Effects of the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea on the native seagrass, Syringodium filiforme, and associated fish and epibiota communities in the Eastern Caribbean

Willette, Demian A.; Ambrose, Richard F.

doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2012.06.007

Cited by 83 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 89 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, it colonized the Eastern Mediterranean basin following the opening of the Suez Canal, and from there it spread into the Southern and Western Mediterranean (van der Velde and den Hartog ; Boudouresque and Verlaque ; Gambi et al ; Sghaier et al ). Now, there are several reports that indicate its geographical expansion into the Eastern Caribbean (Ruiz and Ballantine ; Willette and Ambrose ). In these areas, H. stipulacea acts as an invasive species by outcompeting other native seagrasses such as Syringodium filiforme (Willette and Ambrose ) and endemic species such as Posidonia oceanica (Gambi et al ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Now, there are several reports that indicate its geographical expansion into the Eastern Caribbean (Ruiz and Ballantine ; Willette and Ambrose ). In these areas, H. stipulacea acts as an invasive species by outcompeting other native seagrasses such as Syringodium filiforme (Willette and Ambrose ) and endemic species such as Posidonia oceanica (Gambi et al ). The reasons for the success of H. stipulacea are not clear; however, the N acquisition strategy of this species, characterized by high capacity and efficiency for ammonium uptake, may favor the geographical expansion and potential invasiveness of H. stipulacea into areas with variable N concentrations (Alexandre et al ; van Tussenbroek et al ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

N₂ fixation and primary productivity in a red sea Halophila stipulacea meadow exposed to seasonality

Cardini

Hoytema

Bednarz

et al. 2017

Limnology & Oceanography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea exhibits a limited capacity to use nitrate, but has a high uptake capacity and efficiency for ammonium. Consequently, N 2 fixation by associated diazotrophic epiphytes may be important in providing ammonium needed for seagrass photosynthesis and growth. When exposed to seasonality, this association could provide a competitive advantage for H. stipulacea in relation to other seagrass species, but related knowledge is scarce. Here, we thus report measurements of net photosynthesis (O 2 fluxes) and N 2 fixation (acetylene reduction) associated with H. stipulacea from the Northern Red Sea over all four seasons of 2013. In parallel, we characterized the seagrass meadow areal extent, shoot and leaves density, and the leaf area index. Using this data, we quantified meadow net primary production and N 2 fixation and estimated the photo-metabolic N demand met by N 2 fixation at the community level. Results revealed a marked seasonality of meadow N 2 fixation, with rates ranging from 0.06 in winter to 4.60 mmol N m 22 d 21 in summer, i.e., an increase by two orders of magnitude. In summer, when nutrient concentrations in the water column were lowest and light intensity and temperature highest, there was a significant positive linear relationship between meadow net primary production and N 2 fixation, with the latter accounting for ca. 20% of the photo-metabolic N demand. These findings suggest that N 2 fixation by associated diazotrophic epiphytes can mitigate N limitation of H. stipulacea meadows under N scarcity. This trait may also favor the ongoing geographical expansion of H. stipulacea.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

N₂ fixation and primary productivity in a red sea Halophila stipulacea meadow exposed to seasonality

Cardini

Hoytema

Bednarz

et al. 2017

Limnology & Oceanography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the Caribbean, the potential invasiveness and ecological impact are currently unknown (Willette et al 2014). However, recent observations in Dominica showed that H. stipulacea can outcompete the native pioneer species Syringodium filiforme Kützing, Halodule wrightii Ascherson and Halophila decipiens Ostenfeld (Willette & Ambrose 2012;Steiner & Willette 2015). Whether H. stipulacea can also replace Thalassia testudinum K.D.Koenig, the climax species that often dominates seagrass meadows in the Caribbean, remains to be studied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expansion and fragment settlement of the non-native seagrass Halophila stipulacea in a Caribbean bay

Smulders

Vonk

Engel

et al. 2017

Marine Biology Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

General rightsIt is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: http://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. The non-native seagrass species Halophila stipulacea has spread throughout the Eastern Caribbean since 2002, and could potentially impact the functioning of local seagrass ecosystems. Important characteristics for invasiveness, such as dispersal, recruitment and expansion of H. stipulacea at a local scale, are unknown. We assessed H. stipulacea expansion rates within Lac Bay, Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean (7 km 2 ), since its establishment in 2010 and tested the settlement potential of uprooted vegetative fragments of H. stipulacea. Using 49 fixed locations, we observed that between 2011 and 2015 the occurrence of H. stipulacea in the bay increased significantly from 6% to 20% while native Thalassia testudinum occurrence decreased significantly from 53% to 33%. Free-floating H. stipulacea fragments that were collected and tethered above the sediment rooted within 10 days with a settlement success rate of 100%. The growth of settled fragments was on average 0.91 shoots d −1 . The ongoing shift from native T. testudinum to introduced H. stipulacea dominated meadows may have important consequences for multiple Caribbean seagrass ecosystem functions. Given the large difference in size between the two seagrass species, functions such as coastal protection, habitat structure, food availability, and the stability and resilience of these systems can be altered. The next steps towards modelling future expansion of H. stipulacea throughout the Caribbean and beyond should include the assessment of fragment viability and dispersal distance, and the impacts of natural and anthropogenic disturbance on vegetative fragment density, dispersion and settlement by this species. ARTICLE HISTORY

