Guidelines for seagrass restoration: Importance of habitat selection and donor population, spreading of risks, and ecosystem engineering effects

Katwijk, M.M. van; Bos, Arthur R.; Jonge, Victor N. de; Hanssen, Lucien; Hermus, D.C.R.; Jong, D. J. de

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.09.028

Cited by 267 publications

(235 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Removing negative engineering interactions may be especially important for reestablishing those species whose initial establishment is hampered by thresholds but who subsequently benefit from selffacilitating positive feedbacks. The latter is clearly the case in seagrass (van der Heide et al 2007, 2011, van Katwijk et al 2010.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Meadows of the seagrass Zostera noltii Hornem are notoriously hard to restore, and initial establishment is especially difficult as positive feedbacks are still lacking (i.e., Byers et al 2006, van der Heide et al 2007, van Katwijk et al 2009). Historically, Zostera meadows are found to co-occur with the bioturbating lugworm Arenicola marina (Jacobs et al 1983), though they may encounter negative worm effects (i.e., Philippart 1994, Reise andKohlus 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Suppressing antagonistic bioengineering feedbacks doubles restoration success

Suykerbuyk

Bouma

Heide

et al. 2012

Ecological Applications

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Abstract. In a seagrass restoration project, we explored the potential for enhancing the restoration process by excluding antagonistic engineering interactions (i.e., biomechanical warfare) between two ecosystem engineers: the bioturbating lugworm Arenicola marina and the sediment-stabilizing seagrass Zostera noltii Hornem. Applying a shell layer underneath half of our seagrass transplants successfully reduced adult lugworm density by over 80% and reduced lugworm-induced microtopography (a proxy for lugworm disturbance) at the wavesheltered site. At the wave-exposed site adult lugworm densities and microtopography were already lower than at the sheltered site but were further reduced in the shell-treated units. Excluding lugworms and their bioengineering effects corresponded well with a strongly enhanced seagrass growth at the wave-sheltered site, which was absent at the exposed site. Enhanced seagrass growth in the present study was fully assigned to the removal of lugworms' negative engineering effects and not to any (indirect) evolving effects such as an altered biogeochemistry or sediment-stabilizing effects by the shell layer. The context-dependency implies that seagrass establishment at the exposed site is not constrained by negative ecosystem-engineering interactions only, but also by overriding physical stresses causing poor growth conditions. Present findings underline that, in addition to recent emphasis on considering positive (facilitating) interactions in ecological theory and practice, it is equally important to consider negative engineering interactions between ecosystem-engineering species. Removal of such negative interactions between ecosystem-engineering species can give a head start to the target species at the initial establishment phase, when positive engineering feedbacks by the target species on itself are still lacking. Though our study was carried out in a marine environment with variable levels of wave disturbance, similar principles may be expected to apply to other ecosystems that are inhabited by ecosystem engineers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suppressing antagonistic bioengineering feedbacks doubles restoration success

Suykerbuyk

Bouma

Heide

et al. 2012

Ecological Applications

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“…So far, there are few signs of recovery, which may imply that the longterm multiple impacts have reduced the system's resilience (Piersma et al 2001;Lotze et al 2006). Attempts since 1991 to restore low intertidal Zostera marina beds in the western Dutch Wadden Sea have failed (van Katwijk et al 2009), M. balthica numbers continue a decline ), and intertidal mussel beds have not returned this study). This means that the area currently is in a state far from its historical baseline (Lotze et al 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…However worrying that is, inhabitants of the shallow parts of the oceans, areas exposed during low tide ("wadden"), suVered the same fate. In the last century, the European Wadden Sea lost structuring organisms like Sabellaria-reefs, inter-and subtidal Zostera meadows, and Ostrea edulis beds, due to overexploitation, diseases, and destruction (Reise 1982;Riesen and Reise 1982;Airoldi and Beck 2007;van Katwijk et al 2009). The major diVerence between the open oceans and the intertidal Xats is that the former had a greater share of attention, such that there is a general appreciation of their historical richness (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Now an empty mudflat: past and present benthic abundances in the western Dutch Wadden Sea

2010

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“…Marine efforts often focus on single species (e.g. Bergen et al 2000, van Katwijk et al 2009), and especially species that are commercially, recreationally or culturally important (e.g. shellfish; Rice et al 2000, Fegley et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Context-dependent success of restoration of a key species, biodiversity and community composition

Hewitt¹,

Cummings²

2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Increasingly, restoration is seen as a management and conservation tool, with aims of restoring not just a single species but a natural functioning community. In marine soft sediment systems, biodiversity and communities are often strongly related to the presence of key species, suggesting that restoration of a single species could result in restoration of communities/biodiversity. The success of such a restoration is likely to be context-dependent, driven by hydrodynamics, local diversity and ambient communities. A transplant experiment with adult Austrovenus stutchburyi was conducted in 2 different hydrodynamic compartments of a large New Zealand harbour. After 1 yr, densities of transplant sized individuals and smaller adults were enhanced at both sites, although enhancement of juveniles only occurred at 1 site. Measures of diversity did not increase in the experimental plots; however, at 1 site the benthic macrofaunal community had changed. Probable reasons for the location-dependent results are differences in hydrodynamic connectivity and ambient communities, although density-dependent effects driven by small differences in the success of adult enhancement may also have been important.

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Guidelines for seagrass restoration: Importance of habitat selection and donor population, spreading of risks, and ecosystem engineering effects

Cited by 267 publications

References 73 publications

Suppressing antagonistic bioengineering feedbacks doubles restoration success

Suppressing antagonistic bioengineering feedbacks doubles restoration success

Now an empty mudflat: past and present benthic abundances in the western Dutch Wadden Sea

Context-dependent success of restoration of a key species, biodiversity and community composition

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