| 1. |
- Asplund, Maria. E., 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Dynamics and fate of blue carbon in a mangrove-seagrass seascape : influence of landscape configuration and land-use change
- 2021
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Ingår i: Landscape Ecology. - : Springer. - 0921-2973 .- 1572-9761. ; 36, s. 1489-1509
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context Seagrass meadows act as efficient natural carbon sinks by sequestering atmospheric CO2 and through trapping of allochthonous organic material, thereby preserving organic carbon (C-org) in their sediments. Less understood is the influence of landscape configuration and transformation (land-use change) on carbon sequestration dynamics in coastal seascapes across the land-sea interface. Objectives We explored the influence of landscape configuration and degradation of adjacent mangroves on the dynamics and fate of C-org in seagrass habitats. Methods Through predictive modelling, we assessed sedimentary C-org content, stocks and source composition in multiple seascapes (km-wide buffer zones) dominated by different seagrass communities in northwest Madagascar. The study area encompassed seagrass meadows adjacent to intact and deforested mangroves. Results The sedimentary C-org content was influenced by a combination of landscape metrics and inherent habitat plant- and sediment-properties. We found a strong land-to-sea gradient, likely driven by hydrodynamic forces, generating distinct patterns in sedimentary C-org levels in seagrass seascapes. There was higher C-org content and a mangrove signal in seagrass surface sediments closer to the deforested mangrove area, possibly due to an escalated export of C-org from deforested mangrove soils. Seascapes comprising large continuous seagrass meadows had higher sedimentary C-org levels in comparison to more diverse and patchy seascapes. Conclusion Our results emphasize the benefit to consider the influence of seascape configuration and connectivity to accurately assess C-org content in coastal habitats. Understanding spatial patterns of variability and what is driving the observed patterns is useful for identifying carbon sink hotspots and develop management prioritizations.
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| 2. |
- Dahl, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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High Seasonal Variability in Sediment Carbon Stocks of Cold-Temperate Seagrass Meadows
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. - 2169-8953 .- 2169-8961. ; 125:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Seagrass meadows have a high ability to capture and store atmospheric CO2 in the plant biomass and underlying sediment and thereby function as efficient carbon sinks. The seagrass Zostera marina is a common species in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, a region with strong seasonal variations in climate. How seasonality affects carbon storage capacity in seagrass meadows is largely unknown, and therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess variations in sedimentary total organic carbon (TOC) content over a 1-year cycle in seagrass meadows on the Swedish west coast. The TOC was measured in two Z. marina sites, one wave exposed and one sheltered, and at two depths (1.5 and 4 m) within each site, every second month from August 2015 to June 2016. We found a strong seasonal variation in carbon density, with a peak in early summer (June), and that the TOC was negatively correlated to the net community production of the meadows, presumably related to organic matter degradation. There was seasonal variation in TOC content at all sediment sections, indicating that the carbon content down to 30 cm is unstable on a seasonal scale and therefore likely not a long-term carbon sink. The yearly mean carbon stocks were substantially higher in the sheltered meadow (3,965 and 3,465 g m−2) compared to the exposed one (2,712 and 1,054 g m−2) with similar seasonal variation. Due to the large intra-annual variability in TOC content, seasonal variation should be considered in carbon stock assessments and management for cold-temperate seagrass meadows.
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| 3. |
- Röhr, Maria Emilia, et al.
