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Masawa J, Winters G, Kaminer M, Szitenberg A, Gruntman M, Ashckenazi-Polivoda S. A matter of choice: Understanding the interactions between epiphytic foraminifera and their seagrass host Halophila stipulacea. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 196:106437. [PMID: 38479296 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
In sub/tropical waters, benthic foraminifera are among the most abundant epiphytic organisms inhabiting seagrass meadows. This study explored the nature of the association between foraminifera and the tropical seagrass species H. stipulacea, aiming to determine whether these interactions are facilitative or random. For this, we performed a "choice" experiment, where foraminifera could colonize H. stipulacea plants or plastic "seagrasses" plants. At the end of the experiment, a microbiome analysis was performed to identify possible variances in the microbial community and diversity of the substrates. Results show that foraminifera prefer to colonize H. stipulacea, which had a higher abundance and diversity of foraminifera than plastic seagrass plants, which increased over time and with shoot age. Moreover, H. stipulacea leaves have higher epiphytic microbial community abundance and diversity. These results demonstrate that seagrass meadows are important hosts of the foraminifera community and suggest the potential facilitative effect of H. stipulacea on epiphytic foraminifera, which might be attributed to a greater diversity of the microbial community inhabiting H. stipulacea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenipher Masawa
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Masada National Park, Mount Masada, 869100, Israel; School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Gidon Winters
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Masada National Park, Mount Masada, 869100, Israel; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Eilat Campus, Eilat, 881000, Israel.
| | - Moran Kaminer
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Masada National Park, Mount Masada, 869100, Israel
| | - Amir Szitenberg
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Masada National Park, Mount Masada, 869100, Israel
| | - Michal Gruntman
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sarit Ashckenazi-Polivoda
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Masada National Park, Mount Masada, 869100, Israel; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Eilat Campus, Eilat, 881000, Israel.
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Beca-Carretero P, Winters G, Teichberg M, Procaccini G, Schneekloth F, Zambrano RH, Chiquillo K, Reuters H. Climate change and the presence of invasive species will threaten the persistence of the Mediterranean seagrass community. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 910:168675. [PMID: 37981144 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
The Mediterranean Sea has been experiencing rapid increases in temperature and salinity triggering its tropicalization. Additionally, its connection with the Red Sea has been favouring the establishment of non-native species. In this study, we investigated the effects of predicted climate change and the introduction of invasive seagrass species (Halophila stipulacea) on the native Mediterranean seagrass community (Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa) by applying a novel ecological and spatial model with different configurations and parameter settings based on a Cellular Automata (CA). The proposed models use a discrete (stepwise) representation of space and time by executing deterministic and probabilistic rules that develop complex dynamic processes. Model applications were run under two climate scenarios (RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5) projected from 2020 to 2100 in four different regions within the Mediterranean. Results indicate that the slow-growing P. oceanica will be highly vulnerable to climate change, suffering vast declines in its abundance. However, the results also show that western and colder areas of the Mediterranean Sea might represent refuge areas for this species. Cymodocea nodosa has been reported to exhibit resilience to predicted climate scenarios; however, it has shown habitat regression in the warmest predicted regions in the easternmost part of the basin. Our models indicate that H. stipulacea will thrive under projected climate scenarios, facilitating its spread across the basin. Also, H. stipulacea grew at the expense of C. nodosa, limiting the distribution of the latter, and eventually displacing this native species. Additionally, simulations demonstrated that areas from which P. oceanica meadows disappear would be partially covered by C. nodosa and H. stipulacea. These outcomes project that the Mediterranean seagrass community will experience a transition from long-lived, large and slow-growing species to small and fast-growing species as climate change progresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Beca-Carretero
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany; Dead Sea-Arava Science Center, Masada, Israel.
