High Metabolic Rates in Beach Cast Communities

Coupland, Grey T.; Duarte, Carlos M.; Walker, Diana

doi:10.1007/s10021-007-9102-3

Cited by 65 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Beach-cast deposits can reach phenomenal biomasses (Barreiro et al, 2011), such as up to 500 kg of dry wt m −1 of the shoreline of Posidonia oceanica litter washed on the shores of Tabarca, Spain (Mateo et al, 2003). Beachcast material supports high metabolic rates (Coupland et al, 2007) and represents a significant subsidy to terrestrial food webs (e.g. Ochieng and Erftemeijer, 1999;Ince et al, 2007;Mellbrand et al, 2011), particularly on arid shores (e.g.…”

Section: The Fate Of the Production Of Vegetated Coastal Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reviews and syntheses: Hidden forests, the role of vegetated coastal habitats in the ocean carbon budget

2017

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Abstract. Vegetated coastal habitats, including seagrass and macroalgal beds, mangrove forests and salt marshes, form highly productive ecosystems, but their contribution to the global carbon budget remains overlooked, and these forests remain "hidden" in representations of the global carbon budget. Despite being confined to a narrow belt around the shoreline of the world's oceans, where they cover less than 7 million km 2 , vegetated coastal habitats support about 1 to 10 % of the global marine net primary production and generate a large organic carbon surplus of about 40 % of their net primary production (NPP), which is either buried in sediments within these habitats or exported away. Large, 10-fold uncertainties in the area covered by vegetated coastal habitats, along with variability about carbon flux estimates, result in a 10-fold bracket around the estimates of their contribution to organic carbon sequestration in sediments and the deep sea from 73 to 866 Tg C yr −1 , representing between 3 % and 1/3 of oceanic CO 2 uptake. Up to 1/2 of this carbon sequestration occurs in sink reservoirs (sediments or the deep sea) beyond these habitats. The organic carbon exported that does not reach depositional sites subsidizes the metabolism of heterotrophic organisms. In addition to a significant contribution to organic carbon production and sequestration, vegetated coastal habitats contribute as much to carbonate accumulation as coral reefs do. While globally relevant, the magnitude of global carbon fluxes supported by salt-marsh, mangrove, seagrass and macroalgal habitats is declining due to rapid habitat loss, contributing to loss of CO 2 sequestration, storage capacity and carbon subsidies. Incorporating the carbon fluxes' vegetated coastal habitats' support into depictions of the carbon budget of the global ocean and its perturbations will improve current representations of the carbon budget of the global ocean.

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Section: The Fate Of the Production Of Vegetated Coastal Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reviews and syntheses: Hidden forests, the role of vegetated coastal habitats in the ocean carbon budget

2017

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“…Located at the boundaries of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, evidence is accruing that the intertidal zones of beaches fit this concept for nutrient cycling (Anschutz et al 2009;Avery et al 2008). Wrack deposits on beaches were shown to be metabolic hot spots with high activity and rates of CO 2 flux relative to other marine and terrestrial communities (Coupland et al 2007). We suggest that further examination of nutrient dynamics of beaches subsidized by high macrophyte wrack inputs is likely to expand the appreciation of tidal sands as important sites of biogeochemical transformation, including decomposition and trace gas emissions: active mineralization and denitrification in a saturated environment that could encourage denitrification and N 2 O emissions when low oxygen conditions are present or in oxygenated conditions as shown for sandy sediments on the continental shelf by Vance-Harris and Ingall (2005), for permeable wave affected coastal areas by Gihring et al (2010) and suggested by molecular evidence from sandy beaches by Santoro et al (2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Macrophyte Wrack Inputs and Dissolved Nutrients in Beach Sands

Dugan

Hubbard

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et al. 2011

Estuaries and Coasts

122

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We investigated the role of sandy beaches in nearshore nutrient cycling by quantifying macrophyte wrack inputs and examining relationships between wrack accumulation and pore water nutrients during the summer dry season. Macrophyte inputs, primarily giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera, exceeded 2. -N, and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in intertidal pore water varied significantly among beaches (ranges=1 to 6,553 μM and 7 to 2,006 μM, respectively). Intertidal DIN and DON concentrations were significantly correlated with wrack biomass. Surf zone concentrations of DIN were also strongly correlated with wrack biomass and with intertidal DIN, suggesting export of nutrients from re-mineralized wrack. Our results suggest beach ecosystems can process and re-mineralize substantial organic inputs and accumulate dissolved nutrients, which are subsequently available to nearshore waters and primary producers.

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“…Although some of this organic matter is exported from the shore zone (wrack accumulations in particular can be very ephemeral -Backlund 1945;Orr et al 2005), much of it is decomposed on site, supporting very high rates of respiration and production by microbes and animals (McLachlan 1985;Polis and Hurd 1996;Jedrezejczak 2002a, b;Coupland et al 2007). Initially, large amounts of dissolved organic matter are leached from the wrack (Jedrezejczak 2002a), which can be an important source of dissolved organic matter to the shore zone soils (Malm et al 2004) and nearshore waters.…”

Section: Accumulation and Processing Of Organic Mattermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Temperature and moisture are moderated within and beneath a wrack bed (Backlund 1945;Coupland et al 2007), and dense wrack may impede oxygen diffusion, leading to hypoxia or anoxia. This leads to steep vertical gradients in environmental conditions, biodiversity, and biogeochemical processes within a wrack bed (e.g., Backlund 1945).…”

Section: Accumulation and Processing Of Organic Mattermentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology of freshwater shore zones

2010

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Freshwater shore zones are among the most ecologically valuable parts of the planet, but have been heavily damaged by human activities. Because the management and rehabilitation of freshwater shore zones could be improved by better use of ecological knowledge, we summarize here what is known about their ecological functioning. Shore zones are complexes of habitats that support high biodiversity, which is enhanced by high physical complexity and connectivity. Shore zones dissipate large amounts of physical energy, can receive and process extraordinarily high inputs of autochthonous and allochthonous organic matter, and are sites of intensive nutrient cycling. Interactions between organic matter inputs (including wood), physical energy, and the biota are especially important. In general, the ecological character of shore zone ecosystems is set by inputs of physical energy, geologic (or anthropogenic) structure, the hydrologic regime, nutrient inputs, the biota, and climate. Humans have affected freshwater shore zones by laterally compressing and stabilizing the shore zone, changing hydrologic regimes, shortening and simplifying shorelines, hardening shorelines, tidying shore zones, increasing inputs of physical energy that impinge on shore zones, pollution, recreational activities, resource extraction, introducing alien species, changing climate, and intensive development in the shore zone. Systems to guide management and restoration by quantifying ecological services provided by shore zones and balancing multiple (and sometimes conflicting) values are relatively recent and imperfect. We close by identifying leading challenges for shore zone ecology and management.

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High Metabolic Rates in Beach Cast Communities

Cited by 65 publications

References 20 publications

Reviews and syntheses: Hidden forests, the role of vegetated coastal habitats in the ocean carbon budget

Reviews and syntheses: Hidden forests, the role of vegetated coastal habitats in the ocean carbon budget

Marine Macrophyte Wrack Inputs and Dissolved Nutrients in Beach Sands

Ecology of freshwater shore zones

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