Marine Biology Commons^™

Blue Carbon Stocks, Accumulation Rates And Knowledge Gaps In Africa, Janine B. Adams, Pattrick, Pere Masqué, Dennis Adotey, Elsheikh Bashir Ali, Abdelgadir Bashir Mohamed Awatif, Mohamed Fathi Ben Hamouda, Moncef Benmansour, Joseph F. Charles, Jerome Harlay, Lucienne Human, Linet Kiteresi Imbayi, Rashid Omari Ismail, Anesu Machite, Nezha Mejjad, Athi N. Mfikili, Ndanu Mumo, Maurice Ndeye, Wilfried Essowè Panassa, Issa Sakho, Suleiman Suleiman, Vanessa Hatje

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs), including mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses, play a critical role in climate mitigation due to their high carbon sequestration capacity. Despite Africa's extensive and diverse coastal ecosystems, continent-wide assessments of blue carbon stocks and accumulation rates remain scarce. Here, we synthesized blue carbon data from 87 publications (January 1993 - March 2026) to evaluate the current state of knowledge and regional variability. Our analysis reveals marked regional heterogeneity in sediment organic carbon (SOC) stocks across Africa, reflecting both ecological variability and methodological differences among studies. Normalised to a sediment depth of 1 m, median SOC stocks …

Pollutant Load Reduction In Sarasota Bay, Florida (Usa): Target Development, Implementation, And Outcomes, David Tomasko, Mike Wessel, Jon Perry, Chris Anastasiou, Ryan Gandy

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Between 2006 and 2012, seagrass coverage across Sarasota Bay expanded by 1,108 ha, a 28% increase. During the subsequent years of 2012−2020, 830 ha of seagrass were lost, a 16% decline. In response to these findings, resource management efforts focused on determining the likely reason(s) why those 2 periods had such contrasting trends, to come up with strategies to reverse these losses. Based on results from the seagrass data, the 7—y period of 2006−2012 was designated a “reference period” and water quality data were compared against the subsequent 7—y designated “degraded period” of 2013−2019. Annual average chlorophyll-a (chl-a …

Population Genomics Data For The Temperate Seagrass Posidonia Sinuosa, John Whale, Elizabeth Sinclair, Chanelle Webster, Nicole Said, Ankje Frouws, David Field, Kathryn Mcmahon

Research Datasets

Seagrasses are flowering plants commonly found along coastal waters, globally, where they provide important ecosystem services such as habitat provision, sequestering carbon, and sediment stabilization. They can reproduce both clonally and sexually where sexual reproduction can result in new, potentially adaptive, variants and the existence of both reproductive methods means that meadows can be highly variable in clonal diversity. The temperate seagrass, Posidonia sinuosa, occurs across a latitudinal gradient along the Western Australian coastline. Some meadows have experienced significant decline as a result of industrialisation and urbanisation of coastal areas. We investigated spatial genetic diversity, structure, and local adaptation using …

Morphometric, Physiological, And Environmental Health Assessments Of Enhalus Acoroides From The Southeast Coast Of Bali, Indonesia, Made Pharmawati, Luh Putu Wrasiati, Ni Made Gari

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Marine Science

Seagrasses function as primary producers and as spawning grounds and shelter for marine biota. Regardless of their relevance, seagrasses are under threat due to anthropogenic impacts and an increasing frequency of extreme climate events. Enhalus acoroides is a species of seagrass that is spread in the east and southeast waters of Bali, from Sanur Beach to Nusa Dua Beach. This study aims to analyze the differences in morphometry and the chlorophyll, proline, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, a marker for oxidative stress in E. acoroides leaves at Pengastian Beach, Semawang Beach, and Samuh Beach, Bali. Samples were collected using line transect …

Seagrass Carbon Standing Stock In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: The Role Of Seagrass Beds In Mississippi As Potential Blue Carbon Sinks, Devan Hildebrand

