INTRODUCTION  Eelgrass recovery in the coastal bays of the Virginia Coast Reserve, USA

Orth, Robert J.; McGlathery, Karen J.

doi:10.3354/meps09596

Cited by 58 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…This study investigates whether stable isotopes in seagrass sediment OM exhibit spatial variation that can be used to identify the geographic origin of non‐seagrass SOC. The Zostera marina (eelgrass) meadow in South Bay, Virginia, U.S.A., is part of the Virginia Coast Reserve Long‐Term Ecological Research (VCR‐LTER) eelgrass restoration and represents the single largest, successfully restored seagrass meadow to date (Orth et al ; Orth and McGlathery ). SOC profile comparisons confirm that this meadow now stores significantly more SOC than adjacent bare sites (McGlathery et al ; Greiner et al ) and that much of this SOC is non‐seagrass in origin (Greiner et al ).…”

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confidence: 99%

Non‐seagrass carbon contributions to seagrass sediment blue carbon

Oreska

Wilkinson

McGlathery

et al. 2017

Limnology & Oceanography

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Non‐seagrass sources account for ∼ 50% of the sediment organic carbon (SOC) in many seagrass beds, a fraction that may derive from external organic matter (OM) advected into the meadow and trapped by the seagrass canopy or produced in situ. If allochthonous carbon fluxes are responsible for the non‐seagrass SOC in a given seagrass bed, this fraction should decrease with distance from the meadow perimeter. Identifying the spatial origin of SOC is important for closing seagrass carbon budgets and “blue carbon” offset‐credit accounting, but studies have yet to quantify and map seagrass SOC stocks by carbon source. We measured sediment δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S throughout a large (6 km2), restored Zostera marina (eelgrass) meadow and applied Bayesian mixing models to quantify total SOC contributions from possible autotroph sources, Z. marina, Spartina alterniflora, and benthic microalgae (BMA). Z. marina accounted for < 40% of total meadow SOC, but we did not find evidence for outwelling from the fringing S. alterniflora salt‐marsh or OM advection from bare subtidal areas. S. alterniflora SOC contributions averaged 10% at sites both inside and outside of the meadow. The BMA fraction accounted for 51% of total meadow SOC and was highest at sites furthest from the bare subtidal‐meadow edge, indicative of in situ production. 210Pb profiles confirmed that meadow‐enhanced sedimentation facilitates the burial of in situ BMA. Deducting this contribution from total SOC would underestimate total organic carbon fixation within the meadow. Seagrass meadows can enhance BMA burial, which likely accounts for most of the non‐seagrass SOC stored in many seagrass beds.

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confidence: 99%

Non‐seagrass carbon contributions to seagrass sediment blue carbon

Oreska

Wilkinson

McGlathery

et al. 2017

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…The VCR is a Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site located on the Atlantic side of the Delmarva Peninsula, in the mid‐Atlantic Bight, USA (Figure ). Direct human impact on the barrier islands, marshes, and bays of the VCR has been minimal since the midtwentieth century (Orth & McGlathery, ), making it an ideal location to study natural couplings between components of a barrier island system. The barrier islands of the VCR are mixed‐energy, tide‐dominated, and generally migrating landward (Oertel & Kraft, ) and are accompanied by a number of shallow back‐barrier bays fringed on both sides by Spartina alterniflora salt marshes.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zostera marina (eelgrass) dominated the bays of the VCR system until the 1930s, when a hurricane caused seagrasses already under stress from disease to go locally extinct (Orth et al, ). Restoration efforts beginning in the 1990s have since resulted in significant recovery of seagrass in the VCR (Orth et al, ; Orth & McGlathery, ). The VCR is located in an area experiencing 3–4 times the global average of RSLR acceleration, resulting in an average of 3–4 mm year −1 of sea level rise for the past six decades (Sallenger et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Seagrass Dynamics on the Coupled Long‐Term Evolution of Barrier‐Marsh‐Bay Systems