(författare)
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Blue Carbon Storage Capacity of Temperate Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Meadows
- 2018
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Ingår i: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. - 0886-6236 .- 1944-9224. ; 32:10, s. 1457-1475
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the importance of coastal ecosystems for the global carbon budgets, knowledge of their carbon storage capacity and the factors driving variability in storage capacity is still limited. Here we provide an estimate on the magnitude and variability of carbon stocks within a widely distributed marine foundation species throughout its distribution area in temperate Northern Hemisphere. We sampled 54 eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows, spread across eight ocean margins and 36° of latitude, to determine abiotic and biotic factors influencing organic carbon (Corg) stocks in Zostera marina sediments. The Corg stocks (integrated over 25-cm depth) showed a large variability and ranged from 318 to 26,523gC/m2 with an average of 2,721gC/m2. The projected Corg stocks obtained by extrapolating over the top 1m of sediment ranged between 23.1 and 351.7MgC/ha, which is in line with estimates for other seagrasses and other blue carbon ecosystems. Most of the variation in Corg stocks was explained by five environmental variables (sediment mud content, dry density and degree of sorting, and salinity and water depth), while plant attributes such as biomass and shoot density were less important to Corg stocks. Carbon isotopic signatures indicated that at most sites <50% of the sediment carbon is derived from seagrass, which is lower than reported previously for seagrass meadows. The high spatial carbon storage variability urges caution in extrapolating carbon storage capacity between geographical areas as well as within and between seagrass species.
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| 4. |
- Asplund, Maria. E., 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Methane Emissions From Nordic Seagrass Meadow Sediments
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-7745. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Shallow coastal soft bottoms are important carbon sinks. Submerged vegetation has been shown to sequester carbon, increase sedimentary organic carbon (C-org) and thus suppress greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The ongoing regression of seagrass cover in many areas of the world can therefore lead to accelerated emission of GHGs. In Nordic waters, seagrass meadows have a high capacity for carbon storage, with some areas being recognized as blue carbon hotspots. To what extent these carbon stocks lead to emission of methane (CH4) is not yet known. We investigated benthic CH4 emission (i.e., net release from the sediment) in relation to seagrass (i.e. Zostera marina) cover and sedimentary C-org content (%) during the warm summer period (when emissions are likely to be highest). Methane exchange was measured in situ with benthic chambers at nine sites distributed in three regions along a salinity gradient from similar to 6 in the Baltic Sea (Finland) to similar to 20 in Kattegat (Denmark) and similar to 26 in Skagerrak (Sweden). The net release of CH4 from seagrass sediments and adjacent unvegetated areas was generally low compared to other coastal habitats in the region (such as mussel banks and wetlands) and to other seagrass areas worldwide. The lowest net release was found in Finland. We found a positive relationship between CH4 net release and sedimentary C-org content in both seagrass meadows and unvegetated areas, whereas no clear relationship between seagrass cover and CH4 net release was observed. Overall, the data suggest that Nordic Zostera marina meadows release average levels of CH4 ranging from 0.3 to 3.0 mu g CH4 m(-2) h(-1), which is at least 12-78 times lower (CO2 equivalents) than their carbon accumulation rates previously estimated from seagrass meadows in the region, thereby not hampering their role as carbon sinks. Thus, the relatively weak CH4 emissions from Nordic Z. marina meadows will not outweigh their importance as carbon sinks under present environmental conditions.
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| 5. |
- Berov, D., et al.
(författare)
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Current distribution of Zostera seagrass meadows along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast (SW Black Sea, Bulgaria) (2010-2020)
- 2022
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Ingår i: Biodiversity Data Journal. - 1314-2836. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The current distribution of Zostera spp. seagrass meadows along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast was studied. We used a combination of historical and recent observations of the habitat along the studied coastline. Remote sensing data (satellite images, sonar sidescans) was groundtruthed with georeferenced drop camera observations, scuba diving sampling and georeferenced scuba diving photo and video transects. New information Тhe total area of the habitat type ‘MB548 - Black Sea seagrass meadows on lower infralittoral sands’ (EUNIS habitat type list 2019) in the study area is 916.9 ha, of which only 17.9 ha are in man-made sheltered environments (harbours). All seagrass meadows identified in 1978-79 were also located during the current survey, despite the increased eutrophication pressure and overall degradation of benthic habitats in the western Black Sea during the 1980s and early 1990s. © Berov D et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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| 6. |
- Björk, Mats, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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The amount of light reaching the leaves in seagrass (Zostera marina) meadows.
