Seagrass detritus can attract numerous invertebrates as it provides food and substrate within the meadow or in adjacent environments. Nonetheless, several factors could modify the invertebrate response to this habitat. In this study, we tested if epifaunal colonisation of Zostera noltei detritus was related to substrate availability rather than food and whether colonising assemblages were similar according to the meadow structural complexity. Litterbags filled with natural or artificial detritus were deployed within an eelgrass meadow in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Thau lagoon, France). Colonisation appeared to be driven by the presence of detritus, with similar assemblages in natural and artificial substrate, but with more individuals than the empty bags, used as controls. There were also no differences according to habitat complexity. These findings show that detritus, acting as a faunal magnet, plays an important role in maintaining biodiversity, as epifauna is a critical trophic link between primary producers and consumers.

海草碎屑可以吸引众多无脊椎动物，因为它在草地或邻近环境中提供食物和基质。尽管如此，有几个因素可以改变无脊椎动物对这个栖息地的反应。在这项研究中，我们测试了Zostera noltei碎屑与底物的可用性而非食物有关，以及根据草地结构的复杂性，定植组合是否相似。装满天然或人工碎屑的垃圾袋被部署在地中海沿岸泻湖（法国Thau 泻湖）的鳗草草甸内。殖民似乎是由碎屑的存在驱动的，在天然和人造基质中具有相似的组合，但比用作对照的空袋子更多的个体。根据栖息地的复杂性，也没有差异。这些发现表明，碎屑作为动物群的磁铁，在维持生物多样性方面发挥着重要作用，因为表皮动物群是初级生产者和消费者之间的重要营养联系。