Seagrass meadows are threatened by expected loss of peatlands in Indonesia

Unsworth, Richard K. F.; Jones, Benjamin L.; Cullen-Unsworth, Leanne C.

doi:10.1111/gcb.13392

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These threats are thought to act through the increased suffocation of plant tissue by sediments together with a reduction in light availability due to elevated particulates in the water column (Cabaco et al, 2008;Terrados et al, 1998). This data provides the first evidence in contrast to a recent (and contested) model that proposed deforestation would result in large increases in Indonesian seagrass meadows (Abrams et al, 2016;Unsworth et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Indonesia's globally significant seagrass meadows are under widespread threat

Unsworth

Ambo‐Rappe

Jones

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

Self Cite

142

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Indonesia's marine ecosystems form a fundamental part of the world's natural heritage, representing a global maxima of marine biodiversity and supporting the world's second largest production of seafood. Seagrasses are a key part of that support. In the absence of empirical data we present evidence from expert opinions as to the state of Indonesia's seagrass ecosystems, their support for ecosystem services, with a focus on fisheries, and the damaging activities that threaten their existence. We further draw on expert opinion to elicit potential solutions to prevent further loss. Seagrasses and the ecosystem services they support across the Indonesian archipelago are in a critical state of decline. Declining seagrass health is the result of shifting environmental conditions due largely to coastal development, land reclamation, and deforestation, as well as seaweed farming, overfishing and garbage dumping. In particular, we also describe the declining state of the fisheries resources that seagrass meadows support. The perilous state of Indonesia's seagrasses will compromise their resilience to climate change and result in a loss of their high ecosystem service value. Community supported management initiatives provide one mechanism for seagrass protection. Exemplars highlight the need for increased local level autonomy for the management of marine resources, opening up opportunities for incentive type conservation schemes.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…While in some cases it is difficult to avoid seagrass loss as a result of coastal development, experiences from around the world suggest that mitigation and appropriate management of impacts can result in improved ecological outcomes (Cullen- Unsworth and Unsworth, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indonesia's globally significant seagrass meadows are under widespread threat

Unsworth

Ambo‐Rappe

Jones

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

Self Cite

142

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Waycott et al [ 28 ] estimated that nearly 29% of the global area covered by seagrasses has already disappeared since 1879, meaning that also the ecosystem services provided by seagrasses decreased by about one third. In Southeast Asia, a loss of up to 40% of the seagrass meadows has been reported [ 48 , 49 , 50 ], and in the Mediterranean about 30% has been lost [ 51 ]. The loss of seagrass beds could potentially cause large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions, contributing as much as 10% of the 0.5–2.7 Gt C per year released from changes in land use [ 32 ].…”

Section: Seagrasses Under Threatmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Seagrass Holobiont and Its Microbiome

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seagrass meadows are ecologically and economically important components of many coastal areas worldwide. Ecosystem services provided by seagrasses include reducing the number of microbial pathogens in the water, providing food, shelter and nurseries for many species, and decreasing the impact of waves on the shorelines. A global assessment reported that 29% of the known areal extent of seagrasses has disappeared since seagrass areas were initially recorded in 1879. Several factors such as direct and indirect human activity contribute to the demise of seagrasses. One of the main reasons for seagrass die-offs all over the world is increased sulfide concentrations in the sediment that result from the activity of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes, which perform the last step of the anaerobic food chain in marine sediments and reduce sulfate to H2S. Recent seagrass die-offs, e.g., in the Florida and Biscayne Bays, were caused by an increase in pore-water sulfide concentrations in the sediment, which were the combined result of unfavorable environmental conditions and the activities of various groups of heterotrophic bacteria in the sulfate-rich water-column and sediment that are stimulated through increased nutrient concentrations. Under normal circumstances, seagrasses are able to withstand low levels of sulfide, probably partly due to microbial symbionts, which detoxify sulfide by oxidizing it to sulfur or sulfate. Novel studies are beginning to give greater insights into the interactions of microbes and seagrasses, not only in the sulfur cycle. Here, we review the literature on the basic ecology and biology of seagrasses and focus on studies describing their microbiome.

show abstract

“…Siltation [18,19,20], damming and waste disposal [14,21,22], as well as climate change [23], have caused major impacts on seagrass beds. Increases in nutrient concentrations, namely nitrogen and phosphorous [24], due to effluence of fertilizers lead to extensive growth of epiphytes and pelagic algae in the water that block sunlight from reaching seagrass leaves [24,25,26,27,28,29]. Sulfide, a highly toxic compound for animals and plants, is extremely detrimental to seagrasses worldwide [30,31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Microbial Communities of Leaves and Roots Associated with Turtle Grass (Thalassia testudinum) and Manatee Grass (Syringodium filliforme) are Distinct from Seawater and Sediment Communities, but Are Similar between Species and Sampling Sites

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seagrasses are vital members of coastal systems, which provide several important ecosystem services such as improvement of water quality, shoreline protection, and serving as shelter, food, and nursery to many species, including economically important fish. They also act as a major carbon sink and supply copious amounts of oxygen to the ocean. A decline in seagrasses has been observed worldwide, partly due to climate change, direct and indirect human activities, diseases, and increased sulfide concentrations in the coastal porewaters. Several studies have shown a symbiotic relationship between seagrasses and their microbiome. For instance, the sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon cycles are important biochemical pathways that seem to be linked between the plant and its microbiome. The microbiome presumably also plays a key role in the health of the plant, for example in oxidizing phyto-toxic sulfide into non-toxic sulfate, or by providing protection for seagrasses from pathogens. Two of the most abundant seagrasses in Florida include Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) and Syringodium filliforme (manatee grass), yet there is little data on the composition of the microbiome of these two genera. In this study, the microbial composition of the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme were compared to water and sediment controls using amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The microbial composition of the leaves, roots, seawater, and sediment differ from one another, but are similar between the two species of seagrasses.

show abstract

Seagrass meadows are threatened by expected loss of peatlands in Indonesia

Cited by 7 publications

References 13 publications

Indonesia's globally significant seagrass meadows are under widespread threat

Indonesia's globally significant seagrass meadows are under widespread threat

The Seagrass Holobiont and Its Microbiome

The Microbial Communities of Leaves and Roots Associated with Turtle Grass (Thalassia testudinum) and Manatee Grass (Syringodium filliforme) are Distinct from Seawater and Sediment Communities, but Are Similar between Species and Sampling Sites

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About