Implications of nutrient enrichment for the conservation and management of seagrass <i>Zostera muelleri</i> meadows

Li, Moyang; Lundquist, Carolyn J.; Pilditch, Conrad A.; Rees, Tom ap; Ellis, Joanne I.

doi:10.1002/aqc.3141

Cited by 19 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 77 publications

(110 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Eutrophication has been identified as one of the most important factors affecting productivity, community carbon dynamics, and seagrass growth, and is one of the major threats confronting coastal ecosystems. Direct effects occur through stability of physiological mechanisms (Burkholder et al, 1992;Bird et al, 1998;Brun et al, 2002;Invers et al, 2004;Touchette and Burkholder, 2007) causing increased nutrient uptake ability (Viana et al, 2019), nutrient imbalance (Li et al, 2019), changes in morphological indices (Mvungi and Pillay, 2019), changes in growth (Terrados et al, 1999a), changes in sexual reproduction (Duarte et al, 1997), or direct ammonium toxicity (Van Katwijk et al, 1997). Indirect effects of nutrient inputs occur through blooming algae which cause light depletion or nutrient competition (Duarte, 1995;Short et al, 1995;Moore and Wetzel, 2000;Nixon et al, 2001;Burkholder et al, 2007), through the ecological role of herbivores due to modifications in palatability and plant defenses against herbivory (Tomás et al, 2015;Jiménez-Ramos et al, 2017;Marco-Méndez et al, 2017;Campbell et al, 2018;Hernán et al, 2019), or through oxygen depletion in sediments (Terrados et al, 1999b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and Physiological Responses of Enhalus acoroides Seedlings Under Varying Temperature and Nutrient Treatment

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seagrass meadows are declining globally. In Indonesia, 75% loss has been reported in the last 5 years. The decrease of the seagrass area is influenced by the simultaneous occurrence of many factors at the local and global scale, including nutrient enrichment and climate change. This study aims to find out how increasing temperature and nutrient enrichment affect the morphological, biochemical and physiological responses of Enhalus acoroides in the seedling phase, which has not previously been studied. To achieve these aims, a laboratory experiment of combined temperature and nutrient treatments was conducted using recently-germinated seedlings of E. acoroides. The results showed that the seedlings were tolerant to an extended exposure to the current ambient maximum temperature. Under higher temperature treatment, the seedlings were observed to increase in aboveground size traits (e.g., number of leaves, leaf length, biomass, and leaf area), as well as in belowground traits, such as root length. The results in this study also showed that the initial seed size matters for morphological responses. On the contrary, nutrient responses of seedlings were practically absent, suggesting they could rely on internal reserves. Interaction between both factors was limited, with the exception of low temperature and high nutrient treatment, in which the AG:BG ratio and leaf elongation rate increased. Fluorescence parameters were not influenced by any of the water treatments. The results in this study suggest that E. acoroides seedlings rely energetically in the reserves within the seedling and that increasing temperature might result in faster seedling development, although no interactions with other organisms were tested. This is of importance when studying the resilience capacity of this species and when restoration attempts are planned, as a faster root development would provide a faster stabilization in the sediment and the survival of the whole plant.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and Physiological Responses of Enhalus acoroides Seedlings Under Varying Temperature and Nutrient Treatment

