Overstated Potential for Seagrass Meadows to Mitigate Coastal Ocean Acidification

Dam, Bryce Van; Lopes, Christian; Zeller, Mary A.; Ribas-Ribas, Mariana; Wang, Hongjie; Thomas, Helmuth

doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.729992

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One of the research focus areas is to ascertain whether macroalgal forests or seagrass meadows can act as refugia for calcifiers. [158,216] Predator-prey and microbe-host interactions have received limited attention thus far and more investigations are needed to have holistic insights into the potential changes in community structures and energy dynamics of future marine ecosystems.…”

Section: Future Directions For Ocean Acidification Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Ocean Acidification Really a Threat to Marine Calcifiers? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of 980+ Studies Spanning Two Decades

Leung

Zhang

Connell

2022

Small

118

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

CO 2 concentrations surged from ≈280 to ≈400 ppm in the last 250 years. [1] By the end of this century, atmospheric CO 2 concentrations are forecast to range from ≈580 ppm (RCP4.5) to ≈1000 ppm (RCP8.5), depending on the strength of measures taken to mitigate CO 2 emissions. [2,3] The unprecedented upward trend of CO 2 emissions has raised global concern about the future of marine ecosystems because oceans will absorb more atmospheric CO 2 that leads to ensuing pH reduction in seawater (i.e., ocean acidification), [4] following a series of chemical reactions:

show abstract

Section: Future Directions For Ocean Acidification Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Ocean Acidification Really a Threat to Marine Calcifiers? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of 980+ Studies Spanning Two Decades

Leung

Zhang

Connell

2022

Small

118

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Unfortunately, scientific surveys of greenhouse gas fluxes in restored ecosystems shows that CO 2 fluxes in these ecosystems is actually increased. These post restoration increases are observed in numerous coastal ecosystems (e.g., mangroves, kelp forests, saltmarshes and seagrasses) [28,104,[109][110][111][112] and demonstrate the complexities involved when trying to understand greenhouse gas fluxes in these ecosystems. If all factors (e.g., microbial communities) are not considered, it is possible that we will do more harm than good, particularly when it comes to using coastal ecosystems in carbon trading schemes and in the offsetting of emissions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

The Mangrove Microbiome of the Malay Peninsula

Wainwright

Hickman

Millar

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microbes have fundamental roles underpinning the functioning of our planet, they are involved in global carbon and nutrient cycling, and support the existence of multicellular life. The mangrove ecosystem is nutrient limited and without microbial cycling, life in this harsh environment would likely not exist. The mangroves of Southeast Asia are the oldest and most biodiverse of all the planets. They have vital roles helping to prevent shoreline erosion, act as nursery grounds for many marine species and contain significant stocks of sequestered carbon. Despite these recognised benefits and the importance of microbes in these ecosystems, studies examining the mangrove microbiome are scarce, especially in the Southeast Asian biodiversity hotspot. Here we examine the microbiome of Avicenia alba and Sonneratia alba and identify a core microbiome of 81 taxa, a further eight taxa (Pleurocapsa, Tunicatimonas, Halomonas, Marinomonas, Rubrivirga, Altererythrobacte, Lewinella, and Erythrobacter) were found to be differentially abundant suggesting key roles in this microbiome, with the identified dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) metabolisers having important functions in these habitats. The majority of those identified are involved in nutrient cycling or involved in the production of compounds that promote host survival. Increasingly, blue carbon and nature-based solutions to climate change are heralded as viable mitigation steps to limit climate change, however, this is done with little to no consideration of the microbial communities that cycle sequestered carbon in these environments. Here, we examine the microbial communities present in sediment samples taken in close proximity to each tree, sediment samples represent a major sink of atmospheric carbon and understanding how the associated communities will change as climate change advances will become an increasingly important part of carbon stock assessments. Knowing what microbes are presently there is an important first step in this process.

show abstract

“…Seagrass roots, rhizomes and canopy protect coastal sediments from erosion (Infantes et al, 2022; Koch et al, 2009) and filter excess nutrients, pollutants and sediment. In addition, the uptake of carbon contributes to global biogeochemical cycles and the buffering of ocean acidification (Barbier et al, 2011; Potouroglou et al, 2017; Unsworth et al, 2012; Van Dam et al, 2021). Seagrass meadows also help control marine pathogens (Lamb et al, 2017; Reusch et al, 2021) and store carbon, both in living biomass and in the underlying sediments, making them a critical ecosystem for climate change mitigation and adaptation (Fourqurean et al, 2012; Röhr et al, 2018).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

One hundred priority questions for advancing seagrass conservation in Europe

Nordlund,

Unsworth,

Wallner‐Hahn

et al. 2024

Plants People Planet

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Societal Impact StatementSeagrass ecosystems are of fundamental importance to our planet and wellbeing. Seagrasses are marine flowering plants, which engineer ecosystems that provide a multitude of ecosystem services, for example, blue foods and carbon sequestration. Seagrass ecosystems have largely been degraded across much of their global range. There is now increasing interest in the conservation and restoration of these systems, particularly in the context of the climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis. The collation of 100 questions from experts across Europe could, if answered, improve our ability to conserve and restore these systems by facilitating a fundamental shift in the success of such work.SummarySeagrass meadows provide numerous ecosystem services including biodiversity, coastal protection, and carbon sequestration. In Europe, seagrasses can be found in shallow sheltered waters along coastlines, in estuaries & lagoons, and around islands, but their distribution has declined. Factors such as poor water quality, coastal modification, mechanical damage, overfishing, land‐sea interactions, climate change and disease have reduced the coverage of Europe’s seagrasses necessitating their recovery. Research, monitoring and conservation efforts on seagrass ecosystems in Europe are mostly uncoordinated and biased towards certain species and regions, resulting in inadequate delivery of critical information for their management. Here, we aim to identify the 100 priority questions, that if addressed would strongly advance seagrass monitoring, research and conservation in Europe. Using a Delphi method, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with seagrass experience from across Europe and with diverse seagrass expertise participated in the process that involved the formulation of research questions, a voting process and an online workshop to identify the final list of the 100 questions. The final list of questions covers areas across nine themes: Biodiversity & Ecology; Ecosystem services; Blue carbon; Fishery support; Drivers, Threats, Resilience & Response; Monitoring & Assessment; Conservation & Restoration; Governance, Policy & Management; and Communication. Answering these questions will fill current knowledge gaps and place European seagrass onto a positive trajectory of recovery.

show abstract

Overstated Potential for Seagrass Meadows to Mitigate Coastal Ocean Acidification

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

Is Ocean Acidification Really a Threat to Marine Calcifiers? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of 980+ Studies Spanning Two Decades

Is Ocean Acidification Really a Threat to Marine Calcifiers? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of 980+ Studies Spanning Two Decades

The Mangrove Microbiome of the Malay Peninsula

One hundred priority questions for advancing seagrass conservation in Europe

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About