Microhabitat Patchiness Structures Benthic Biodiversity in the Western Antarctic Peninsula

ABSTRACT In the accelerating global biodiversity crisis, it is imperative to document biodiversity patterns along with their underlying drivers and the processes driving species distributions. Our objective was to study how benthic community composition varies across spatial scales, and how fine‐scale patchiness contributes to larger scale biodiversity in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Using underwater imagery, we quantified benthic community composition at three different scales using a nested sampling design. We used multivariate analyses (CLUSTER, NMDS, ANOSIM, SIMPROF and SIMPER analysis) to detect patterns in benthic community variability. NMDS showed that images were clustered according to their community composition into 31 significant groupings, or microhabitat types, revealing high variability. These microhabitats were not restricted by geographic location, substrate type or macroalgal cover, as initially presumed. Instead, the differences in faunal assemblage seem to be influenced by the dominant macroalgae species and biogenic habitat complexity. We found that these microhabitats emerge as ecologically meaningful units that offer a practical scale at which to detect patterns and early ecological shifts. Changes in the distribution or frequency of these microhabitats may occur before shifts in species composition become detectable at site or station level, which is crucial for ecosystem monitoring.