Little giants: a rapidly invading seagrass alters ecosystem functioning relative to native foundation species

Muthukrishnan, Ranjan; Chiquillo, Kelcie L.; Cross, Candice; Fong, Peggy; Kelley, Thomas; Toline, C. Anna; Zweng, Regina; Willette, Demian A.

doi:10.1007/s00227-020-03689-8

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 102 publications

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“…Although H. stipulacea is considered as invasive in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, there is no evidence of competition and displacement of native species in these areas ( Boudouresque et al, 2009 ; Al-Rousan et al, 2011 ; Gambi et al, 2018 ; Apostolaki et al, 2019 ). In addition, the provision of essential ecosystems services by this little seagrass is still under debate and needs further research ( Apostolaki et al, 2019 ; Viana et al, 2019b ; Muthukrishnan et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species-Specific Trait Responses of Three Tropical Seagrasses to Multiple Stressors: The Case of Increasing Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment

2020

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Seagrass meadows are declining globally. The decrease of seagrass area is influenced by the simultaneous occurrence of many factors at the local and global scale, including nutrient enrichment and climate change. This study aims to find out how increasing temperature and nutrient enrichment affect the morphological, biochemical and physiological responses of three coexisting tropical species, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea serrulata and Halophila stipulacea. To achieve these aims, a 1-month experiment under laboratory conditions combining two temperature (maximum ambient temperature and current average temperature) and two nutrient (high and low N and P concentrations) treatments was conducted. The results showed that the seagrasses were differentially affected by all treatments depending on their lifehistory strategies. Under higher temperature treatments, C. serrulata showed photoacclimation strategies, while T. hemprichii showed decreased photo-physiological performance. In contrast, T. hemprichii was resistant to nutrient over-enrichment, showing enhanced nutrient content and physiological changes, but C. serrulata suffered BG nutrient loss. The limited response of H. stipulacea to nutrient enrichment or high temperature suggests that this seagrass is a tolerant species that may have a dormancy state with lower photosynthetic performance and smaller-size individuals. Interaction between both factors was limited and generally showed antagonistic effects only on morphological and biochemical traits, but not on physiological traits. These results highlight the different effects and strategies co-inhabiting seagrasses have in response to environmental changes, showing winners and losers of a climate change scenario that may eventually cause biodiversity loss. Trait responses to these stressors could potentially make the seagrasses weaker to cope with following events, due to BG biomass or nutrient loss. This is of importance as biodiversity loss in tropical seagrass ecosystems could change the overall effectiveness of ecosystem functions and services provided by the seagrass meadows.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species-Specific Trait Responses of Three Tropical Seagrasses to Multiple Stressors: The Case of Increasing Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment

2020

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“…However, after almost 100 years since its first meadow was reported in the Mediterranean Sea (Rhodes island, Greece; Forti, 1927), only one study indicated that it competes with the native seagrass Cymodocea nodosa in Tunisia (Sghaier et al, 2014). H. stipulacea also arrived in 2001 to the Caribbean Sea, probably through tourism cruise ships (Ruiz & Ballentine, 2004), where, unlike the Mediterranean, it has been shown to displace native (Caribbean) seagrass species causing changes to the Caribbean seagrass landscape (Muthukrishnan et al, 2020; Willette & Ambrose, 2012; Winters et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seagrass (Halophila stipulacea) invasion enhances carbon sequestration in the Mediterranean Sea

