Seagrass meadows are globally recognized as important coastal habitats due to the various ecological functions and ecosystem services they provide. Substantial global decline of seagrass habitats has been recorded over the last decades, underlining the need for extensive studies, including monitoring and mapping these habitats across their distributional range. Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson is the only seagrass species reported in the archipelago of Madeira (NE Atlantic) and systematic or reliable information of its occurrence is very scarce and mostly anecdotal. This study reports the discovery of a yearly-persistent patch of C. nodosa in the southeast coast of Madeira and provides insights into key ecological and biological aspects (e.g. density, leaf length, associated fauna and flora). Seasonal monitoring surveys over a 3-year period, indicate that (1) the patch has increased in size and shoot density over the study period, and (2) leaf lengths follow a typical seasonal pattern over the year. Accounts of past destruction of seagrass meadows in the island, underline the importance of continuous monitoring of the patch and adjacent areas to reveal how the current seagrass patch develops (i.e. patch continuity and/or disappearance), if it integrates a larger meadow and whether anthropogenic pressures as coastal development and/or associated terrigenous sediment runoff events will affect its resilience.

由于海草草甸提供的各种生态功能和生态系统服务，它们被公认为重要的沿海栖息地。在过去的几十年中，全球海草栖息地出现了大幅下降，这表明需要进行广泛的研究，包括在分布范围内对这些栖息地进行监测和绘制地图。结节藻（Ucya nodosa）是马德拉群岛（东北大西洋）报告的唯一海草物种，其发生的系统或可靠信息非常稀少，而且大多是轶事。这项研究报告发现了每年持续存在的结节梭菌位于马德拉岛的东南海岸，提供重要的生态和生物学方面的见识（例如密度，叶长，相关的动植物）。三年内的季节性监测调查表明，（1）在研究期内，斑块的大小和枝条密度增加了；（2）叶片长度在一年中遵循典型的季节性模式。关于岛上过去海草草甸遭到破坏的记录，强调了连续监测斑块和邻近区域以揭示当前海草斑块如何发展（即斑块连续性和/或消失）的重要性，如果整合了更大的草甸以及是否人为沿海发展和/或相关的陆源性泥沙径流事件等压力会影响其复原力。