Growth of pioneer beach plants is strongly driven by buried macroalgal wrack, whereas macroinvertebrates affect plant nutrient dynamics

Egmond, Emily van; Bodegom, Peter M. van; Hal, Jurgen van; Logtestijn, Richard S. P. van; Broekman, Rob; Berg, Matty P.; Aerts, Rien

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2019.03.015

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Seedlings growing in coastal ecosystems are able to bypass nutrient deficiency due to the availability of nutrients from the salt spray [32]. Another natural source of nutrient input is beachwrack, which washes up on the shore and then is decomposed by microbial communities and invertebrates leading to a release of organically bound nutrients [33]. During sand nourishment, nutrient-rich sediments taken from deeper sediment layers were exposed to the coast and nutrient concentrations increased [34].…”

Section: Nutrient Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Plant species profit from nourishment -One of those species is Artemisia maritima, which is known to profit from fertilization in salt marshes [35]. Cakile maritima is also known to grow best under high-nutrient and -moisture conditions, e.g., through beach wrack [33,37]. Both were found more frequently after nourishment, especially at the white dune.…”

Section: Single Species Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecological Impacts of Coastal Protection on the Vegetation of Sandy Coasts at the German Baltic Sea Coast

Glueck,

Schiefelbein,

Schubert

2024

Coasts

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Sand nourishments and groynes as coastal protection measures (CPM) address similar challenges on sandy coasts but take different approaches: while groynes are intended to reduce alongshore sediment transport and erosion, nourishments add new sediment to the system to compensate for erosion. The aim of this study is to compare the ecological effects of such measures on the vegetation. To this end, nutrient analysis and botanical mappings were carried out on a site with installed groynes, a site where sand nourishments are regularly carried out, and a control site without any CPM. In addition to an increase in nutrient availability after the sand nourishment, significant changes in plant species diversity and composition were also measured. The number of higher plants, mosses, and lichen species was lower at the nourishment site. The opposite impacts were observed at the groyne site: an increase in sediment cover by higher plants and mosses and a distinct increase in lichen species. The results suggest that groynes lead to a stabilization of the coastal system and enable dense vegetation growth. In contrast, sand nourishments lead to nutrient input and unstable habitat conditions, attracting certain plant communities but preventing the establishment of ground-covering vegetation.

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Section: Nutrient Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Single Species Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Impacts of Coastal Protection on the Vegetation of Sandy Coasts at the German Baltic Sea Coast

Glueck,

Schiefelbein,

Schubert

2024

Coasts

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“…Supporting the ‘sink’ hypothesis, buried beach‐cast kelp ( Fucus spp.) has been shown to enhance the growth of pioneer dune vegetation in the Netherlands (van Egmond et al ., 2019 ). The seagrass Posidonia oceanica provides an important nutrient source for adjacent dune vegetation in the Mediterranean Sea (Cardona & García, 2008 ; Jiménez et al ., 2017 ), where wrack is dominated by seagrass (Fig.…”

Section: The Current State Of Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

The role of inputs of marine wrack and carrion in sandy‐beach ecosystems: a global review