- 2021
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Ingår i: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 16:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Seagrass meadows, and other submerged vegetated habitats, support a wide range of essential ecological services, but the true extents of these services are in many ways still not quantified. One important tool needed to assess and model many of these services is accurate estimations of the systems´ primary productivity. Such productivity estimations require an understanding of the underwater light field, especially regarding the amount of light that actually reaches the plants' photosynthetic tissue. In this study, we tested a simple practical approach to estimate leaf light exposure, relative to incoming light at the canopy, by attaching light sensitive film at different positions on leaves of Zostera marina, eelgrass, in four seagrass meadows composed of different shoot density and at two different depths. We found that the light reaching the leaves decreased linearly down through the canopy. While the upper parts of the leaves received approximately the same level of light (photosynthetic photon flux density, PPFD) as recorded with a PAR meter at the canopy top, the average light that the seagrass leaves were exposed to varied between 40 and 60% of the light on top of the canopy, with an overall average of 48%. We recommend that actual light interception is measured when assessing or modelling light depending processes in submerged vegetation, but if this is not achievable a rough estimation for vegetation similar to Z. marina would be to use a correction factor of 0.5 to compensate for the reduced light due to leaf orientation and internal shading.
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| 7. |
- Dahl, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of shading and simulated grazing on carbon sequestration in a tropical seagrass meadow
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0022-0477 .- 1365-2745. ; 104:3, s. 654-664
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. There is an ongoing world-wide decline of seagrass ecosystems, one of the world's most efficient carbon sink habitats. In spite of this, there is a clear lack of studies experimentally testing the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on carbon sequestration of seagrass systems. 2. We assessed the effects of two disturbances of global concern on the carbon sink function in a five-month in situ experiment within a tropical seagrass (Thalassia hemprichii) meadow by testing the impacts of shading and simulated grazing at two levels of intensity using shading cloths and clipping of shoot tissue. We measured the effects of these disturbances on the carbon sequestration process by assessing the net community production (NCP), carbon and nitrogen content in tissue biomass, and organic matter and THAA (total hydrolysable amino acids) in the sediment down to 40 cm depth. 3. Treatments of high-intensity shading and high-intensity clipping were similarly impacted and showed a significantly lower NCP and carbon content in the below-ground biomass compared to the seagrass control. No significant effects were seen in organic carbon, total nitrogen, C:N ratio and THAA in the sediment for the seagrass treatments. However, both clipping treatments showed different depth profiles of carbon and THAA compared to the seagrass control, with lower organic carbon and THAA content in the surface sediment. This can be explained by the clipping of shoot tissue causing a less efficient trapping of allochthonous carbon and reduced input of shredded seagrass leaves to the detritus sediment layer. In the clipping plots, erosion of the surface sediment occurred, which was also most likely caused by the removal of above-ground plant biomass. 4. Synthesis. Our findings show that during the course of this experiment, there were no impacts on the sedimentary carbon while the high-intensity disturbances caused a clear depletion of carbon biomass and reduced the seagrass meadow's capacity to sequester carbon. From a long-term perspective, the observed effect on the carbon biomass pool in the high-intensity treatments and the sediment erosion in the clipping plots may lead to loss in sedimentary carbon.
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| 8. |
- Dahl, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Sediment Properties as Important Predictors of Carbon Storage in Zostera marina Meadows : A Comparison of Four European Areas
- 2016
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 11:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Seagrass ecosystems are important natural carbon sinks but their efficiency varies greatly depending on species composition and environmental conditions. What causes this variation is not fully known and could have important implications for management and protection of the seagrass habitat to continue to act as a natural carbon sink. Here, we assessed sedimentary organic carbon in Zostera marina meadows (and adjacent unvegetated sediment) in four distinct areas of Europe (Gullmar Fjord on the Swedish Skagerrak coast, Asko in the Baltic Sea, Sozopol in the Black Sea and Ria Formosa in southern Portugal) down to similar to 35 cm depth. We also tested how sedimentary organic carbon in Z. marina meadows relates to different sediment characteristics, a range of seagrass-associated variables and water depth. The seagrass carbon storage varied greatly among areas, with an average organic carbon content ranging from 2.79 +/- 0.50% in the Gullmar Fjord to 0.17 +/- 0.02% in the area of Sozopol. We found that a high proportion of fine grain size, high porosity and low density of the sediment is strongly related to high carbon content in Z. marina sediment. We suggest that sediment properties should be included as an important factor when evaluating high priority areas in management of Z. marina generated carbon sinks.
