Interdependency of tropical marine ecosystems in response to climate change

Saunders, Megan I.; Leon, Javier X.; Callaghan, David P.; Roelfsema, Christiaan M; Hamylton, Sarah; Brown, Christopher J.; Baldock, Tom E.; Golshani, Aliasghar; Phinn, Stuart; Lovelock, Catherine E.; Høegh-Guldberg, Ove; Woodroffe, Colin D.; Mumby, Peter J.

doi:10.1038/nclimate2274

Cited by 82 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Many studies are observational, with climate change effects being extrapolated from mid-long term temporal series or from the plant/meadow responses to extreme events such as hotter summers, hurricanes, anomalous runoff, droughts and so on (e.g., CARLSON et al, 2010). During the last decade, few studies have tested working hypotheses or investigated particular climate change effects through design experiments (e.g., UNSWORTH et al, 2012;GARTHWIN et al, 2014;YAAKUB et al, 2014) or produced prognoses based upon IPCC climate scenarios and modelling (SAUNDERS et al, 2014).…”

Section: Climate Variability and Global Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Seagrass and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (VAS) Habitats off the Coast of Brazil: state of knowledge, conservation and main threats

et al. 2016

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Financial Support: This study was supported by the Brazilian Network for Coastal Benthic Studies -ReBentos (Programa SISBIOTA), Rede CLIMA and INCT for Climate Changes; sponsored by CNPq and FAPESP. Seagrass meadows are among the most threatened ecosystems on earth, raising concerns about the equilibrium of coastal ecosystems and the sustainability of local fisheries. The present review evaluated the current status of the research on seagrasses and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) habitats off the coast of Brazil in terms of plant responses to environmental conditions, changes in distribution and abundance, and the possible role of climate change and variability. Despite an increase in the number of studies, the communication of the results is still relatively limited and is mainly addressed to a national or regional public; thus, South American seagrasses are rarely included or cited in global reviews and models. The scarcity of large-scale and long-term studies allowing the detection of changes in the structure, abundance and composition of seagrass habitats and associated species still hinders the investigation of such communities with respect to the potential effects of climate change. Seagrass meadows and SAV occur all along the Brazilian coast, with species distribution and abundance being strongly influenced by regional oceanography, coastal water masses, river runoff and coastal geomorphology. Based on these geomorphological, hydrological and ecological features, we characterised the distribution of seagrass habitats and abundances within the major coastal compartments. The current conservation AbstrActPradarias de gramas marinhas e vegetação aquática submersa (VAS) estão entre os ecossistemas mais ameaçados do planeta, gerando preocupação sobre o equilíbrio dos ecossistemas costeiros e a sustentabilidade das pescarias. A presente revisão avaliou o estado do conhecimento sobre as pradarias marinhas e VAS do Brasil, considerando as respostas das plantas às condições ambientais, e o possível papel da geomorfologia costeira e variabilidade climática sobre a distribuição e abundância das populações. Apesar do crescente aumento no número de publicações, a comunicação dos resultados ainda é relativamente limitada e destina-se principalmente ao público nacional ou regional. Como resultado, as pradarias de gramas marinhas da América do Sul raramente são incluídas ou citadas em revisões e modelos globais. A escassez de estudos em larga escala e de longo prazo, permitindo a detecção de mudanças na estrutura, abundância e composição dos habitats e espécies associadas, limita a investigação das comunidades no que diz respeito aos efeitos potenciais das mudanças climáticas. Pradarias marinhas e VAS ocorrem ao longo de toda a costa brasileira, mas a distribuição e abundância das espécies são influenciadas pela oceanografia regional, massas de água costeiras, descarga de rios e geomorfologia costeira. Com base nas características oceanográficas, geomorfológicas, hidrológicas e ecológicas, o estudo discutiu a distr...