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Changes in seagrass population and community structures have already been observed in areas affected by climate change (Jordà et al, 2012;Kendrick et al, 2019;Beca-Carretero et al, accepted) and will become more relevant under future climate change. Therefore, the knowledge accumulated on the effects of these individual stressors through field and laboratory experiments on temperate and tropical seagrasses is very extensive (see as example Bulthuis, 1987;Burkholder et al, 1994;Campbell et al, 2006;Winters et al, 2011;Collier and Waycott, 2014;Li et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species-Specific Trait Responses of Three Tropical Seagrasses to Multiple Stressors: The Case of Increasing Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seagrass meadows are declining globally. The decrease of seagrass area is influenced by the simultaneous occurrence of many factors at the local and global scale, including nutrient enrichment and climate change. This study aims to find out how increasing temperature and nutrient enrichment affect the morphological, biochemical and physiological responses of three coexisting tropical species, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea serrulata and Halophila stipulacea. To achieve these aims, a 1-month experiment under laboratory conditions combining two temperature (maximum ambient temperature and current average temperature) and two nutrient (high and low N and P concentrations) treatments was conducted. The results showed that the seagrasses were differentially affected by all treatments depending on their lifehistory strategies. Under higher temperature treatments, C. serrulata showed photoacclimation strategies, while T. hemprichii showed decreased photo-physiological performance. In contrast, T. hemprichii was resistant to nutrient over-enrichment, showing enhanced nutrient content and physiological changes, but C. serrulata suffered BG nutrient loss. The limited response of H. stipulacea to nutrient enrichment or high temperature suggests that this seagrass is a tolerant species that may have a dormancy state with lower photosynthetic performance and smaller-size individuals. Interaction between both factors was limited and generally showed antagonistic effects only on morphological and biochemical traits, but not on physiological traits. These results highlight the different effects and strategies co-inhabiting seagrasses have in response to environmental changes, showing winners and losers of a climate change scenario that may eventually cause biodiversity loss. Trait responses to these stressors could potentially make the seagrasses weaker to cope with following events, due to BG biomass or nutrient loss. This is of importance as biodiversity loss in tropical seagrass ecosystems could change the overall effectiveness of ecosystem functions and services provided by the seagrass meadows.

show abstract

“…Li, Lundquist, Pilditch, Rees, and Ellis () explore ramifications of nutrient over‐enrichment (eutrophication), another common land‐based stressor, on seagrass beds that form a high‐value estuarine habitat under threat. This study examined resilience and resistance of seagrass to nutrient enrichment over 13 months at three sites with diverse sediment characteristics that are likely to influence responses to eutrophication.…”

Section: Articles In This Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Mountains‐to‐the‐sea conservation: An island perspective

Collier

Pilditch

Lundquist

2019

Aquatic Conservation

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

1. Island nations such as New Zealand provide valuable insights into conservation challenges posed by strongly connected and recently developed or exploited freshwater and marine ecosystems.2. The narrow land mass, high rainfall, and steep terrain of New Zealand, like many other island nations, mean that land-based stressors are rapidly transferred to freshwater habitats and propagated downstream to coastal environments via short, fast-flowing river systems.3. Freshwater and marine environments are linked through faunal life histories; for example, diadromous fishes, many of which are considered threatened or at risk of extinction, and require cross-ecosystem conservation to ensure survival of critical life stages and persistence of source populations. Recent invasions of marine and freshwater environments by non-indigenous spe-cies reveal rapid impacts on a naïve biota and highlight conservation conundrums caused by management aimed at enhancing native biodiversity by improving habitat connectivity. Understanding and managing interconnected freshwater and marine ecosystems isa key concept for local indigenous communities, and highlights socio-cultural connectivity and sustainable local harvesting of traditional resources as key elements of contemporary marine and freshwater conservation planning in New Zealand.

show abstract

Implications of nutrient enrichment for the conservation and management of seagrass Zostera muelleri meadows

Abstract: 1. Nutrient overenrichment in aquatic environments, or eutrophication, is increasingly affecting seagrass habitats around the world, leading to the degradation of seagrass

Cited by 19 publications

References 77 publications

Morphological and Physiological Responses of Enhalus acoroides Seedlings Under Varying Temperature and Nutrient Treatment

Morphological and Physiological Responses of Enhalus acoroides Seedlings Under Varying Temperature and Nutrient Treatment

Species-Specific Trait Responses of Three Tropical Seagrasses to Multiple Stressors: The Case of Increasing Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment

Mountains‐to‐the‐sea conservation: An island perspective

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About