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Losciale R, Day JC, Rasheed MA, Heron SF. The vulnerability of World Heritage seagrass habitats to climate change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17113. [PMID: 38273578 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17113] [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: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Seagrass is an important natural attribute of 28 World Heritage (WH) properties. These WH seagrass habitats provide a wide range of services to adjacent ecosystems and human communities, and are one of the largest natural carbon sinks on the planet. Climate change is considered the greatest and fastest-growing threat to natural WH properties and evidence of climate-related impacts on seagrass habitats has been growing. The main objective of this study was to assess the vulnerability of WH seagrass habitats to location-specific key climate stressors. Quantitative surveys of seagrass experts and site managers were used to assess exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of WH seagrass habitats to climate stressors, following the Climate Vulnerability Index approach. Over half of WH seagrass habitats have high vulnerability to climate change, mainly from the long-term increase in sea-surface temperature and short-term marine heatwaves. Potential impacts from climate change and certainty scores associated with them were higher than reported by a similar survey-based study from 10 years prior, indicating a shift in stakeholder perspectives during the past decade. Additionally, seagrass experts' opinions on the cumulative impacts of climate and direct-anthropogenic stressors revealed that high temperature in combination with high suspended sediments, eutrophication and hypoxia is likely to provoke a synergistic cumulative (negative) impact (p < .05). A key component contributing to the high vulnerability assessments was the low adaptive capacity; however, discrepancies between adaptive capacity scores and qualitative responses suggest that managers of WH seagrass habitats might not be adequately equipped to respond to climate change impacts. This thematic assessment provides valuable information to help prioritize conservation actions, monitoring activities and research in WH seagrass habitats. It also demonstrates the utility of a systematic framework to evaluate the vulnerability of thematic groups of protected areas that share a specific attribute.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Losciale
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jon C Day
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael A Rasheed
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
| | - Scott F Heron
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Physics and Marine Geophysical Laboratory, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
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2
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Buñuel X, Alcoverro T, Boada J, Zinkunegi L, Smith TM, Barrera A, Casas M, Farina S, Pérez M, Romero J, Arthur R, Pagès JF. Indirect grazing‐induced mechanisms contribute to the resilience of Mediterranean seagrass meadows to sea urchin herbivory. OIKOS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Buñuel
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Teresa Alcoverro
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Jordi Boada
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Leire Zinkunegi
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Timothy M. Smith
- Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook Univ. Cairns QLD Australia
| | - Anaïs Barrera
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Marc Casas
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
| | - Simone Farina
- Dept of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn–National Inst. of Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, Genoa Marine Centre Genoa Italy
- IAS‐CNR, Inst. for the Study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment, National Research Council Torre Grande OR Italy
| | - Marta Pérez
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Javier Romero
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Rohan Arthur
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
- Nature Conservation Foundation Mysore India
| | - Jordi F. Pagès
- Dept de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Univ. de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB‐CSIC), Blanes Girona Spain
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Stokes HJ, Mortimer JA, Laloë J, Hays GC, Esteban N. Synergistic use of
UAV
surveys, satellite tracking data, and mark‐recapture to estimate abundance of elusive species. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeanne A. Mortimer
- P.O. Box 1443, Victoria Mahé Seychelles
- Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | | | - Graeme C. Hays
- Centre for Integrative Ecology Deakin University Geelong Victoria Australia
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Dwindling seagrasses: A multi-temporal analysis on Google earth engine. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Gulick AG, Johnson RA, Palma LA, Kusel AM, Pollock CG, Hillis‐Starr Z, Bolten AB, Bjorndal KA. An underwater Serengeti: Seagrass‐mediated effects on intake and cultivation grazing behavior of a marine megaherbivore. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra G. Gulick
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Robert A. Johnson
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Laura A. Palma
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Ashley M. Kusel
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Clayton G. Pollock
- Division of Resource Management and Research, Buck Island Reef National Monument National Park Service Christiansted St. Croix US Virgin Islands
| | - Zandy Hillis‐Starr
- Division of Resource Management and Research, Buck Island Reef National Monument National Park Service Christiansted St. Croix US Virgin Islands
| | - Alan B. Bolten
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Karen A. Bjorndal
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
