Twentyfive years of changes in the distribution and biomass of eelgrass,Zostera marina, in Grevelingen lagoon, The Netherlands

Nienhuis, P.H.; Brée, Baptiste; Herman, P.M.J.; Holland, Angela M.; Verschuure, Jacobus M.; Wessel, E.G.J.

doi:10.1007/bf02272232

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The recent mass decline of Zostera marina in Lake Grevelingen (Nienhuis et a1.1996), which Herman et al (1996) attribute to the depletion of Silicate, is in our opinion more likely explained by increased salinity. Salinity has increased in Lake Grevelingen as a consequence of changes in hydrological management (Nienhuis et al 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Salinity has increased in Lake Grevelingen as a consequence of changes in hydrological management (Nienhuis et al 1996). This is further demonstrated by the inverse relationship between salinity and eelgrass Cover in the penod 1968 to 1992 (Wijgergangs 1994, M. M. van Katwijk & D. J.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…comm.). Finally, large-scale Z. marjna disappearance was recorded in Lake Grevelingen, coinciding with a salinity increase (Wijgergangs 1994, Nienhuis et al 1996. From this, we hypothesised that (1) a relatively low salinity is favourable for Z. marina, (2) nutnent availability and salinity have an interactive effect on Z. manna, the plants being able to tolerate higher nutrient concentrations at low salinity, but not at high salinity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Effects of salinity and nutrient load and their interaction on Zostera marina

Katwijk¹,

Schmitz²,

Gasseling³

et al. 1999

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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ABSTRACT. Gcnerally, seagrass Zostera manna L. distnbution in the Wadden Sea and south-west Netherlands is iimited to waters with low to moderate nutnent concentrations. However, it is known that Z. marina also occurs at high nutrient concentrations when growing in low salinity environments. In this study, we investigated the separate and interactive effects of nutrients and salinity on Z. manna plants in a 5 wk experirnent. Two populations were tested, one onginating from a relatively manne habitat and the other from an estuanne habitat. Supplied saiiniti.es were 23, 26 and 30%'~ S, and supplied water nutrient levels were nitrate:ammonium:phosphate, 1:3:2, 3:9:4.5 and 60:9:9 pM at a refreshment rate of 1 d-', corresponding with a load of 20, 95 and 625 kg N ha-' yr-' 2. rnarina was negatively influenced by high salinity. The estuarine plants showed a decreased 'vitality' (calculated from 6 plant response parameters), whereas the marine plants showed a lesser number of shoots at high salinity. The negative effect acted on the estuanne plants at 26 and 30% S, and on the manne plants at 30'::~ C. At these high salinities, a high nutrient load had no detectable effect on the marine plants, ivhereas the estuanne plants were negatively influenced by high nutnent loads. At low salinity levels, 1.e. manne plants at 23 and 26"*, S and estuanne plants at 23% S. plants from both populations were positively influenced by higher nutrient loads. It is argued that these results may explain the distribution and decline of Z. manna in many areas of the northern hemisphere. Examples from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean are presented

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of salinity and nutrient load and their interaction on Zostera marina

Katwijk¹,

Schmitz²,

Gasseling³

et al. 1999

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…If the groundtruthing method is cost effective and accurate at this scale, there is no need for the extra cost of additional remote sensing data and related analyses. Even basic ground-truthing observations by snorkel and SCUBA can have merit for independent evaluation of seagrass abundance on a scale of tens of km or more (Nienhuis et al 1996;Hale et al 2004). Stevens and Connolly (2005) used underwater videography to assess seagrass and other habitat features in an Australian bay covering approximately 1,500 km 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bay-scale assessment of eelgrass beds using sidescan and video

Vandermeulen

2014

Helgol Mar Res

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The assessment of the status of eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds at the bay-scale in turbid, shallow estuaries is problematic. The bay-scale assessment (i.e., tens of km) of eelgrass beds usually involves remote sensing methods such as aerial photography or satellite imagery. These methods can fail if the water column is turbid, as is the case for many shallow estuaries on Canada's eastern seaboard. A novel towfish package was developed for the bay-scale assessment of eelgrass beds irrespective of water column turbidity. The towfish consisted of an underwater video camera with scaling lasers, sidescan sonar and a transponder-based positioning system. The towfish was deployed along predetermined transects in three northern New Brunswick estuaries. Maps were created of eelgrass cover and health (epiphyte load) and ancillary bottom features such as benthic algal growth, bacterial mats (Beggiatoa) and oysters. All three estuaries had accumulations of material reminiscent of the oomycete Leptomitus, although it was not positively identified in our study. Tabusintac held the most extensive eelgrass beds of the best health. Cocagne had the lowest scores for eelgrass health, while Bouctouche was slightly better. The towfish method proved to be cost effective and useful for the bayscale assessment of eelgrass beds to sub-meter precision in real time.

