Importance of genetic diversity in eelgrass Zostera marina for its resilience to global warming

Ehlers, Anneli; Worm, Boris; Reusch, Thorsten B. H.

doi:10.3354/meps07369

Cited by 248 publications

(218 citation statements)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

209

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, few studies on climate variability and ecosystem engineering have been conducted (Lavelle et al 1997, Ling et al 2008. The potential for climate to affect ecosystem engineers is demonstrated by work showing that Zostera marina (common eelgrass), which engineers coastal estuarine systems, lost 44% of shoot density under simulated increases in temperature (Ehlers et al 2008). In light of climate change predictions for the next century (IPCC 2007), understanding how climate interacts with other factors to influence ecosystem engineering species can improve predictions of the ecological consequences of climate change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotic and abiotic predictors of ecosystem engineering traits of the dune building grass, Ammophila breviligulata

Emery

Rudgers

2014

Ecosphere

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Citation: Emery, S. M., and J. A. Rudgers. 2014. Biotic and abiotic predictors of ecosystem engineering traits of the dune building grass, Ammophila breviligulata. Ecosphere 5(7):87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES13-00331.1Abstract. Ecosystem engineers are species that fundamentally influence their community and ecosystem by creating or altering the physical structure of habitats. However, the function of ecosystem engineers is variable and can depend on abiotic and biotic factors. In this study, we characterized the ecosystem engineering traits of plant size and tiller density for the dune grass, Ammophila breviligulata, in 37 sites across a broad geographic gradient in the western Great Lakes region. We also measured 20 biotic and abiotic factors related to climate, soil chemistry, and fungal symbionts associated with these survey sites and assessed their relationships with A. breviligulata population traits and dune plant species richness. Climate factors, especially temperature and precipitation, were positively associated with A. breviligulata tiller size, while soil organic matter was the only factor associated with tiller density. Several factors, including temperature, soil nitrogen, and mycorrhizal colonization, were associated with plant richness across our sites. Our results suggest that climate can influence at least some ecosystem engineering traits (i.e., plant size) of an important dune building species, although general conclusions from our work indicate that the population trait tied most closely with dune building ability-population density-is not strongly influenced by climate at the regional scale. This offers insight for conservationists interested in preserving intact dune ecosystems in a changing climate, but further work is needed to reconcile conflicting lab and field studies.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotic and abiotic predictors of ecosystem engineering traits of the dune building grass, Ammophila breviligulata

Emery

Rudgers

2014

Ecosphere

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although much of the differentiation in traits observed in eelgrass across tidal heights is due to phenotypic plasticity (Dennison & Alberte, 1986; Li, Kim, Kim, Kim & Lee, 2013), there can be genetic differentiation in eelgrass growing at different depths (Kim et al., 2017; Ort et al., 2012), suggesting that there may be genetically based trait variation across depths. Trait differences can influence the intensity of competition between genotypes and patterns of coexistence, biomass accumulation, and population stability, with substantial consequences at the community and ecosystem level (Abbott & Stachowicz, 2016; Abbott et al., 2017; Ehlers, Worm & Reusch, 2008; Hughes & Stachowicz, 2004, 2011; Reusch, Ehlers, Hämmerli & Worm, 2005). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic distance predicts trait differentiation at the subpopulation but not the individual level in eelgrass,Zostera marina

Abbott

DuBois

Grosberg

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecological studies often assume that genetically similar individuals will be more similar in phenotypic traits, such that genetic diversity can serve as a proxy for trait diversity. Here, we explicitly test the relationship between genetic relatedness and trait distance using 40 eelgrass (Zostera marina) genotypes from five sites within Bodega Harbor, CA. We measured traits related to nutrient uptake, morphology, biomass and growth, photosynthesis, and chemical deterrents for all genotypes. We used these trait measurements to calculate a multivariate pairwise trait distance for all possible genotype combinations. We then estimated pairwise relatedness from 11 microsatellite markers. We found significant trait variation among genotypes for nearly every measured trait; however, there was no evidence of a significant correlation between pairwise genetic relatedness and multivariate trait distance among individuals. However, at the subpopulation level (sites within a harbor), genetic (F ST) and trait differentiation were positively correlated. Our work suggests that pairwise relatedness estimated from neutral marker loci is a poor proxy for trait differentiation between individual genotypes. It remains to be seen whether genomewide measures of genetic differentiation or easily measured “master” traits (like body size) might provide good predictions of overall trait differentiation.

show abstract

“…In fact, community diversity, overall species richness, mixed assemblages of different plant species, genetic diversity within populations, and presence and diversity of grazer functional groups are all positively associated with resistance to climate stress (e.g., Reusch et al 2005;Ghedini, Russell, and Connell 2015). For SAV communities, genetic and species diversity improves SAV survival and the maintenance of ecosystem services in seagrass meadows (Duarte 2000;Ehlers, Worm, and Reusch 2008;Hughes, Best, and Stachowicz 2010;Reynolds, McGlathery, and Waycott 2012;Gustafsson, Boström, and Unsworth 2013;Duffy et al 2015) and freshwater SAV beds Ritchie 2001, 2002;Engelhardt, Lloyd, and Neel 2014). While monocultures or low-diversity systems may expand most rapidly following a stress-induced population collapse, diverse systems are more resilient (Stachowicz et al 2013;Gustafsson, Boström, and Unsworth 2013).…”

Section: Outlook For the Twenty-first Centurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Twenty-first century climate change and submerged aquatic vegetation in a temperate estuary: the case of Chesapeake Bay

Arnold

Zimmerman

Engelhardt

et al. 2017

Ecosyst Health Sustain

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: The Chesapeake Bay was once renowned for expansive meadows of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). However, only 10% of the original meadows survive. Future restoration efforts will be complicated by accelerating climate change, including physiological stressors such as a predicted mean temperature increase of 2-6°C and a 50-160% increase in CO 2 concentrations. Outcomes: As the Chesapeake Bay begins to exhibit characteristics of a subtropical estuary, summer heat waves will become more frequent and severe. Warming alone would eventually eliminate eelgrass (Zostera marina) from the region. It will favor native heat-tolerant species such as widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima) while facilitating colonization by non-native seagrasses (e.g., Halodule spp.). Intensifying human activity will also fuel coastal zone acidification and the resulting high CO 2 /low pH conditions may benefit SAV via a "CO 2 fertilization effect." Discussion: Acidification is known to offset the effects of thermal stress and may have similar effects in estuaries, assuming water clarity is sufficient to support CO 2 -stimulated photosynthesis and plants are not overgrown by epiphytes. However, coastal zone acidification is variable, driven mostly by local biological processes that may or may not always counterbalance the effects of regional warming. This precarious equipoise between two forcesthermal stress and acidification -will be critically important because it may ultimately determine the fate of cool-water plants such as Zostera marina in the Chesapeake Bay. Conclusion: The combined impacts of warming, coastal zone acidification, water clarity, and overgrowth of competing algae will determine the fate of SAV communities in rapidly changing temperate estuaries.

show abstract

Importance of genetic diversity in eelgrass Zostera marina for its resilience to global warming

Cited by 248 publications

References 34 publications

Biotic and abiotic predictors of ecosystem engineering traits of the dune building grass, Ammophila breviligulata

Biotic and abiotic predictors of ecosystem engineering traits of the dune building grass, Ammophila breviligulata

Genetic distance predicts trait differentiation at the subpopulation but not the individual level in eelgrass,Zostera marina

Twenty-first century climate change and submerged aquatic vegetation in a temperate estuary: the case of Chesapeake Bay

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About