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| 9. |
- Dahl, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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The influence of hydrodynamic exposure on carbon storage and nutrient retention in eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) meadows on the Swedish Skagerrak coast
- 2020
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cold-temperate seagrass (Zostera marina) meadows provide several important ecosystem services, including trapping and storage of sedimentary organic carbon and nutrients. However, seagrass meadows are rapidly decreasing worldwide and there is a pressing need for protective management of the meadows and the organic matter sinks they create. Their carbon and nutrient storage potential must be properly evaluated, both at present situation and under future climate change impacts. In this study, we assessed the effect of wave exposure on sedimentary carbon and nitrogen accumulation using existing data from 53 Z. marina meadows at the Swedish west coast. We found that meadows with higher hydrodynamic exposure had larger absolute organic carbon and nitrogen stocks (at 0-25 cm depth). This can be explained by a hydrodynamically induced sediment compaction in more exposed sites, resulting in increased sediment density and higher accumulation (per unit volume) of sedimentary organic carbon and nitrogen. With higher sediment density, the erosion threshold is assumed to increase, and as climate change-induced storms are predicted to be more common, we suggest that wave exposed meadows can be more resilient toward storms and might therefore be even more important as carbon- and nutrient sinks in the future.
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| 10. |
- Deyanova, Diana, et al.
(författare)
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Contribution of seagrass plants to CO2 capture in a tropical seagrass meadow under experimental disturbance
- 2017
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coastal vegetative habitats are known to be highly productive environments with a high ability to capture and store carbon. During disturbance this important function could be compromised as plant photosynthetic capacity, biomass, and/or growth are reduced. To evaluate effects of disturbance on CO2 capture in plants we performed a five-month manipulative experiment in a tropical seagrass (Thalassia hemprichii) meadow exposed to two intensity levels of shading and simulated grazing. We assessed CO2 capture potential (as net CO2 fixation) using areal productivity calculated from continuous measurements of diel photosynthetic rates, and estimates of plant morphology, biomass and productivity/respiration (P/R) ratios (from the literature). To better understand the plant capacity to coping with level of disturbance we also measured plant growth and resource allocation. We observed substantial reductions in seagrass areal productivity, biomass, and leaf area that together resulted in a negative daily carbon balance in the two shading treatments as well as in the high-intensity simulated grazing treatment. Additionally, based on the concentrations of soluble carbohydrates and starch in the rhizomes, we found that the main reserve sources for plant growth were reduced in all treatments except for the low-intensity simulated grazing treatment. If permanent, these combined adverse effects will reduce the plants' resilience and capacity to recover after disturbance. This might in turn have long-lasting and devastating effects on important ecosystem functions, including the carbon sequestration capacity of the seagrass system.
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| 11. |
- Deyanova, Diana, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of ageing on the photosynthetic capacity of the seagrass Zostera marina Linnaeus
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The effect of tissue age and light stress on seagrass productivity was examined on three scale levels by comparisons among: (i) different parts of a leaf (i.e. the base middle and top), (ii) leaves of different ages, and (iii) shoots of different development stages on the same genet, in the temperate species Zostera marina L. Rapid light curves were performed to estimate chlorophyll fluorescence and to determine the maximal photosynthetic rate (ETRmax), the photosynthetic efficiency (the alpha slope) and the maximal quantum yield (both as Fv/Fm and as the more sensible Fv/F0). The plants were also exposed to inhibiting light stress with measurements performed during the following recovery and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). The results suggest that seagrass tissue age has an effect on the photosynthetic performance of the plant and that the level of strength varies among different parts of a single shoot and also among shoots of different development stages along the same genet. Younger and senescing tissues generally had lower photosynthetic capacity than mature tissues. It appeared that very young tissues tolerate light stress better than mature and senescing tissues, as the NPQ values of the very young tissue were higher, and they also showed a lower recovery to initial Fv/F0 values. A clear difference was also found in photosynthetic performance and recovery capacity of the youngest shoot compared to the rest of the shoots belonging to the same genet. The leaves of young shoots appeared to better tolerate light stress than leaves of old shoots. These findings provide new insight on seagrass ageing and expand the understanding of ageing effects on photosynthesis on a population level.