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“…Seagrass beds are characterised by a high productivity and biodiversity and are therefore of great ecological (den Hartog 1970;Phillips 1984;Phillips and Meñez 1988;Nienhuis 1992;Nienhuis et al 1996) and economic value (Halliday 1995). Subtidal seagrasses, in particular, increase the species diversity of the ambient ecosystem (Heck et al 1995) whereas in temperate areas the promoting effect of intertidal seagrass beds on species diversity is assumed to be low (den Hartog 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Material exchange and food web of seagrass beds in the Sylt-Rømø Bight: how significant are community changes at the ecosystem level?

Asmus¹,

Asmus²

2000

Helgoland Marine Research

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Material exchange, biodiversity and trophic transfer within the food web were investigated in two different types of intertidal seagrass beds: a sheltered, dense Zostera marina bed and a more exposed, sparse Z. noltii bed, in the Northern Wadden Sea. Both types of Zostera beds show a seasonal development of aboveground biomass, and therefore measurements were carried out during the vegetation period in summer. The exchange of particles and nutrients between seagrass beds and the overlying water was measured directly using an in situ flume. Particle sedimentation [carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) constituents] from the water column prevailed in dense seagrass beds. In the sheltered, dense seagrass bed, a net particle uptake was found even on windy days (7-8 Beaufort). Dissolved inorganic N and orthophosphate were mainly taken up by the dense seagrass bed. At times of strong winds, nutrients were released from the benthic community to tidal waters. In a budget calculation of total N and total P, the dense seagrass beds were characterised as a material sink. The seagrass beds with sparse Z. noltii were a source of particles even during calm weather. The uptake of dissolved inorganic N in the sparse seagrass bed was low but significant, while the uptake of inorganic phosphate and silicate by seagrasses and their epiphytes was exceeded by release processes from the sediment into the overlying water. Estimates at the ecosystem level showed that material fluxes of seagrass beds in the SyltRømø Bight are dominated by the dense type of Zostera beds. Therefore, seagrass beds act as a sink for particles and for dissolved inorganic nutrients. During storms, seagrass beds are distinct sources for inorganic nutrients. The total intertidal area of the Sylt-Rømø Bight could be described as a sink for particles and a source for dissolved nutrients. This balance of the material budget was estimated by either including or excluding seagrass beds.Including the subtidal part, the function of the ecosystem as a source for particles increased, supposing that all seagrass beds were lost from the area. During the vegetation period, seagrass beds act as a storage compartment for material accumulated in the living biomass of the community. There was great biodiversity among the plant and animal groups found in intertidal seagrass beds of the Sylt-Rømø Bay, representing 50-86% of the total number of species investigated, depending on the particular group. Since most species are not exclusively seagrass residents, the loss of intertidal seagrass beds would be of minor importance for biodiversity at the ecosystem level. Food web structure in seagrass beds is different from other intertidal communities. Primary production and detritus input is high, but secondary production is similar to that of unvegetated areas, although the relative importance of the trophic guilds is different. The loss of seagrass beds leads to profound alterations in the food web of the total ecosystem. Historical as well as recent changes in materia...

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Twentyfive years of changes in the distribution and biomass of eelgrass,Zostera marina, in Grevelingen lagoon, The Netherlands

Cited by 16 publications

References 24 publications

Effects of salinity and nutrient load and their interaction on Zostera marina

Effects of salinity and nutrient load and their interaction on Zostera marina

Bay-scale assessment of eelgrass beds using sidescan and video

Material exchange and food web of seagrass beds in the Sylt-Rømø Bight: how significant are community changes at the ecosystem level?

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