et al. 2020

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Seagrass provides a wide range of economically and ecologically valuable ecosystem services, with shoreline erosion control often listed as a key service, but can also alter the sediment dynamics and waves within back‐barrier bays. Here we incorporate seagrass dynamics into an existing barrier‐marsh exploratory model, GEOMBEST++, to examine the coupled interactions of the back‐barrier bay with both adjacent (marsh) and nonadjacent (barrier island) subsystems. While seagrass reduces marsh edge erosion rates and increases progradation rates in many of our 288 model simulations, seagrass surprisingly increases marsh edge erosion rates when sediment export from the back‐barrier basin is negligible because the ability of seagrass to reduce the volume of marsh sediment eroded matters little for back‐barrier basins in which all sediment is conserved. Our model simulations also suggest that adding seagrass to the bay subsystem leads to increased deposition in the bay, reduced sediment available to the marsh, and enhanced marsh edge erosion until the bay reaches a new, shallower equilibrium depth. In contrast, removing seagrass liberates previously sequestered sediment that is then delivered to the marsh, leading to enhanced marsh progradation. Lastly, we find that seagrass reduces barrier island migration rates in the absence of back‐barrier marsh by filling accommodation space in the bay. These model observations suggest that seagrass meadows operate as dynamic sources and sinks of sediment that can influence the evolution of coupled marsh and barrier island landforms in unanticipated ways.

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“…There has been great concern expressed regarding the loss of seagrass habitats world-wide (Short and Wyllie-Echeverria 1996, Hemminga and Duarte 2000, Orth et al 2006, Orth and McGlathery 2012, Short et al 2014. Whether there is evidence of a loss of Z. marina in PNW estuaries has been a question posed by marine ecologists over the last decade , Kentula and DeWitt 2003, Gaeckle et al 2011, Young et al 2012.…”

Section: Zostera Japonica and Z Marinamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…et Graebn., which generally occurs above the mean lower low water (MLLW) datum in the intertidal zone of estuaries in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), USA (Harrison 1982, Thom 1990, Young et al 2008, Ruesink et al 2010. A specific concern is that the introduction and expansion of this non-native species might affect the native eelgrass Zostera marina L., possibly reducing the distribution and abundance of this benthic angiosperm, which is generally considered to be a foundation species in temperate coastal estuaries of the Northern Hemisphere (Orth et al 2006, Ruesink et al 2010, Short et al 2011, Orth and McGlathery 2012. From an earlier study in Yaquina Estuary, Larned (2003) reported that accurate measurements of Z. japonica cover were not available, and Kaldy (2006) supported this observation, commenting that there was little data on the distribution, seasonality and spread of Z. japonica in PNW estuaries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of non-native dwarf eelgrass (Zostera japonica) and native eelgrass (Zostera marina) distributions in a northeast Pacific estuary: 1997–2014

et al. 2015

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Comparison of non-native dwarf eelgrass (Zostera japonica) and native eelgrass (Zostera marina) distributions in a northeast Pacific estuary: 1997-2014 DOI 10.1515/bot-2014-0088 Received 14 November, 2014 accepted 20 May, 2015; online first 18 June, 2015 Abstract: In this study, we investigated the rate and pattern of expansion of a non-native eelgrass, Zostera japonica, in relation to the distribution of the native eelgrass Zostera marina in a coastal estuary of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The distributions of the Zostera congeners were monitored between 1997 and 2014 in Yaquina Estuary on the central Oregon coast, USA, using digital classification of color infrared aerial photographs and ground surveys. Correction factors for seasonal variations in cover were obtained to normalise the annual photo survey results to a common date (mid-August). Major expansions in the distributions of Z. japonica meadows over most of the 17-year study period were observed. However, there was no indication that the large (∼1500%) increase in areal extent of Z. japonica in the lower estuary between 1997 and 2007 was accompanied by a change in areal extent of the native Z. marina in this system.

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INTRODUCTION Eelgrass recovery in the coastal bays of the Virginia Coast Reserve, USA

Abstract: CONTENTS

Cited by 58 publications

References 21 publications

Non‐seagrass carbon contributions to seagrass sediment blue carbon

Non‐seagrass carbon contributions to seagrass sediment blue carbon

Impacts of Seagrass Dynamics on the Coupled Long‐Term Evolution of Barrier‐Marsh‐Bay Systems

Comparison of non-native dwarf eelgrass (Zostera japonica) and native eelgrass (Zostera marina) distributions in a northeast Pacific estuary: 1997–2014

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