titleAbstract/titlepPatches of decomposing macroalgae can be beneficial to intertidal regions, providing habitat and food, or can create anoxic conditions inhospitable to benthic organisms. These opposing outcomes warrant further investigations into biotic-abiotic processes associated with macroalgae. Here, differences in surface sediment erosion measures (erosion threshold (italic?/italicsubc/sub; N?msup?2/sup), erosion rate (italicER/italic; g?msup?2/sup?ssup?1/sup), and sub-surface erosion rates (italicm/italicsube/sub; g?Nsup?1/sup?ssup?1/sup)) were examined at sites dominated by the suspension-feeding clam or deposit-feeding bivalve (italicAustrovenus stutchburyi/italic and italicMacomona liliana/italic, respectively) after 30?days of exposure to decomposing macroalgae (italicUlva/italic spp.). The italicAustrovenus/italic site was chosen to represent a species-rich, functionally diverse macrofaunal community. The nearby italicMacomona/italic site had similar sediment characteristics, yet had a less abundant and diverse faunal community. Despite the equal amounts of italicUlva/italic recovered from both sites (?3% of the initial 3?kg wet weight msup?2/sup added), differences in surface erosion were measured. One day after italicUlva/italic removal, an initial increase in surface erosion (?italic?/italicsubc/sub and +italicER/italic) was measured at the italicAustrovenus/italic site, but after 14?days there was no difference compared with control plots. At the italicMacomona/italic site, italicUlva/italic addition stabilized sediments (+italic?/i
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