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| 12. |
- Deyanova, Diana, et al.
(författare)
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Plant- and habitat productivity in a temperate seagrass system
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Seagrass meadows are highly productive coastal habitats. Yet, little is known about the contribution of seagrass plants to the total seagrass habitat. To clarify the particular role of the seagrass plants for carbon capture in temperate environments, a one-year study was performed in seagrass meadows on the Swedish west coast. We aimed to assess the link between the net primary productivity of seagrass plants per se, the net production of the seagrass community and the net production of the entire system. To be able to predict effects of environmental changes on seagrass productivity, results were related to changes in water temperature, oxygen levels, light conditions and ice cover. Results showed large variations in net plant productivity across seasons, generally following light- and temperature variability, and ranging from very high (20.03 g C m-2 24h-1 ) in the summer to negative rates (-1.60 g C m-2 24h-1 ) in the least productive winter month. The patterns of variability in seagrass productivity were also influenced by depth- and site-specific dynamics in biomass. The high respiration of the benthic community did largely outbalance the productivity of the seagrass plants, probably as an effect of fast turnover rates. This resulted in an overall yearly low positive carbon balance of the entire seagrass system. Overall, the findings show that seagrass plants contribute substantially to the carbon capture in temperate seagrass habitats, but also that the rate of community respiration appears to be highly dependent on the degree of how much detritus material that is retained within the system. Thus, even though these seagrass systems are highly productive and may contain a large carbon stock, seagrass productivity per se seems not to be the most important determining factor for their carbon sink function.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Deyanova, Diana, 1984-
(författare)
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Seagrass productivity : from plant to system
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Seagrasses form one of the most productive habitats on earth and are recognized as very efficient carbon sinks. The levels and patterns of productivity within and across different seagrass systems vary widely due to natural or human-induced factors. Seagrass plants, being the foundation species of seagrass meadows, have a substitutional role as primary producers to the overall productivity of their habitat. Clarifying the variation in the carbon capture potential of these plants on physiological and ecological levels is essential to understand of the whole system’s carbon balance. In this thesis, the photosynthetic performance and productivity of seagrass plants were studied in relation to factors that have large impact on productivity, such as tissues age, season and water depth. Furthermore, the seagrass response, in terms of capacity to capture and sequester carbon, to human-induced stress factors such as shading and simulated grazing was evaluated in a tropical seagrass meadow. The research has included a multitude of seagrass productivity assessments from plant- to system level.The results showed that age has a significant effect on the photosynthetic performance of the temperate seagrass Zostera marina L., both within a single shoot and between shoots. When comparing leaves among the same shoot, the photosynthetic capacity and efficiency were highest in mature tissues and significantly reduced in very young tissues as well as in tissues undergoing senescence. In response to high light stress, very young tissues seemed to cope better with dissipating excess light energy, which was demonstrated by the higher values of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) observed compared to mature and senescent tissues. Such an effect was also observed when comparing the oldest and youngest shoots from the same genet; the youngest shoot showed higher ability to dissipate excess light energy compared to the oldest one, and might thus be able to better withstand light stress.On a larger spatiotemporal scale, the areal productivity of seagrass plants was significantly affected by light availability and temperature, leading to a strong seasonal variation. In addition, depth had a strong site-specific effect on plant productivity in terms of biomass. On a yearly basis, productivity rates varied substantially, reaching up to 20 g C m-2 24h-1 in the summer months. This high carbon capture potential was, however, outbalanced by the high respiration rates of the benthic community. Overall, the whole system had a low but positive yearly carbon balance.Both shading and simulated grazing negatively affected seagrass plants and the whole habitat after five months of experimental disturbance. On the plant level, photosynthesis, productivity and growth were all reduced. On the system level, a reduction in community productivity was recorded. The long-term refractory carbon was, however, not affected although erosion was observed in treatments subjected to simulated grazing.In summary, this thesis has established that age, season, depth and exposure are factors highly responsible for natural variation in seagrass plant- and habitat productivity, and that seagrasses respond to human-induced stress by significantly reducing their productivity. Even though seagrass plants are generally capable of surviving stress periods, these results suggest that prolonged deteriorating stress conditions will lead to serious harm on the plants as well as the entire habitat, and thereby compromising the carbon burial capacity of the seagrass system.
