 2018; 9: e02200. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2200 4. Unsworth RK, Nordlund LM, Cullen-Unsworth LC. Seagrass meadows support global fisheries produc- tion. Conserv Lett. 2019; 12: e12566. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12566

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11. James RK, Lynch A, Herman PM, Van Katwijk MM, Van Tussenbroek BI, Dijkstra HA, et al. Tropical bio- geomorphic seagrass landscapes for coastal protection: Persistence and wave attenuation during major storms events. Ecosystems. 2021; 24: 301–318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-020-00519-2 12. Perry CT, Salter MA, Morgan KM, Harborne AR. Census estimates of algal and epiphytic carbonate pro- duction highlight tropical seagrass meadows as sediment production hotspots. Front Mar Sci. 2019; 6: 120. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00120 13. Heck KL, Carruthers TJ, Duarte CM, Hughes AR, Kendrick G, Orth RJ, et al. Trophic transfers from sea- grass meadows subsidize diverse marine and terrestrial consumers. Ecosystems. 2008; 11: 1198– 1210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-008-9155-y PLOS ONE Seagrass bed biodiversity and structure and across 5 decades PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306897 August 1, 2024 21 / 25