Importance of eco-engineered inshore habitats for juvenile flatfish

Within coastal nurseries, the distribution of juvenile flatfish may depend on small-scale habitat variability. The present study investigates the relation between the distribution of two juvenile flatfish species ( Pleuronectes platessa and Limanda limanda ) with two sessile tube dwelling polychaetes that create specific habitats at high densities. Their modulating effects make them classify as ecosystem engineers. Lanice conchilega and Owenia fusiformis , both frequently occurring in the coastal zones of the North Sea are the studied ecosystem engineers. These two benthic tube worm systems ar... Mehr ...