Master's Theses

Organic carbon stored in marine ecosystems is known as blue carbon. Seagrass beds have the ability to contribute to global blue carbon standing stocks through the uptake and sequestration of carbon from the water column. Through coastal management and conservation best practices, blue carbon habitats have the potential to help mitigate the effects of climate change. Although widely studied, knowledge gaps exist on the sediment carbon standing stock of seagrasses. I aim to better understand how persistent seagrass meadows surrounding barrier islands in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico contribute to long-term blue carbon standing stocks. Subaqueous sediment cores were collected …

The Transition Zone Hypothesis On Biodiversity Of The Indian River Lagoon System, Florida, Richard L. Turner

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Indian River Lagoon System (IRL) is regarded as having a high level of biodiversity. The level of biodiversity is often attributed in part to the 2-degree latitudinal span (251 km) of the IRL and to its position in a transitional zone between tropical and temperate biotic provinces. This hypothesis was tested for submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) based on a recent treatise (Littler, Littler, and Hanisak, 2008). Five of seven species of seagrass are tropical, and two have either a broad or very narrow latitudinal distribution; the transition-zone hypothesis does not hold for seagrasses. Most macroalgae (131 spp.) are tropical/subtropical; …

Reevaluating The Role Of Ruppia Maritima: Recruitment Dynamics And Habitat Use By Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) And Associated Benthic Fauna In A Mid-Atlantic Seagrass Community, Delaney St. Pierre

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The value of seagrasses as essential fish habitat is well recognized, but limited data exist on the value of one particular species, Ruppia maritima (widgeon grass), as habitat for fish and invertebrates. During the summer of 2024, I evaluated R. maritima, Zostera marina (eelgrass) and mixed beds to assess their relative value as habitat in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. Results from throw traps indicated significant monthly differences for pipefish, gobies, blue crabs, grass shrimp, and sand shrimp, driven by active recruitment events. When evaluating habitat type, we found no taxa that were significantly more abundant in Z. marina habitat as …

Evaluation Of Carbon Sequestration In Seagrass Meadows Of Kenting: A Comparative Study With Penghu And Dongsha Island, Zih-Wei Tang, Huei-Fen Chen, Jordi Mahardika Puntu, Ping-Yu Chang, Li Lo, Jian-Jhih Chen, Wen-Chen Chou, Lan-Feng Fan, Ying-Ju Chang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study investigates the controlling factors of carbon sequestration (CS) in seagrass bed sediments across three distinct environments in Taiwan: the Kenting (KT) coastal area, the Penghu (PH) open inner bay, and the Dongsha (DS) Atoll lagoon. Actual measurements of the substrate depth beneath the sediment and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) scans of the beach reveal that the coral reef bedrock in KT slopes landward. A field survey of the seagrass area in KT was conducted, and three cross-sectional profiles were analyzed to determine their topography, yielding a median sediment thickness of 88.2cm. Based on these measurements, the sediment volume was …

Seagrasses Are Most Vulnerable To Marine Heatwaves In Tropical Zones: Local-Scale And Broad Climatic Zone Variation In Thermal Tolerances, Nicole Said, Chanelle Webster, Simone Strydom, Natasha Dunham, Matthew P. Adams, Kathryn Mcmahon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Under a changing climate, it is imperative that we understand how species may respond to temperature impacts, which can differ among populations of the same species due to local drivers. Thermal tolerance data, which can be used to assess an organism's upper thermal limits, is valuable to identify species and/or populations' susceptibility to thermal stress. This study assessed the variation in thermal tolerance of six seagrass species at both broad latitudinal (c. 500–1000 km) and local scales (c. 25 km). Photosynthesis–temperature curves (15–45°C) were conducted, by measuring oxygen in closed incubation chambers, and thermal optima (Topt) was extracted. We found …

Varying Vulnerabilities: Seagrass Species Under Threat From Prolonged Ocean Warming, Marnie L. Campbell, Chi T.U. Le

