Temperate seaweed under pressure - A meta-analysis of anthropogenic impacts on seaweed-dominated reefs: case study of Eutrophication

Productive and diverse seaweed forests flourish on healthy temperate reefs given sufficient light, water motion & nutrients. However, anthropogenic pressures such as eutrophication threaten the extent and condition of canopy-forming seaweed. We ran a meta-analysis of eutrophication impacts on temperate reefs from a range of studies. Our objectives were two-fold : to test the effect size of commonly used indicators, and to investigate their responses to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and depth zonation (intertidal vs subtidal).