Tomàs Sintes

Abstract Seagrass meadows play a vital role in supporting coastal communities by promoting biodiversity, mitigating coastal erosion and contributing to local economies. These ecosystems face significant threats, including habitat loss and degradation or climate change. United Nations has recognized the urgency of conserving marine ecosystems, highlighting the need for evidence-based conservation strategies and high-quality monitoring.

Short-scale interactions yield large-scale vegetation patterns that, in turn, shape ecosystem function across landscapes. Fairy circles, which are circular patches bare of vegetation within otherwise continuous landscapes, are characteristic features of semiarid grasslands.