| | | | - Mirta Teichberg
- The Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Gabriele Procaccini
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabian Schneekloth
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
| | - Ramon H Zambrano
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, University of Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Kelcie Chiquillo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hauke Reuters
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
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Winters G, Conte C, Beca-Carretero P, Nguyen HM, Migliore L, Mulas M, Rilov G, Guy-Haim T, González MJ, Medina I, Golomb D, Baharier N, Kaminer M, Kitson-Walters K. Superior growth traits of invaded (Caribbean) versus native (Red sea) populations of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea. Biol Invasions 2023; 25:2325-2342. [PMID: 37261082 PMCID: PMC10115387 DOI: 10.1007/s10530-023-03045-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The seagrass Halophila stipulacea is native to the Red Sea. It invaded the Mediterranean over the past century and most of the Caribbean over the last two decades. Understanding the main drivers behind the successful invasiveness of H. stipulacea has become crucial. We performed a comprehensive study including field measurements, a mesocosm experiment, and a literature review to identify 'superior growth traits' that can potentially explain the success story of H. stipulacea. We assessed meadow characteristics and plant traits of three invasive H. stipulacea populations growing off the Island of Sint Eustatius (eastern Caribbean). We compared similar parameters between native (Eilat, northern Red Sea) and invasive (Caribbean) H. stipulacea plants in a common-garden mesocosm. Lastly, we compared our field measurements with published data. The newly arrived H. stipulacea plants from St. Eustatius were characterized by higher percent cover, higher below- and above-ground biomasses, more apical shoots, and faster leaf turnover rates than those measured in both native and older invaded habitats. These results were further confirmed by the mesocosm experiment where the invasive H. stipulacea plants grew faster and developed more apical shoots than the native plants. Results suggest that increased growth vigour is one of the main invasive traits that characterize successful invasive H. stipulacea populations in the Caribbean and potentially in other invaded areas. We encourage long-term monitoring of H. stipulacea in both native and invaded habitats to better understand the future spread of this species and its impacts on communities and their ecosystem functions and services. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10530-023-03045-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gidon Winters
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center (DSASC), Masada National Park, 8698000 Mount Masada, Israel, Israel
- Eilat Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Hatmarim Blv, 8855630 Eilat, Israel
| | - Chiara Conte
- Department of Biology, Tor Vergata University, Via Della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Pedro Beca-Carretero
- Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), Rúa de Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208 Vigo, Pontevedra Spain
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Fahrenheit Strasse 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Hung Manh Nguyen
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center (DSASC), Masada National Park, 8698000 Mount Masada, Israel, Israel
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Dryland, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000 Beersheba, Israel
| | - Luciana Migliore
- Department of Biology, Tor Vergata University, Via Della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Mulas
- National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR), Tel- Shikmona, P.O.B. 9753, 3109701 Haifa, Israel
- The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Koushy Ave., Mount Carmel, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Gil Rilov
- National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR), Tel- Shikmona, P.O.B. 9753, 3109701 Haifa, Israel
- The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Koushy Ave., Mount Carmel, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Tamar Guy-Haim
- National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR), Tel- Shikmona, P.O.B. 9753, 3109701 Haifa, Israel
| | - María J González
- Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), Rúa de Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208 Vigo, Pontevedra Spain
| | - Isabel Medina
- Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), Rúa de Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208 Vigo, Pontevedra Spain
| | - Dar Golomb
- National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR), Tel- Shikmona, P.O.B. 9753, 3109701 Haifa, Israel
| | - Neta Baharier
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center (DSASC), Masada National Park, 8698000 Mount Masada, Israel, Israel
- University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ UK
| | - Moran Kaminer
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center (DSASC), Masada National Park, 8698000 Mount Masada, Israel, Israel
| | - Kimani Kitson-Walters
- Caribbean Netherlands Science Institute, L.E. Saddlerweg, POB 65, St Eustatius, Caribbean The Netherlands
