Offshore wind farms modify coastal food web dynamics by enhancing suspension feeder pathways

De Borger, E.; van Oevelen, D.; Mavraki, N.; De Backer, A.; Braeckman, U.; Soetaert, K.; Vanaverbeke, J.

doi:/10.1038/s43247-025-02253-w

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Offshore wind farms modify coastal food web dynamics by enhancing suspension feeder pathways

De Borger, E.; van Oevelen, D.; Mavraki, N.; De Backer, A.; Braeckman, U.; Soetaert, K.; Vanaverbeke, J. (2025). Offshore wind farms modify coastal food web dynamics by enhancing suspension feeder pathways. Commun. Earth Environ. 6(1): 330. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02253-w

In: Communications Earth & Environment. Springer Nature: London. ISSN 2662-4435; e-ISSN 2662-4435

Available in	Authors
VLIZ: Open access 417937 [ download pdf ] NIOZ: NIOZ Open Repository 419062 [ CC BY ] [ download pdf ]

Keywords

Aquatic communities > Plankton > Zooplankton
Biodiversity
Reefs
Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]
Belgian part of the North Sea [Marine Regions]; Black Sea [Marine Regions]; North Sea [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal

Author keywords

Cod Gadus-Morhua; carbon flows; ecosystem structure; isotope;

Authors		Top
De Borger, E. van Oevelen, D. Mavraki, N. De Backer, A.	Braeckman, U., more Soetaert, K. Vanaverbeke, J., more

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 similar to 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.

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