Use of a wastewater recovery product (struvite) to enhance subtropical seagrass restoration

MacDonnell, C.; Bydałek, Franciszek; Osborne, Todd Z.; Beard, A.; Barbour, S.; Leonard, David L.; Mąkinia, Jacek; Inglett, Patrick W.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155717

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…By adding nutrients, the present study provides evidence of seagrass shoot emergence increasing ≈2 fold and maximum shoot length also doubling, however this result only happens in the presence of natural sediment. Others have recorded planted seagrass to benefit from the addition of nutrients ( Wang et al., 2017 ; Macdonnell et al., 2022 ), with nutrients outweighing the influence of light cues ( Wang et al., 2017 ) and the slow release of nutrients also found to be beneficial ( Macdonnell et al., 2022 ), but this is the first field study to demonstrate this with seeds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Nutrients are commonly seen as a negative influence on seagrass, however nutrients may also be a limiting factor in some seagrass systems ( Powell et al., 1991 ), particularly within sediments ( Udy and Dennison, 1997 ). But in many environments, restoration is improved by fertilization, lessening nutrient limitations and improving growth of desired species ( Macdonnell et al., 2022 ). Recent studies on the addition of nutrients to experimental seagrass restoration mesocosms indicate that they have a positive effect on seedling emergence rates ( Wang et al., 2017 ; Macdonnell et al., 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…But in many environments, restoration is improved by fertilization, lessening nutrient limitations and improving growth of desired species ( Macdonnell et al., 2022 ). Recent studies on the addition of nutrients to experimental seagrass restoration mesocosms indicate that they have a positive effect on seedling emergence rates ( Wang et al., 2017 ; Macdonnell et al., 2022 ). Sediment type may also impact upon the availability of nutrients, together with the organic content, and potentially the microbial community present ( Fahimipour et al., 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutrient additions to seagrass seed planting improve seedling emergence and growth

et al. 2022

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To maximize the opportunities of seagrass as a nature-based solution requires restoration to occur on a large scale. New methods and knowledge are required that can solve ecological bottlenecks, improving its reliability and effectiveness. Although there is increasing interest in the use of seeds for seagrass restoration there exists a limited understanding of how best to plant them with the most knowledge on germination and seedling emergence coming from laboratory studies. Here we present the results of a novel field study on the emergence success of seeds of the seagrass Zostera marina when subjected to varied planting treatments. Seeds were planted into hessian bags according to a factorial design of three treatments (sediment type, detritus addition, and nutrient addition). By adding nutrients to natural sediment, the present study provides some evidence of seagrass shoot emergence and maximum shoot length doubling. The present study provides evidence that even in heavily nutrient-rich environments, seagrass sediments may require additional nutrients to improve seedling emergence and growth. It also highlights the highly variable nature of planting seagrass seeds in shallow coastal environments. Critically this study provides increasing levels of evidence that small subtleties in the method can have large consequences for seagrass restoration and that for restoration to scale to levels that are relevant for nature-based solutions there remain many unknowns that require consideration.

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