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
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Conte C, Apostolaki ET, Vizzini S, Migliore L. A Tight Interaction between the Native Seagrass Cymodocea nodosa and the Exotic Halophila stipulacea in the Aegean Sea Highlights Seagrass Holobiont Variations. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:350. [PMID: 36679063 PMCID: PMC9863530 DOI: 10.3390/plants12020350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Seagrasses harbour bacterial communities with which they constitute a functional unit called holobiont that responds as a whole to environmental changes. Epiphytic bacterial communities rapidly respond to both biotic and abiotic factors, potentially contributing to the host fitness. The Lessepsian migrant Halophila stipulacea has a high phenotypical plasticity and harbours a highly diverse epiphytic bacterial community, which could support its invasiveness in the Mediterranean Sea. The current study aimed to evaluate the Halophila/Cymodocea competition in the Aegean Sea by analysing each of the two seagrasses in a meadow zone where these intermingled, as well as in their monospecific zones, at two depths. Differences in holobionts were evaluated using seagrass descriptors (morphometric, biochemical, elemental, and isotopic composition) to assess host changes, and 16S rRNA gene to identify bacterial community structure and composition. An Indicator Species Index was used to identify bacteria significantly associated with each host. In mixed meadows, native C. nodosa was shown to be affected by the presence of exotic H. stipulacea, in terms of both plant descriptors and bacterial communities, while H. stipulacea responded only to environmental factors rather than C. nodosa proximity. This study provided evidence of the competitive advantage of H. stipulacea on C. nodosa in the Aegean Sea and suggests the possible use of associated bacterial communities as an ecological seagrass descriptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Conte
- PhD Program in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Eugenia T. Apostolaki
- Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, P.O. Box 2214, 71003 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Salvatrice Vizzini
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123 Palermo, Italy
- CoNISMa, National Interuniversity Consortium for Marine Sciences, Piazzale Flaminio 9, 00196 Roma, Italy
| | - Luciana Migliore
- Laboratory of Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
- eCampus University, Via Isimbardi 10, 22060 Novedrate (CO), Italy
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Szitenberg A, Beca-Carretero P, Azcárate-García T, Yergaliyev T, Alexander-Shani R, Winters G. Teasing apart the host-related, nutrient-related and temperature-related effects shaping the phenology and microbiome of the tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2022; 17:18. [PMID: 35428367 PMCID: PMC9013022 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-022-00412-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Halophila stipulacea seagrass meadows are an ecologically important and threatened component of the ecosystem in the Gulf of Aqaba. Recent studies have demonstrated correlated geographic patterns for leaf epiphytic community composition and leaf morphology, also coinciding with different levels of water turbidity and nutrient concentrations. Based on these observations, workers have suggested an environmental microbial fingerprint, which may reflect various environmental stress factors seagrasses have experienced, and may add a holobiont level of plasticity to seagrasses, assisting their acclimation to changing environments and through range expansion. However, it is difficult to tease apart environmental effects from host-diversity dependent effects, which have covaried in field studies, although this is required in order to establish that differences in microbial community compositions among sites are driven by environmental conditions rather than by features governed by the host. RESULTS In this study we carried out a mesocosm experiment, in which we studied the effects of warming and nutrient stress on the composition of epiphytic bacterial communities and on some phenological traits. We studied H. stipulacea collected from two different meadows in the Gulf of Aqaba, representing differences in the host and the environment alike. We found that the source site from which seagrasses were collected was the major factor governing seagrass phenology, although heat increased shoot mortality and nutrient loading delayed new shoot emergence. Bacterial diversity, however, mostly depended on the environmental conditions. The most prominent pattern was the increase in Rhodobacteraceae under nutrient stress without heat stress, along with an increase in Microtrichaceae. Together, the two taxa have the potential to maintain nitrate reduction followed by an anammox process, which can together buffer the increase in nutrient concentrations across the leaf surface. CONCLUSIONS Our results thus corroborate the existence of environmental microbial fingerprints, which are independent from the host diversity, and support the notion of a holobiont level plasticity, both important to understand and monitor H. stipulacea ecology under the changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Szitenberg
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Dead Sea Branch, 8693500, Masada, Israel.
