A Systematic Review of How Multiple Stressors From an Extreme Event Drove Ecosystem-Wide Loss of Resilience in an Iconic Seagrass Community

Abstract

species (e.g., Halodule uninervis). Those biotic effects also impacted multiple consumer populations including turtles and dugongs, with implications for species dynamics, food web structure, and ecosystem recovery. We show multiple stressors can combine to evoke extreme ecological responses by pushing ecosystems beyond their tolerance. Finally, both direct abiotic and indirect biotic effects need to be explicitly considered when attempting to understand and predict how ECEs will alter marine ecosystem dynamics.

Too hot to handle: Unprecedented seagrass death driven by marine heatwave in a World Heritage Area

“…This may account for its greater resilience compared to A. antarctica against extremely high temperatures as increased respiration at higher temperatures will reduce production of photosynthate required for metabolism, which may be mediated by carbohydrate reserve mobilization. However, P. australis meadows were not entirely unaffected as complete seed abortion was reported in 2011–2012 in Shark Bay (Sinclair et al, 2016) and seed production did not recover until 2016–2017 (Kendrick et al, 2019). This suggests a reliance on adult resistance over a ‘reproduce and recover’ strategy in response to MHWs for P. australis .…”

The constraint of ignoring the subtidal water climatology in evaluating the changes of coralligenous reefs due to heating events

“…The possibility of exploiting the use of such descriptors of heating events for other subtidal efforts should be investigated, in addition to MHWs metrics for the surface 15,48 . Currently, the response of other subtidal community/species to the thermal environment is being examined based on satellite-derived SST, if the systems investigated are very shallow 62 . Alternatively, studies for deeper systems have relied on in situ loggers measures where, for very specific locations, temperature data have started to be collected long before the study was really designed and where researchers could formulate the hypotheses only a posteriori [60][61][62][63][64][65] .…”

“…Currently, the response of other subtidal community/species to the thermal environment is being examined based on satellite-derived SST, if the systems investigated are very shallow 62 . Alternatively, studies for deeper systems have relied on in situ loggers measures where, for very specific locations, temperature data have started to be collected long before the study was really designed and where researchers could formulate the hypotheses only a posteriori [60][61][62][63][64][65] . However, estimating subtidal temperature anomalies based on the subtidal climatology by long-time series of field temperature data has to be supported, although it will concern a limited number of localities: the recent promotion of research projects or temperature monitoring programs (i.e.…”

Depth moderates loss of marine foundation species after an extreme marine heatwave: could deep temperate reefs act as a refuge?

“…Oceanic MHWs are extreme climatic disturbances that are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity owing to climate change [8]. MHWs are defined as extended periods of anomalously high sea surface temperatures [24] which have already resulted in devastating effects on coastal marine communities characterized by widespread mortalities of invertebrates [3,25], seagrasses [26], coral, (associated with coral bleaching) [27], range contractions of habitat-forming species [28], and changes to community structure and ecosystem function [3,23]. MHWs have been documented across the globe: in the Mediterranean [29]; Australia [30]; northwestern Atlantic [31] and in the northeastern Pacific [32].…”