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| 15. |
- Leinikki, Jouni, et al.
(författare)
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Marin basinventering av Natura 2000 områden i Blekinge län 2018
- 2018
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- För att förbättra kunskapen om naturvärden i Blekinges befintliga marina Natura 2000 områden, har Alleco AB fått i uppdrag att genomföra en marin inventering i tre Natura 2000 områden längs Blekinges kust. Inventeringen genomfördes den 22–28 juli, 2018 och de tre områdena som studerades var Elleholm, Fölsö och Blötö-Kidö. Inventeringen utfördes genom dyk- och snorklingstransekter, samt videopunkter.Rådata innefattar position, djup, bottensubstrat och täckningsgrad av samtliga observerade arter. Dessa har lagrats i databasen SHARK, som tillhandahålls av SMHI. För att tydligare illustrera naturvärdena och mångfalden i de tre lokalerna, klassificerade vi in rådata till HUB-systemets biotoper, som etablerades 2013 av HELCOM. Våra resultat visar på att: (1) öarna i Elleholms södra delar stämmer in på Naturtyp 1620 Skär i Östersjön, och (2) den norra och östra sidan av Fölsö bör klassas till Naturtyp 1170 Rev, och Blötö-Kidö hör i sin helhet till naturtyp 1160 Stora vikar och sund (NNK 2018).Det största hotet vi identifierade för de olika växtsamhällena är övergödning. Även båttrafik kan ses som ett potentiellt problem, framförallt i de grunda skyddade områdena såsom Marsund i Elleholm, den västra sidan av Fölsö och de nordligaste delarna av Blötö-Kidö området. Här rekommenderar vi att begränsa ankringsmöjligheterna och hastigheterna, åtminstone i de mest känsliga delarna. Vi föreslår även att helt begränsa tillgängligheten till det mindre området i nordvästra delen av Blötö-Kidö området, då området karakteriseras av ett rikt och varierat kransalgsbestånd som inte borde utsättas för trampning och/eller starka strömmar.Slutligen föreslår vi studier av infauna, epifauna och fisk för att få en bättre helhetsbild av naturvärdena i de studerade områdena.
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| 16. |
- Lyimo, Liberatus D., et al.
(författare)
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Shading and simulated grazing increase the sulphide pool and methane emission in a tropical seagrass meadow
- 2018
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Ingår i: Marine Pollution Bulletin. - : Elsevier BV. - 0025-326X .- 1879-3363. ; 134, s. 89-93
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Though seagrass meadows are among the most productive habitats in the world, contributing substantially to long-term carbon storage, studies of the effects of critical disturbances on the fate of carbon sequestered in the sediment and biomass of these meadows are scarce. In a manipulative in situ experiment, we studied the effects of successive loss of seagrass biomass as a result of shading and simulated grazing at two intensity levels on sulphide (H2S) content and methane (CH4) emission in a tropical seagrass meadow in Zanzibar (Tanzania). In all disturbed treatments, we found a several-fold increase in both the sulphide concentration of the sediment pore-water and the methane emissions from the sediment surface (except for CH4 emissions in the low-shading treatment). This could be due to the ongoing degradation of belowground biomass shed by the seagrass plants, supporting the production of both sulphate-reducing bacteria and methanogens, possibly exacerbated by the loss of downwards oxygen transport via seagrass plants. The worldwide rapid loss of seagrass areas due to anthropogenic activities may therefore have significant effects on carbon sink-source relationships within coastal seas.
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| 17. |
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