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Understanding the response of various seagrass species to prolonged elevated water temperatures is crucial for effective management and seagrass species restoration amid increasing climate change-induced ocean warming and marine heat waves. This is especially important in intertidal seagrass meadows, where heat can penetrate substrate depths of up to 50 cm. We assessed and contrasted the responses of five intertidal species—Zostera muelleri Irmisch ex Asch, Halophila ovalis (R.Br.) Hook f., Halodule uninervis (Forssk.) Asch, Halophila decipiens Ostenf., and Halophila spinulosa (R.Br.) Asch—over a month of elevated temperatures by examining rhizome growth, number of living shoots, root development, and sprig survival. While …

Predictors Of Sedimentary Organic Carbon In Seagrass Vegetated And Unvegetated Sediment In The Tamar Estuary, United Kingdom, Kathryn Pogson

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Seagrass meadows are considered significant natural carbon sinks due to their ability to store large amounts of organic carbon (C_org) in their sediments. ‘Blue carbon strategies’ aim to utilise and enhance this ability to mitigate climate change. However, assessing the C_org content and the habitat characteristics that influence this, in both seagrass vegetated and adjacent unvegetated sediments is needed to improve ‘Blue Carbon’ assessments. Currently, adjacent unvegetated sediments are excluded from Blue Carbon assessments as investigations rarely incorporate them into study design, despite evidence suggesting that they can also store significant amounts of C_org. Mean …

Microplastics In The Mix: Types And Retention Of Microplastics Within A Mixed Species Seagrass Meadow In The Tamar Estuary, Ida S. Kreuze

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Microplastic pollution in coastal systems is becoming increasingly prevalent and a commonly discussed topic in science and the media. Seagrass beds have been identified as highly vulnerable environments to microplastic pollution due to their nature as traps for particulate matter in the water column, and their role in habitat production and blue carbon storage makes them of high conservation concern. This study examined a mixed species seagrass bed in the Tamar Estuary in Plymouth Sound, composed of Nanozostera noltei and a morphology of Zostera marina, to identify how seagrass shoot density and sediment particle size impacted the number and …

Rooting For Resilience: Investigating The Success Of Seagrass Restoration Methods, Olivia K. Stockdale

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Seagrasses generate vital ecosystem services to coastal communities, whilst also protecting marine biodiversity. Despite their significance, seagrass ecosystems face a plethora of threats from both anthropogenic and natural sources, causing a 20 % loss of seagrass area over the last century. To combat this, numerous restoration methods exist for seagrass habitats globally, with varying degrees of success. Through a comprehensive systematic review and subsequent meta-analysis, this study illustrates the varying success rates of different transplant and seed-based restoration methods over differing timescales. Accounting for varying timescales, results showed that restoration method had a significant effect on success rate (χ^{2 …}

In Hot Water: Uncertainties In Projecting Marine Heatwaves Impacts On Seagrass Meadows, Paula S. Hatum, Kathryn Mcmahon, Kerrie Mengersen, Jennifer K. Mcwhorter, Paul P.Y. Wu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass ecosystems, vital as primary producer habitats for maintaining high biodiversity and delivering numerous ecosystem services, face increasing threats from climate change, particularly marine heatwaves. This study introduces a pioneering methodology that integrates Dynamic Bayesian Networks of ecosystem resilience with climate projections, aiming to enhance our understanding of seagrass responses to extreme climate events. We developed cutting-edge metrics for measuring shoot density and biomass in terms of population and site extinction, presented as annual ratios relative to their respective baselines. These metrics include associated uncertainties and projected recovery times. This innovative approach was applied in a case study focusing on …

Seagrass Classification Using Unsupervised Curriculum Learning (Ucl), Nosheen Abid, Md Kislu Noman, György Kovács, Syed Mohammed Shamsul Islam, Tosin Adewumi, Paul Lavery, Faisal Shafait, Marcus Liwicki

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass ecosystems are pivotal in marine environments, serving as crucial habitats for diverse marine species and contributing significantly to carbon sequestration. Accurate classification of seagrass species from underwater images is imperative for monitoring and preserving these ecosystems. This paper introduces Unsupervised Curriculum Learning (UCL) to seagrass classification using the DeepSeagrass dataset. UCL progressively learns from simpler to more complex examples, enhancing the model's ability to discern seagrass features in a curriculum-driven manner. Experiments employing state-of-the-art deep learning architectures, convolutional neural networks (CNNs), show that UCL achieved overall 90.12 % precision and 89 % recall, which significantly improves classification accuracy and …