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8858537, Eilat, Israel.
| | - Pedro Beca-Carretero
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Fahrenheitstrasse 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany
- Department of Oceanography, Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas (IIM-CSIC), Vigo, Spain
- Departamento de Biología, Área de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar Y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Tomás Azcárate-García
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Fahrenheitstrasse 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany
- Departamento de Biología, Área de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar Y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Central Arava Branch, 8682500, Sapir, Israel
| | - Timur Yergaliyev
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Dead Sea Branch, 8693500, Masada, Israel
- Hohenheim Center for Livestock Microbiome Research (HoLMiR), Institute of Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - Gidon Winters
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8858537, Eilat, Israel
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Central Arava Branch, 8682500, Sapir, Israel
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Helber SB, Winters G, Stuhr M, Belshe EF, Bröhl S, Schmid M, Reuter H, Teichberg M. Nutrient History Affects the Response and Resilience of the Tropical Seagrass Halophila stipulacea to Further Enrichment in Its Native Habitat. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:678341. [PMID: 34421939 PMCID: PMC8374242 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.678341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Eutrophication is one of the main threats to seagrass meadows, but there is limited knowledge on the interactive effects of nutrients under a changing climate, particularly for tropical seagrass species. This study aimed to detect the onset of stress in the tropical seagrass, Halophila stipulacea, by investigating the effect of in situ nutrient addition during an unusually warm summer over a 6-month period. We measured a suite of different morphological and biochemical community metrics and individual plant traits from two different sites with contrasting levels of eutrophication history before and after in situ fertilization in the Gulf of Aqaba. Nutrient stress combined with summer temperatures that surpassed the threshold for optimal growth negatively affected seagrass plants from South Beach (SB), an oligotrophic marine protected area, while H. stipulacea populations from North Beach (NB), a eutrophic and anthropogenically impacted area, benefited from the additional nutrient input. Lower aboveground (AG) and belowground (BG) biomass, reduced Leaf Area Index (LAI), smaller internodal distances, high sexual reproductive effort and the increasing occurrence of apical shoots in seagrasses from SB sites indicated that the plants were under stress and not growing under optimal conditions. Moreover, AG and BG biomass and internodal distances decreased further with the addition of fertilizer in SB sites. Results presented here highlight the fact that H. stipulacea is one of the most tolerant and plastic seagrass species. Our study further demonstrates that the effects of fertilization differ significantly between meadows that are growing exposed to different levels of anthropogenic pressures. Thus, the meadow's "history" affects it resilience and response to further stress. Our results suggest that monitoring efforts on H. stipulacea populations in its native range should focus especially on carbohydrate reserves in leaves and rhizomes, LAI, internodal length and percentage of apical shoots as suitable warning indicators for nutrient stress in this seagrass species to minimize future impacts on these valuable ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie B. Helber
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) GmbH, Bremen, Germany
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Gidon Winters
- The Dead Sea and Arava Science Center (ADSSC), Jerusalem, Israel
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Eilat, Israel
| | - Marleen Stuhr
- Tropical Coral Ecophysiology, Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences - Eilat (IUI), Eilat, Israel
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University (BIU), Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - E. F. Belshe
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) GmbH, Bremen, Germany
| | - Stefanie Bröhl
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) GmbH, Bremen, Germany
| | - Michael Schmid
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) GmbH, Bremen, Germany
| | - Hauke Reuter
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) GmbH, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty for Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Mirta Teichberg
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) GmbH, Bremen, Germany
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The Seagrass Holobiont: What We Know and What We Still Need to Disclose for Its Possible Use as an Ecological Indicator. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13040406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Microbes and seagrass establish symbiotic relationships constituting a functional unit called the holobiont that reacts as a whole to environmental changes. Recent studies have shown that the seagrass microbial associated community varies according to host species, environmental conditions and the host’s health status, suggesting that the microbial communities respond rapidly to environmental disturbances and changes. These changes, dynamics of which are still far from being clear, could represent a sensitive monitoring tool and ecological indicator to detect early stages of seagrass stress. In this review, the state of art on seagrass holobiont is discussed in this perspective, with the aim of disentangling the influence of different factors in shaping it. As an example, we expand on the widely studied Halophila stipulacea’s associated microbial community, highlighting the changing and the constant components of the associated microbes, in different environmental conditions. These studies represent a pivotal contribution to understanding the holobiont’s dynamics and variability pattern, and to the potential development of ecological/ecotoxicological indices. The influences of the host’s physiological and environmental status in changing the seagrass holobiont, alongside the bioinformatic tools for data analysis, are key topics that need to be deepened, in order to use the seagrass-microbial interactions as a source of ecological information.
