Effects of a severe storm on seagrass meadows

Oprandi, Alice; Mucerino, Luigi; Leo, Francesco De; Bianchi, Carlo Nike; Morri, Carla; Azzola, Annalisa; Benelli, F.; Besio, Giovanni; Ferrari, Marco; Montefalcone, Monica

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141373

Cited by 51 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Marine ecosystems are expected to experience a higher frequency and intensity of extreme conditions such as heatwaves and increased storm frequency and intensity (Collins et al, 2019; Smale et al, 2019). While single extreme events have resulted in immediate and drastic loss of seagrass meadows (Kendrick et al, 2019; Oprandi et al, 2020), repeated occurrences and/or extreme and catastrophic events can reduce meadow resilience to multiple stressors (Kendrick et al, 2019; Krause‐Jensen et al, 2021). Conversely, in some bioregions such as the Temperate North Pacific, poleward range shifts are expected to occur and may lead to gains outside of historical ranges (Wilson et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term declines and recovery of meadow area across the world’s seagrass bioregions

Dunic

Brown

Connolly

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

192

122

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As human impacts increase in coastal regions, there is concern that critical habitats that provide the foundation of entire ecosystems are in decline. Seagrass meadows face growing threats such as poor water quality and coastal development. To determine the status of seagrass meadows over time, we reconstructed time series of meadow area from 175 studies that surveyed 547 sites around the world. We found an overall trajectory of decline in all seven bioregions with a global net loss of 5602 km2 (19.1% of surveyed meadow area) occurring since 1880. Declines have typically been non‐linear, with rapid and historical losses observed in several bioregions. The greatest net losses of area occurred in four bioregions (Tropical Atlantic, Temperate North Atlantic East, Temperate Southern Oceans and Tropical Indo‐Pacific), with declining trends being the slowest and most consistent in the latter two bioregions. In some bioregions, trends have recently stabilised or reversed. Losses, however, still outweigh gains. Despite consistent global declines, meadows show high variability in trajectories, within and across bioregions, highlighting the importance of local context. Studies identified 12 different drivers of meadow area change, with coastal development and water quality as the most commonly cited. Overall, however, attributions were primarily descriptive and only 10% of studies used inferential attributions. Although ours is the most comprehensive dataset to date, it still represents only one‐tenth of known global seagrass extent, with conspicuous historical and geographic biases in sampling. It therefore remains unclear whether the bioregional patterns of change documented here reflect changes in the world's unmonitored seagrass meadows. The variability in seagrass meadow trajectories, and the attribution of change to numerous drivers, suggest we urgently need to improve understanding of the causes of seagrass meadow loss if we are to improve local‐scale management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term declines and recovery of meadow area across the world’s seagrass bioregions

Dunic

Brown

Connolly

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

192

122

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The Framura meadow is fragmented with signs of regression [103] also because it is located in an area that had seen numerous silting events due to the release into the sea of waste materials from excavations and quarrying activities for the construction of the railway line along the coast [104]. Prelo-San Michele meadow showed an even lower efficiency in natural capital production due to the poor performance of the mature plant stages but also to the disturbances to which it is or has been subjected for many years [105,106]. The lower natural capital value at shallow portions may be the consequence of a multitude of human impacts from the shore, ranging from beach replenishment [107] to coastal structure building [108], and of the long-established practice of deploying the anchoring chain system during summer [101].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Natural Capital Value of the Seagrass Posidonia oceanica in the North-Western Mediterranean

et al. 2021

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Posidonia oceanica is an endemic Mediterranean seagrass used as a ‘biological quality element’ in monitoring programmes of the EU Water Framework Directive, providing information about coastal ecosystems status. The regression of P. oceanica meadows caused a growing interest among policy makers to assess the value of seagrasses and to increase their protection. An evaluation of P. oceanica meadows located in the Ligurian-Provençal basin (NW Mediterranean) through a biophysical approach is here developed. Six meadows located in Liguria (Italy) and Corsica (France) were investigated by applying the emergy analysis to assess the natural capital (NC) stocked by leaves and rhizomes components. Results highlighted the importance of carrying out an analysis of the variations in the NC value in both components: rhizomes defined the growth stage and the capacity to store NC over time; leaves provided information on the variability due to disturbances in the water column. Emergy analysis allows defining the NC, in terms of resources needed to maintain the meadows and to provide services to coastal communities. This research is inserted into the effort of incorporating the NC evaluation into marine planning and decision making to achieve nature conservation goals, while ensuring the sustainable exploitation of marine resources.

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“…(Figure 12). Of course, this mosaic is not based on the short term (that of a research program, or of a doctoral thesis), nor the medium term (the memory of a researcher; see the concept of shifting baselines and historical amnesia) [260][261][262], but over the long term, taking into account centennial or millennial storms [263][264][265][266][267][268]. Unless there is precise and well-argued historical information, relocating a seagrass to a habitat that it did not naturally occupy is an ecological absurdity.…”

Section: Seagrass Restoration: Where?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of Seagrass Meadows in the Mediterranean Sea: A Critical Review of Effectiveness and Ethical Issues

Boudouresque

Blanfuné

Pergent

et al. 2021

Water

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Some species of seagrasses (e.g., Zostera marina and Posidonia oceanica) have declined in the Mediterranean, at least locally. Others are progressing, helped by sea warming, such as Cymodocea nodosa and the non-native Halophila stipulacea. The decline of one seagrass can favor another seagrass. All in all, the decline of seagrasses could be less extensive and less general than claimed by some authors. Natural recolonization (cuttings and seedlings) has been more rapid and more widespread than was thought in the 20th century; however, it is sometimes insufficient, which justifies transplanting operations. Many techniques have been proposed to restore Mediterranean seagrass meadows. However, setting aside the short-term failure or half-success of experimental operations, long-term monitoring has usually been lacking, suggesting that possible failures were considered not worthy of a scientific paper. Many transplanting operations (e.g., P. oceanica) have been carried out at sites where the species had never previously been present. Replacing the natural ecosystem (e.g., sandy bottoms, sublittoral reefs) with P. oceanica is obviously inappropriate in most cases. This presupposes ignorance of the fact that the diversity of ecosystems is one of the bases of the biodiversity concept. In order to prevent the possibility of seagrass transplanting from being misused as a pretext for further destruction, a guide for the proper conduct of transplanting is proposed.

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Effects of a severe storm on seagrass meadows

Cited by 51 publications

References 80 publications

Long‐term declines and recovery of meadow area across the world’s seagrass bioregions

Long‐term declines and recovery of meadow area across the world’s seagrass bioregions

The Natural Capital Value of the Seagrass Posidonia oceanica in the North-Western Mediterranean

Restoration of Seagrass Meadows in the Mediterranean Sea: A Critical Review of Effectiveness and Ethical Issues

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