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Lekammudiyanse MU, Saunders MI, Flint N, Irving AD, Jackson EL. Simulated megaherbivore grazing as a driver of seagrass flowering. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 179:105698. [PMID: 35872443 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Seagrass meadows are an important habitat for Testudines (sea turtles) and Sirenia (dugong and manatee) megaherbivores. Megaherbivores can influence the structuring of seagrass meadows; for example, foraging patterns have been found to relate to seagrass phenological strategy. However, as these observations are derived from uncontrolled field studies, it is unclear whether grazing drives such changes or if the changes are related to other factors (e.g., temperature, tidal depth, light). In the present study, a mesocosm experiment was designed to test the impacts of grazing on metrics of flowering of Zostera muelleri over two consecutive flowering seasons. Prior to each flowering season, plants were cropped to 3 cm and 1 cm lengths to represent turtle and dugong grazing, respectively. This study measured the timing of flowering, the number of flowering shoots, the height of the flowering shoot, and the number of spathes (sheathing bracts containing seeds) per flowering shoot in each replicate (n = 5) weekly. Cropping had no significant influence on the timing of flowering (i.e., number of days to first and peak flowering) indicating that it is not a trigger for flowering. However, cropping significantly reduced the maximum density of flowering shoots and spathes, which was proposed to be due to resource allocation differences between clonal growth and flower production. A reduction in the flowering ratio was observed in both cropped plant groups and the relatively high density and the ratio of flowering observed in the 1 cm group indicate that the plant was adapting to cope with stress. Morphology of flowering (i.e., the maximum height of flowering shoot and the maximum number of spathes per flowering shoot) was not significantly affected by cropping and these two variables were strongly correlated. The results suggest that cropping can influence the overall flowering densities in a season but not the timing of flowering. This study demonstrated that cropping prior to the flowering season can reduce the expected production of spathes in seed nurseries and suggests it may be beneficial to consider megaherbivores in seed-based restoration activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuja U Lekammudiyanse
- Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre, CQUniversity, Gladstone, QLD, 4680, Australia; CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, QLD, 4067, Australia.
| | - Megan I Saunders
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, QLD, 4067, Australia
| | - Nicole Flint
- Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre, CQUniversity, Gladstone, QLD, 4680, Australia; School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, North Rockhampton, QLD, 4701, Australia
| | - Andrew D Irving
- Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre, CQUniversity, Gladstone, QLD, 4680, Australia
| | - Emma L Jackson
- Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre, CQUniversity, Gladstone, QLD, 4680, Australia
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Lambert V, Bainbridge ZT, Collier C, Lewis SE, Adams MP, Carter A, Saunders MI, Brodie J, Turner RDR, Rasheed MA, O'Brien KR. Connecting targets for catchment sediment loads to ecological outcomes for seagrass using multiple lines of evidence. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 169:112494. [PMID: 34051518 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Catchment impacts on downstream ecosystems are difficult to quantify, but important for setting management targets. Here we compared 12 years of monitoring data of seagrass area and biomass in Cleveland Bay, northeast Australia, with discharge and associated sediment loads from nearby rivers. Seagrass biomass and area exhibited different trajectories in response to river inputs. River discharge was a slightly better predictor of seagrass indicators than total suspended solid (TSS) loads, indicating that catchment effects on seagrass are not restricted to sediment. Linear relationships between Burdekin River TSS loads delivered over 1-4 years and seagrass condition in Cleveland Bay generated Ecologically Relevant Targets (ERT) for catchment sediment inputs. Our predicted ERTs were comparable to those previously estimated using mechanistic models. This study highlights the challenges of linking catchment inputs to condition of downstream ecosystems, and the importance of integrating a variety of metrics and approaches to increase confidence in ERTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Lambert
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | | | | | - Stephen E Lewis
- TropWATER, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Matthew P Adams
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia; School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Centre for Data Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Alex Carter
- TropWATER, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Jon Brodie
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Ryan D R Turner
- Water Quality & Investigations, Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Dutton Park, QLD, Australia; Managing for Resilient Landscapes, Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Katherine R O'Brien
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
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Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Macroherbivore Grazing in a Multi-Species Tropical Seagrass Meadow of the Great Barrier Reef. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Macroherbivory is an important process in seagrass meadows worldwide; however, the impact of macroherbivores on seagrasses in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has received little attention. We used exclusion cages and seagrass tethering assays to understand how the intensity of macroherbivory varies over space and time in the seagrass meadows around Green Island (Queensland), and what impact this has on overall meadow structure. Rates of macroherbivory were comparatively low, between 0.25–44% of daily seagrass productivity; however, rates were highly variable over a one-year period, and among sites. Loss of seagrass material to macroherbivory was predominantly due to fish; however, urchin herbivory was also taking place. Macroherbivory rates were of insufficient intensity to impact overall meadow structure. No macroherbivory events were identified on video cameras that filmed in the day, indicating that feeding may be occurring infrequently in large shoals, or at night. While relatively low compared to some meadows, seagrass macroherbivory was still an important process at this site. We suggest that in this highly protected area of the GBR, where the ecosystem and food webs remain largely intact, macroherbivory was maintained at a low level and was unlikely to cause the large-scale meadow structuring influence that can be seen in more modified seagrass systems.
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