Offshore wind farms modify coastal food web dynamics by enhancing suspension feeder pathways
Emil De Borger, Dick van Oevelen, Ninon Mavraki, Annelies De Backer, Ulrike Braeckman, Karline Soetaert, Jan Vanaverbeke
Abstract
Given the global offshore wind farm (OWF) proliferation, we investigated the impact of OWFs on the marine food web. Using linear inverse modelling (LIM), we compared the OWF food web with two soft-sediment food webs nearby. Novel in situ data on species biomass and their isotopic composition were combined with literature data to construct food webs. Our findings highlight the prominent role of hard-substrate species on turbine foundations as organic material inputs for the food web. Hard substrate species account for approximately 26% of food source uptake from the water column and increase carbon deposition on the surrounding seafloor by ~10%. OWFs facilitate a novel food web with a higher productivity than expected based on standing biomass alone, as a result of numerous interactions between a diverse species community. Our study underscores profound effects of OWFs on marine ecosystems, suggesting the need for further research into their ecological impacts. Offshore wind turbines enhance organic carbon deposition in the surrounding sediment by facilitating a productive and species-rich food web, according to a modelling study based on new in situ data and existing literature data