Wesselmann

Geraldi

Duarte

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

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The introduction and establishment of exotic species often result in significant changes in recipient communities and their associated ecosystem services. However, usually the magnitude and direction of the changes are difficult to quantify because there is no pre‐introduction data. Specifically, little is known about the effect of marine exotic macrophytes on organic carbon sequestration and storage. Here, we combine dating sediment cores (210Pb) with sediment eDNA fingerprinting to reconstruct the chronology of pre‐ and post‐arrival of the Red Sea seagrass Halophila stipulacea spreading into the Eastern Mediterranean native seagrass meadows. We then compare sediment organic carbon storage and burial rates before and after the arrival of H. stipulacea and between exotic (H. stipulacea) and native (C. nodosa and P. oceanica) meadows since the time of arrival following a Before‐After‐Control‐Impact (BACI) approach. This analysis revealed that H. stipulacea arrived at the areas of study in Limassol (Cyprus) and West Crete (Greece) in the 1930s and 1970s, respectively. Average sediment organic carbon after the arrival of H. stipulacea to the sites increased in the exotic meadows twofold, from 8.4 ± 2.5 g Corg m−2 year−1 to 14.7 ± 3.6 g Corg m−2 year−1, and, since then, burial rates in the exotic seagrass meadows were higher than in native ones of Cymodocea nodosa and Posidonia oceanica. Carbon isotopic data indicated a 50% increase of the seagrass contribution to the total sediment Corg pool since the arrival of H. stipulacea. Our results demonstrate that the invasion of H. stipulacea may play an important role in maintaining the blue carbon sink capacity in the future warmer Mediterranean Sea, by developing new carbon sinks in bare sediments and colonizing areas previously occupied by the colder thermal affinity P. oceanica.

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“…Whether H. stipulacea acts as a driver of its own success, is a passenger of community change, or both, may depend on the ecological or environmental context of the invaded community (Muthukrishnan et al 2020). A plethora of experiments in other systems confirmed that being a driver can be context dependent, though most studies focused on the context of the invader rather than the invaded community (reviewed by Thomsen et al 2011Thomsen et al , 2014.…”

Section: Halophila Stipulacea As a Driver Of Its Own Invasion Successmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, H. stipulacea transplants successfully grew in a native‐dominated seagrass bed, providing initial evidence it could be a driver (Willette and Ambrose 2012). Finally, one study suggested H. stipulacea can be both a passenger and a driver depending on the environmental or community context (Muthukrishnan et al 2020). Taken together, these studies motivate more research on whether H. stipulacea is a passenger or driver in both invaded seas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An invasive seagrass drives its own success in two invaded seas by both negatively affecting native seagrasses and benefiting from those costs

Chiquillo

Barber

Vasquez

et al. 2022

Oikos

Self Cite

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The nature and strength of interactions between native and invasive species can determine invasion success. Species interactions can drive, prevent or facilitate invasion, making understanding the nature and outcome of these interactions critical. We conducted mesocosm experiments to test the outcome of interactions between Halophila stipulacea, a seagrass that invaded the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, and native seagrasses (Cymodocea nodosa and Syringodium filiforme, respectively) to elucidate mechanisms explaining the successful invasions. Mesocosms contained intact cores with species grown either mixed or alone. Overall, in both locations, there was a pattern of the invasive growing faster with the native than when alone, while also negatively affecting the native, with similar patterns for shoot density, aboveground and belowground biomass. In the Caribbean, H. stipulacea increased by 5.6 ± 1.0 SE shoots in 6 weeks when grown with the native while, when alone, there was a net loss of −0.8 ± 1.6 SE shoots. The opposite pattern occurred for S. filiforme, although these differences were not significant. While the pattern in the Mediterranean was the same as the Caribbean, with the invasive grown with the native increasing shoots more than when it grew alone, these differences for shoots were not significant. However, when measured as aboveground biomass, H. stipulacea had negative effects on the native C. nodosa. Our results suggest that a seagrass that invaded two seas may drive its own success by both negatively affecting native seagrasses and benefiting from that negative interaction. This is a novel example of a native seagrass species facilitating the success of an invasive at its own cost, providing one possible mechanism for the widespread success of this invasive species.

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Little giants: a rapidly invading seagrass alters ecosystem functioning relative to native foundation species

Cited by 14 publications

References 102 publications

Species-Specific Trait Responses of Three Tropical Seagrasses to Multiple Stressors: The Case of Increasing Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment

Species-Specific Trait Responses of Three Tropical Seagrasses to Multiple Stressors: The Case of Increasing Temperature and Nutrient Enrichment

Seagrass (Halophila stipulacea) invasion enhances carbon sequestration in the Mediterranean Sea

An invasive seagrass drives its own success in two invaded seas by both negatively affecting native seagrasses and benefiting from those costs

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