et al. 2022

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Sandy beaches are iconic interfaces that functionally link the ocean with the land via the flow of organic matter from the sea. These cross-ecosystem fluxes often comprise uprooted seagrass and dislodged macroalgae that can form substantial accumulations of detritus, termed 'wrack', on sandy beaches. In addition, the tissue of the carcasses of marine animals that regularly wash up on beaches form a rich food source ('carrion') for a diversity of scavenging animals. Here, we provide a global review of how wrack and carrion provide spatial subsidies that shape the structure and functioning of sandy-beach ecosystems (sandy beaches and adjacent surf zones), which typically have little in situ primary production. We also examine the spatial scaling of the influence of these processes across the broader land-and seascape, and identify key gaps in our knowledge to guide future research directions and priorities. Large quantities of detrital kelp and seagrass can flow into sandy-beach ecosystems, where microbial decomposers and animals process it. The rates of wrack supply and its retention are influenced by the oceanographic processes that transport it, the geomorphology and landscape context of the recipient beaches, and the condition, life history and morphological characteristics of the macrophyte taxa that are the ultimate source of wrack. When retained in beach ecosystems, wrack often creates hotspots of microbial metabolism, secondary productivity, biodiversity, and nutrient remineralization. Nutrients are produced during wrack breakdown, and these can return to coastal waters in surface flows (swash) and aquifers discharging into the subtidal surf. Beach-cast kelp often plays a key trophic role, being an abundant and preferred food source for mobile, semi-aquatic invertebrates that channel imported algal matter to predatory invertebrates, fish, and birds. The role of beach-cast marine carrion is likely to be underestimated, as it can be consumed rapidly by highly mobile scavengers (e.g. foxes, coyotes, raptors, vultures). These consumers become important vectors in transferring marine productivity inland, thereby linking marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Whilst deposits of organic matter on sandy-beach ecosystems underpin a range of ecosystem functions and services, they can be at variance with aesthetic perceptions resulting in widespread activities, such as 'beach cleaning and grooming'. This practice diminishes the energetic base of food webs, intertidal fauna, and biodiversity. Global declines in seagrass beds and kelp forests (linked to global warming) are predicted to cause substantial reductions in the amounts of marine organic matter reaching many beach ecosystems, likely causing flow-on effects for food webs and biodiversity. Similarly, future sea-level rise and increased storm frequency are likely to alter profoundly the physical attributes of beaches, which in turn can change the rates at which beaches retain and process the influxes of wrack and animal carcasses. Conservation of the multi-faceted eco...

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“…Burial effects on germination may be related to multiple environmental factors, such as poor aeration [ 11 ], low temperature fluctuation [ 12 ], and/or darkness [ 13 ]. Additionally, litter accumulation and decomposition can drive secondary seed dispersal and viability as well as seedling establishment and growth [ 14 , 15 ]. Seed burial under plant litter is especially abundant in ecosystems such as crop lands, peats, coastal forests, and marshes because they can accumulate loads of plant debris [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wrack Burial Limits Germination and Establishment of Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus L.)

Castillo

Gallego‐Tévar

Grewell³

2023

Plants

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Seed burial under wrack, mats of water-transported plant debris, can limit recruitment of seedlings in wetlands. In a greenhouse experiment, we studied the effects of wrack burial (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 cm depths) on germination and emergence of the macrophyte Iris pseudacorus, native to Europe, Mediterranean Basin, and western Asia, that has invaded wetlands in nearly every global ecozone. We recorded the percentages of germinating, senescent, and quiescent seeds and evaluated seedling establishment and growth relative to substrate environmental variables. Seedling emergence of I. pseudacorus was reduced from >80% in controls without burial to <40% even at minimal wrack depths of 1 cm. Few I. pseudacorus seedlings were able to emerge from wrack burial of up to 8 cm in depth. We also found greater numbers of both quiescent seeds and germinated seeds that did not emerge from wrack burial. Reduced seedling emergence and increased seed quiescence with wrack burial were primarily explained by a reduction in daily temperature variation within the substrate. No senescent seedlings were observed with any depth of wrack burial. In view of our results, the management of I. pseudacorus invasion will be a long-term challenge, requiring continued control due to persistent seeds in wrack-buried seed banks.

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Growth of pioneer beach plants is strongly driven by buried macroalgal wrack, whereas macroinvertebrates affect plant nutrient dynamics

Cited by 8 publications

References 49 publications

Ecological Impacts of Coastal Protection on the Vegetation of Sandy Coasts at the German Baltic Sea Coast

Ecological Impacts of Coastal Protection on the Vegetation of Sandy Coasts at the German Baltic Sea Coast

The role of inputs of marine wrack and carrion in sandy‐beach ecosystems: a global review

Wrack Burial Limits Germination and Establishment of Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus L.)

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