Context-dependent effect of serpulid reefs on the variability of soft-bottom macrobenthic assemblages in three Mediterranean lagoons (Sardinia, Italy)

Abstract In the present study, we investigated and compared the spatial variation in soft-bottom macrozoobenthic assemblages and associated sediments in three coastal lagoons colonized by mixed serpulid reefs of Ficopomatus enigmaticus and Hydroides dianthus, differing in extension, density, and confinement condition. We hypothesized that the effect of serpulid reefs on the benthic assemblages varies among lagoons, and that the pattern of spatial variation in the benthic assemblages at two distances (