Rewilding the Sea with Domesticated Seagrass

Katwijk, M.M. van; Tussenbroek, Brigitta I. van; Hanssen, Steef V.; Hendriks, A. Jan; Hanssen, Lucien

doi:10.1093/biosci/biab092

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Seeding, which has been successfully used in other regions but is underutilized along the West Coast, could also aid in reaching these goals while minimizing harvest impacts to natural meadows (Orth et al, 2020; Reynolds et al, 2016; van Katwijk et al, 2021). However, West Coast large‐scale restoration via seeding is not currently scalable, requiring further development of the appropriate infrastructure for seagrass mariculture to supply the seed needed for this approach (van Katwijk et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons learned from over thirty years of eelgrass restoration on the US West Coast

Ward,

Beheshti

2023

Ecosphere

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Seagrass habitats, which provide essential ecosystem functions such as water quality improvement, biodiversity support, ocean acidification amelioration, and sediment carbon storage, are declining worldwide. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) habitats along the contiguous US West Coast are threatened by conflicting human uses and global change, resulting in significant protections of and efforts to restore areas where habitat is extant or degraded. Despite a history of eelgrass restoration in this region spanning nearly 60 years, very little work has been published on the subject. Here, we review all available literature on eelgrass restoration projects conducted in California, Oregon, and Washington. Of the 82 restoration projects included in this analysis, which were conducted from 1989 to 2020, only 6 were published in peer‐reviewed journals. Thus, despite the precedent for conducting restoration, a lack of data availability makes assessing regional success, drivers of failure, and best practices extremely difficult. From this synthesis, we find that the majority of restoration projects (73%) have been conducted for mitigation (compliance) purposes, contributing to the lack of peer‐reviewed literature on the subject. We find that while eelgrass mitigation policies serve to maintain eelgrass structure and regional acreages, they do not facilitate assessments of habitat function or incentivize advancements in regional best practices. We also find that when we could evaluate project outcomes, 32.3%–59.6% of restoration plots were unsuccessful by the end of the project, but this percentage is highly dependent on how success is defined. According to restoration practitioners, failure was likely to result from environmental factors such as light, nutrients, or macroalgal blooms, but was occasionally due to logistical factors such as restoration method or approach. From this work, we recommend a standardized, evidence‐based approach to restoration, improved data sharing practices, and careful consideration of existing eelgrass mitigation practices. As marine habitat restoration enters a new global stage, backed by public and private investment, burgeoning carbon markets, and global biodiversity initiatives, it is essential to learn from past work to understand and improve seagrass conservation and restoration success.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons learned from over thirty years of eelgrass restoration on the US West Coast

Ward,

Beheshti

2023

Ecosphere

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“…Because domestication of new species involves the sustained cultivation and production of large supplies of seeds, a domestication-based approach can generate the scientific knowledge, agronomic practices, and cultural valuation for seed harvest, processing, and storage that are also needed to accelerate restoration and rewilding. An example of this approach has been envisioned for domesticated seagrass ( 184 ).…”

Section: How Can Domestication Increase Diversity To Enable Agricultu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The next era of crop domestication starts now

Krug

Drummond

Tassel

et al. 2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Current food systems are challenged by relying on a few input-intensive, staple crops. The prioritization of yield and the loss of diversity during the recent history of domestication has created contemporary crops and cropping systems that are ecologically unsustainable, vulnerable to climate change, nutrient poor, and socially inequitable. For decades, scientists have proposed diversity as a solution to address these challenges to global food security. Here, we outline the possibilities for a new era of crop domestication, focused on broadening the palette of crop diversity, that engages and benefits the three elements of domestication: crops, ecosystems, and humans. We explore how the suite of tools and technologies at hand can be applied to renew diversity in existing crops, improve underutilized crops, and domesticate new crops to bolster genetic, agroecosystem, and food system diversity. Implementing the new era of domestication requires that researchers, funders, and policymakers boldly invest in basic and translational research. Humans need more diverse food systems in the Anthropocene—the process of domestication can help build them.

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“…Although there may be an opportunity to optimize future survival based on storage times, storage was also advantageous for stockpiling sufficient fragments to schedule cost-efficient planting events that involve costly resources such as SCUBA diving and boating. Thus, investing in seagrass nurseries could assist not just propagation but also storage of wild material (van Katwijk et al 2021).…”

Section: Collection and Storage Of Seagrass Prior To Plantingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing the restoration of the threatened seagrass Posidonia australis: plant traits influence restoration success

Ferretto

Glasby

Poore

et al. 2023

Restoration Ecology

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Restoration is an important activity to assist the recovery of damaged or degraded ecosystems. Accessing healthy donor material can be challenging when restoring threatened ecological communities, but careful selection of donor material may improve the success and cost-effectiveness of restoration projects. We aim to optimize restoration of the threatened seagrass Posidonia australis by identifying the traits of donor material that best predict survival and establishment. To avoid collecting donor material from threatened populations, a recent restoration method focuses on using naturally detached fragments of P. australis collected from the shoreline, which are stored in outdoor tanks prior to planting. Here, we examine 10 morphological traits of P. australis fragments and other variables relating to collection method to identify which traits best predicted survival after replanting. Fragments with more shoots and less dead tissue (necrosis) in their leaves had higher survival 1 year after planting. Fragments that were stored longer in tanks prior to replanting had significantly higher survival rates. These results can refine the selection for donor material used in restoration and optimize the recently developed restoration technique for P. australis using beach-cast seagrass material.

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Rewilding the Sea with Domesticated Seagrass

Cited by 20 publications

References 54 publications

Lessons learned from over thirty years of eelgrass restoration on the US West Coast

Lessons learned from over thirty years of eelgrass restoration on the US West Coast

The next era of crop domestication starts now

Optimizing the restoration of the threatened seagrass Posidonia australis: plant traits influence restoration success

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