The present study revealed that the patterns of temporal
changes in abundance and diversity of macrofaunal assemblages
before and after the tsunami were highly variable among sites, and
that the degree of temporal changes in assemblage structure was
not solely related to the magnitude of the tsunami disturbance.
More importantly, our results suggest that the presence or absence
of seagrass vegetation can alter the patterns of temporal changes in
macrofaunal assemblages and recovery processes after a tsunami
disturbance. This may highlight the importance of seagrass vegetation
for coastal management, such as in retarding increasing levels
of physical disturbance in the face of global climate changes and in
maintaining the stability of biodiversity and ecosystem function.