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Beca-Carretero P, Teichberg M, Winters G, Procaccini G, Reuter H. Projected Rapid Habitat Expansion of Tropical Seagrass Species in the Mediterranean Sea as Climate Change Progresses. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:555376. [PMID: 33304358 PMCID: PMC7701102 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.555376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
During the last 150 years, the tropical seagrass species Halophila stipulacea has established itself in the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea. More recently (2018), Halophila decipiens was observed for the first time in the eastern Mediterranean, and was described as the second non-native seagrass species in the Mediterranean Sea. We implemented a species distribution model (SDM) approach to (1) hindcast the habitat suitability of H. stipulacea over the last 100 years in the Mediterranean basin, and (2) to model the increase in the potential habitat suitability of H. stipulacea and H. decipiens during the current century under two very different climate scenarios, RCP 2.6 (lowest carbon emission scenario) and RCP 8.5 (highest carbon emission scenario). In addition, a principal component analysis (PCA) and k-means cluster based on temperature and salinity drivers were applied to visualize the distance and relatedness between the native and invasive H. stipulacea and H. decipiens populations. Results from this PCA suggest that the H. stipulacea populations of the Mediterranean and Red Sea are likely to be similar. In contrast, H. decipiens from the Mediterranean is more related to the Atlantic populations rather than to the Red Sea populations. The hindcast model suggests that the expansion of H. stipulacea was related to the increases in seawater temperatures in the Mediterranean over the last 100 years. The SDMs predict that more suitable habitat will become available for both tropical species during this century. The habitat suitability for H. stipulacea will keep expanding westward and northward as the Mediterranean continues to become saltier and warmer. In comparison, the SDMs built for H. decipiens forecast a restricted habitat suitability in the south-eastern Mediterranean Sea at the present environmental conditions and predicts a progressive expansion with a potential increase in habitat suitability along 85% of the Mediterranean coastline. The predicted rapid expansion of non-native seagrass species could alter the Mediterranean's seagrass community and may entail massive impacts on associated ecosystem functions and services, impacts that have severe socio-economic consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Beca-Carretero
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
- Dead Sea-Arava Science Center, Masada, Israel
- Department of Ecology, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
| | - Mirta Teichberg
- Department of Ecology, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
| | - Gidon Winters
- Dead Sea-Arava Science Center, Masada, Israel
- Eilat Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Eilat, Israel
| | | | - Hauke Reuter
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty for Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Viana IG, Moreira-Saporiti A, Teichberg M. Species-Specific Trait Responses of Three Tropical Seagrasses to Multiple Stressors: The Case of Increasing Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:571363. [PMID: 33224162 PMCID: PMC7674176 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.571363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
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 life-history strategies. Under higher temperature treatments, C. serrulata showed photo-acclimation 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inés G. Viana
- Department of Ecology and Animal Biology, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research GmbH, Bremen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Inés G. Viana, ;
| | - Agustín Moreira-Saporiti
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research GmbH, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Mirta Teichberg
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research GmbH, Bremen, Germany
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