Seagrass ecosystems of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories: A global bright spot

McKenzie, Len; Yoshida, Rudi L.; Aini, John; Andréfouët, Serge; Colin, Patrick L.; Cullen-Unsworth, Leanne C.; Hughes, Alec; Payri, Claude; Rota, Manibua; Shaw, Christina; Skelton, Posa A.; Tsuda, Roy T.; Vuki, Veikila; Unsworth, Richard K. F.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112308

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 90 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The geographic extent of Fiji is relatively small, with up to a ~600 km straight line distance from the Yasawa archipelago in the west to the Lau archipelago at the eastern limit of the country. While areas of suitable contiguous habitat for sandfish (i.e., seagrass beds and sandy/muddy substrates) are widespread [60], they are separated by stretches of deep water, particularly towards island archipelagos. When coupled with prevailing ocean current-mediated larval dispersal, it is likely that populations inhabiting Fiji's outer island groups may be functionally weaker larval sinks as a result of reduced gene flow and habitat availability, relative to more central populations.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Saving the sea cucumbers: Using population genomic tools to inform fishery and conservation management of the Fijian sandfish Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The sea cucumber Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra, known as sandfish, is a high-value tropical echinoderm central to the global bêche-de-mer (BDM) trade. This species has been heavily exploited across its natural range, with overharvesting and ineffective fishery management leaving stocks in the Pacific region heavily depleted. In Fiji, sandfish stocks have not recovered since a 1988 harvest ban, with surveys reporting declining populations and recruitment failure. Therefore, to inform fishery management policy for the wild sandfish resource and to guide hatchery-based restocking efforts, a high-resolution genomic audit of Fijian populations was carried out. A total of 6,896 selectively-neutral and 186 putatively-adaptive genome-wide SNPs (DArTseq) together with an independent oceanographic particle dispersal model were used to investigate genetic structure, diversity, signatures of selection, relatedness and connectivity in six wild populations. Three genetically distinct populations were identified with shallow but significant differentiation (average Fst = 0.034, p≤0.05), comprising (1) Lakeba island (Lau archipelago), (2) Macuata (Vanua Levu), and (3) individuals from Yasawa, Ra, Serua island and Kadavu comprising the final unit. Small reductions in allelic diversity were observed in marginal populations in eastern Fiji (overall mean A = 1.956 vs. Lau, A = 1.912 and Macuata, A = 1.939). Signatures of putative local adaptation were also discovered in individuals from Lakeba island, suggesting that they be managed as a discrete unit. An isolation-by-distance model of genetic structure for Fijian sandfish is apparent, with population fragmentation occurring towards the east. Hatchery-based production of juveniles is promising for stock replenishment, however great care is required during broodstock source population selection and juvenile releases into source areas only. The successful use of genomic data here has the potential to be applied to other sea cucumber species in Fiji, and other regions involved in the global BDM trade. While preliminary insights into the genetic structure and connectivity of sandfish in Fiji have been obtained, further local, regional and distribution-wide investigations are required to better inform conservation efforts, wild stock management and hatchery-based restocking interventions for this valuable invertebrate.

show abstract

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Saving the sea cucumbers: Using population genomic tools to inform fishery and conservation management of the Fijian sandfish Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The debate is also largely informed by studies of marine processes of deposition, with far less attention given to aeolian processes (but see [35]), and processes driven from oceans across reefs rather than across lagoons (though erosion on lagoon-side shores is also a significant problem). The role of mangroves and seagrasses, which are prevalent in lagoons, is also scarcely considered, though these too play a role in island morphology and habitability [36][37][38].…”

Section: (A) Risks From Sea-level Risementioning

confidence: 99%

Nature-based solutions for atoll habitability

Barnett

Jarillo

Swearer

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Atoll societies have adapted their environments and social systems for thousands of years, but the rapid pace of climate change may bring conditions that exceed their adaptive capacities. There is growing interest in the use of ‘nature-based solutions' to facilitate the continuation of dignified and meaningful lives on atolls through a changing climate. However, there remains insufficient evidence to conclude that these can make a significant contribution to adaptation on atolls, let alone to develop standards and guidelines for their implementation. A sustained programme of research to clarify the potential of nature-based solutions to support the habitability of atolls is therefore vital. In this paper, we provide a prospectus to guide this research programme: we explain the challenge climate change poses to atoll societies, discuss past and potential future applications of nature-based solutions and outline an agenda for transdisciplinary research to advance knowledge of the efficacy and feasibility of nature-based solutions to sustain the habitability of atolls. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Nurturing resilient marine ecosystems’.

show abstract

“…During the prohibition period in the sasy system, all community members were prohibited to take certain biota and the punishment imposed by the church was very strict. Generally, people living in the Pacific Ocean have a culture of maintaining the sustainability of marine resources, including the seagrass ecosystem (McKenzie et al 2021).…”

Section: Seagrass Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity, coverage, distribution and ecosystem services of seagrass in three small islands of northern Papua, Indonesia: Liki Island, Meossu Island and Befondi Island

Nugraha

Tasabaramo

Hernawan³

et al. 2021

Biodiversitas

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nugraha AH, Tasabaramo IA, Hernawan UE, Rahmawati S, Putra RD, Darus RF. 2021. Diversity, coverage, distribution and ecosystem services of seagrass in three small islands of northern Papua, Indonesia: Liki Island, Meossu Island and Befondi Island. Biodiversitas 22: 5544-5549. Papua waters are one of the hot spot areas with high marine biodiversity in the world. Yet, the less accessible location and varying geographical conditions become the significant constraints of biodiversity study in this region, resulting in limited information about the diversity of marine resources, including the seagrass ecosystem. This research aims to investigate the diversity, coverage and distribution of seagrass in three small islands in the northern waters of Papua, namely Liki Island, Befondi Island, and Meossu Island, as well as to study the ecosystem services provided by the seagrass. This research is part of the Nusa Manggala Expedition, which was carried out in November 2018, consisted of seven observation stations. Data collection was conducted using the transect line method combined with plot quadrat. Information regarding seagrass ecosystem services was gathered through observation and direct interviews to the community. The results showed that there were seven species of seagrass in the studied sites, namely Cymodocea rotundata, Enhalus acoroides, Halodule uninervis, Halodule pinifolia, Halophila ovalis, Thalassia hemprichii, and Syringodium isoetifolium. Liki Island had the highest seagrass cover value of 82.24%, followed by Meossu Island and Befondi Island with seagrass cover of 63.23% and 31.25%, respectively. There were 13 seagrass ecosystem services identified in this research. The people of Liki Island and Meossu Island get the benefits of the existence of the seagrass ecosystem. The direct benefits are the presence of seagrass is associated with biota commonly used as food sources such as Siganus sp and sea cucumbers. There are efforts made by the community to maintain the sustainability of the seagrass ecosystem, which is known as sasi.

show abstract

Seagrass ecosystems of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories: A global bright spot

Cited by 19 publications

References 90 publications

Saving the sea cucumbers: Using population genomic tools to inform fishery and conservation management of the Fijian sandfish Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra

Saving the sea cucumbers: Using population genomic tools to inform fishery and conservation management of the Fijian sandfish Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra

Nature-based solutions for atoll habitability

Diversity, coverage, distribution and ecosystem services of seagrass in three small islands of northern Papua, Indonesia: Liki Island, Meossu Island and Befondi Island

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About