show abstract

“…However, under undisturbed conditions, and at longer time‐scales, it is less clear whether H. stipulacea can actively push out native seagrass species. So far, shallow‐rooted invasive H. stipulacea was only reported to rapidly displace shallow‐rooted S. filiforme and H. decipiens in the Caribbean (Steiner & Willette, ; Willette & Ambrose, ; Willette et al, ). Here, we report that invasive seagrass mats are replacing deeper rooted T. testudinum.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Megaherbivores may impact expansion of invasive seagrass in the Caribbean

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract1. Our knowledge of the functional role of large herbivores is rapidly expanding, and the impact of grazing on species coexistence and nonnative species expansion has been studied across ecosystems. However, experimental data on large grazer impacts on plant invasion in aquatic ecosystems are lacking.2. Since its introduction in 2002, the seagrass species Halophila stipulacea has rapidly expanded across the Eastern Caribbean, forming dense meadows in green turtle (Chelonia mydas)-foraging areas. We investigate the changes in seagrass species coexistence and the impacts of leaf grazing by green turtles on nonnative seagrass expansion in Lac Bay (Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands).3. Green turtle grazing behaviour changed after the introduction of nonnative seagrass to Lac Bay in 2010. Field observations, together with time-lapse satellite images over the last four decades, showed initiation of new grazing patches (65 ha, an increase of 72%). The sharp border between grazed and ungrazed seagrass patches moved in the direction of shallower areas with native seagrass species that had previously been ungrazed. Green turtles deployed withFastloc-GPS transmitters confirmed high site fidelity to these newly cropped patches. In addition, cafeteria experiments indicated selective grazing by green turtles on native species. These native seagrass species had significantly higher nutritional values compared to the nonnative species. In parallel, exclosure experiments showed that nonnative seagrass expanded more rapidly in grazed canopies | INTRODUC TI ONLarge herbivores, whether aquatic or terrestrial, can have strong impacts on associated species and can be critical ecosystem engineers as they alter plant productivity, modify geomorphology, and influence nutrient cycling, habitat structure and plant coexistence (Bakker et al., 2016;Poore et al., 2012;Wood, Armstron, & Richards, 1967). Megaherbivores can impact plant species coexistence and species composition via multiple mechanisms. Preferential grazing on dominant plant species can promote species diversity by releasing competitors (Olff & Ritchie, 1998), or reduce diversity by selectively removing nondominant species (Hidding, Bakker, et al., 2010).Grazing can also precipitate species shift from long-lived, slow growing species, to faster growing pioneer species that are better adapted to grazing (Kelkar, Arthur, Marba, & Alcoverro, 2013;Knapp et al., 1999). Additionally, grazing on below-ground plant parts can enhance species diversity by creating regeneration niches through sediment disturbance (Hidding, Nolet, Boer, Vries, & Klaassen, 2010).The impact of herbivory on plant coexistence has been shown across diverse ecosystems, including examples from terrestrial and aquatic systems (Augustine & McNaughton, 1998;Bakker, Pagès, Arthur, & Alcoverro, 2015). This being the case, there is a potential for grazers to increase the success of invasive plants. Evidence of interactions between grazing and invasive plants go both ways.Nonnative species may come to dominate ...

show abstract

Effects of the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea on the native seagrass, Syringodium filiforme, and associated fish and epibiota communities in the Eastern Caribbean

Cited by 83 publications

References 89 publications

N₂ fixation and primary productivity in a red sea Halophila stipulacea meadow exposed to seasonality

N₂ fixation and primary productivity in a red sea Halophila stipulacea meadow exposed to seasonality

Expansion and fragment settlement of the non-native seagrass Halophila stipulacea in a Caribbean bay

Megaherbivores may impact expansion of invasive seagrass in the Caribbean

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Effects of the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea on the native seagrass, Syringodium filiforme, and associated fish and epibiota communities in the Eastern Caribbean

Cited by 83 publications

References 89 publications

N2 fixation and primary productivity in a red sea Halophila stipulacea meadow exposed to seasonality

N2 fixation and primary productivity in a red sea Halophila stipulacea meadow exposed to seasonality

Expansion and fragment settlement of the non-native seagrass Halophila stipulacea in a Caribbean bay

Megaherbivores may impact expansion of invasive seagrass in the Caribbean

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

N₂ fixation and primary productivity in a red sea Halophila stipulacea meadow exposed to seasonality

N₂ fixation and primary productivity in a red sea Halophila stipulacea meadow exposed to seasonality