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Section: Climate Variability and Global Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Seagrass and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (VAS) Habitats off the Coast of Brazil: state of knowledge, conservation and main threats

et al. 2016

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“…The seagrass presence/absence maps were presented in Saunders et al (2014), with seagrass percent cover and species maps contributed in the present study. A high spatial resolution satellite (WorldView 2) image (2 × 2 m pixel size) was captured in October 2011, geo-referenced, and corrected for atmospheric distortions .…”

Section: Mapping Of Seagrass Species Distribution In 2011 and Comparimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aims of this study were (i) to quantify the spatial patterns of seagrass species distribution and abundance in shallow water ( < 5 m) in 2011, and to compare results with seagrass habitat maps produced in 1995 (McKenzie et al 1997);and (ii) to quantify the spatial (one to four sites) and temporal (1-2 years) variabilities in percent cover, shoot density, shoot length, leaf area index (LAI), biomass, sediment organic carbon content, leaf production, and vertical and horizontal rhizome elongation, in 2011 and 2012. The results can be used to assess changes in seagrass distribution and abundance (e.g., Roelfsema et al 2013), to contribute to global syntheses of seagrass ecosystems (e.g., Duarte andChiscano 1999, Fourqurean et al 2012), and to parameterize predictive models of ecological change (e.g., Saunders et al 2013aSaunders et al , 2014.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal variability of seagrass at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

Saunders¹,

Bayraktarov

Roelfsema

et al. 2015

Botanica Marina

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Increasing threats to natural ecosystems from local and global stressors are reinforcing the need for baseline data on the distribution and abundance of organisms. We quantified spatial and/or temporal patterns of seagrass distribution, shoot density, leaf area index, biomass, productivity, and sediment carbon content in shallow water (0-5 m) at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, in field surveys conducted in December 2011 and October 2012. Seagrass meadows were mapped using satellite imagery and field validation. A total of 18.3 ha of seagrass, composed primarily of Thalassia hemprichii and Halodule uninervis, was mapped in shallow water. This was 46% less than the area of seagrass in the same region reported in 1995, although variations in mapping methods may have influenced the magnitude of change detected. There was inter-annual variability in shoot density and length, with values for both higher in 2011 than in 2012.Seagrass properties and sediment carbon content were representative of shallow-water seagrass meadows on a mid-shelf Great Barrier Reef island. The data can be used to evaluate change, to parameterize models of the impact of anthropogenic or environmental variability on seagrass distribution and abundance, and to assess the success of management actions.

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“…Research in tropical coastal seascapes has revealed ecosystem engineering species within some ecosystems (i.e., species that physically modify the abiotic environment Jones et al, 1994) can significantly reduce wave energy from the ocean to the land and reduce nutrient and sediment fluxes from the land to the ocean (Gillis et al, 2014a;Saunders et al, 2014;Koppel et al, 2015;Guannel et al, 2016). Effects can occur over distances sufficient to encompass and positively affect other ecosystem types lying within the energetic and material flux paths from ocean to land and vice versa (Gillis et al, 2014a;Saunders et al, 2014;Koppel et al, 2015;Guannel et al, 2016). In this perspective, we will argue that new technologies and knowledge can link together to provide the foundations for innovative inter-ecosystem connectivity management (monitoring and restoration).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…based management (McLeod and Leslie, 2009;Saunders et al, 2014;Long et al, 2015). A review of 49 management plans across eight coastal systems (including the Great Barrier Reef and the Everglades) only 6% of the management objectives included consideration of connectivity (Arkema et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunities for Protecting and Restoring Tropical Coastal Ecosystems by Utilizing a Physical Connectivity Approach

et al. 2017

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Effectively managing human pressures on tropical seascapes (mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs) requires innovative approaches that go beyond the ecosystem as the focal unit. Recent advances in scientific understanding of long-distance connectivity via extended ecosystem engineering effects and on-going rapid developments in monitoring and data-sharing technologies provide viable tools for novel management approaches that use positive across-ecosystem interactions (for example, hydrodynamics). Scientists and managers can now use this collective knowledge to develop monitoring and restoration protocols that are specialized for cross ecosystem fluxes (waves, sediments, nutrients) on a site-specific basis for connected tropical seascape (mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs).

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Interdependency of tropical marine ecosystems in response to climate change

Abstract: marine ecosystems in response to climate change Interdependency of tropical marine ecosystems in response to climate change

Cited by 82 publications

References 29 publications

Seagrass and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (VAS) Habitats off the Coast of Brazil: state of knowledge, conservation and main threats

Seagrass and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (VAS) Habitats off the Coast of Brazil: state of knowledge, conservation and main threats

Spatial and temporal variability of seagrass at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

Opportunities for Protecting and Restoring Tropical Coastal Ecosystems by Utilizing a Physical Connectivity Approach

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