Significant Carbonate Burial In The Bahamas Seagrass Ecosystem, Chuancheng Fu, Sofia Frappi, Michelle Nicole Havlik, Wells Howe, S. David Harris, Elisa Laiolo, Austin J. Gallagher, Pere Masque, Carlos M. Duarte

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass meadows store significant amounts of carbonate (CaCO3) in sediment, contributing to coastal protection but potentially offsetting their effectiveness as carbon sinks. Understanding the accumulation of CaCO3 and its balance with organic carbon (Corg) in seagrass ecosystems is crucial for developing seagrass-based blue carbon strategies for climate change mitigation. However, CaCO3 accumulation in seagrass meadows varies significantly across geographic regions, with notable data gaps in the Caribbean and Central America. Here, we sampled 10 seagrass meadows across an extensive island chain in The Bahamas, part of the largest seagrass ecosystem and one of the largest CaCO3 banks globally, to evaluate …

A 2,000-Year Record Of Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L.) Colonization Shows Substantial Gains In Blue Carbon Storage And Nutrient Retention, Martin Dahl, Martin Gullström, Irene Bernabeu, Oscar Serrano, Carmen Leiva-Dueñas, Hans W. Linderholm, Maria E. Asplund, Mats Björk, Tinghai Ou, J. Robin Svensson, Elinor Andrén, Thomas Andrén, Sanne Bergman, Sara Braun, Anneli Eklöf, Zilvinas Ežerinskis, Andrius Garbaras, Petter Hällberg, Elin Löfgren, Malin E. Kylander, Pere Masqué, Justina Šapolaitė, Rienk Smittenberg, Miguel A. Mateo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Assessing historical environmental conditions linked to habitat colonization is important for understanding long-term resilience and improving conservation and restoration efforts. Such information is lacking for the seagrass Zostera marina, an important foundation species across cold-temperate coastal areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we reconstructed environmental conditions during the last 14,000 years from sediment cores in two eelgrass (Z. marina) meadows along the Swedish west coast, with the main aims to identify the time frame of seagrass colonization and describe subsequent biogeochemical changes following establishment. Based on vegetation proxies (lipid biomarkers), eelgrass colonization occurred about 2,000 years ago after geomorphological changes …

Turtlegrass (Thalassia Testudinum) Undergoes A Coordinated Hypersensitive Response When Challenged With Pathogenic Labyrinthula Sp., Ava Vasile Larson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infection of the subtropical seagrass Thalassia testudinum Banks ex König by pathogenic Labyrinthula sp. was found to induce lesion progression, alterations to the host’s oxidative metabolism, and production of defense metabolites over the early stages of infection (monitored over a 72-hr time course). By 48-hrs post-infection, host oxygen consumption, internal reactive oxygen concentrations, and caspase-3 proteolytic activity reached their highest levels. The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) were detected in T. testudinum lesions by use of redox-sensitive probes/substrates and fluorescent imaging. To our knowledge, this work represents the first time NO has been detected in …

Ecu-Mss-2 Dataset, A New Multi-Species Seagrass, Md K. Noman, Syed M. S. Islam, Seyed M. Jalali, Jumana Abu-Khalaf, Paul Lavery

Research Datasets

The "ECU-MSS-2' dataset contains four different habitats, 'Amphibolis' spp (hereafter 'Amphibolis"), 'Halophila' spp (hereafter 'Halophila'), 'Posidonia' spp (hereafter 'Posidonia') and 'Background'. We compiled this image dataset from different sources. The 'Halophila' images were collected by the Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia.

The 'Amphibolis' 'Background' and 'Posidonia' images were collected by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), Australia. The 'Amphibolis' class includes the seagrass species Amphibolis griffithii and Amphibolis Antarctica. The 'Halophila' class includes Halophila ovalis, while the 'Posidonia' class includes Posidonia sinuosa, Posidonia coriacea, and Posidonia Australis. The 'Background' class includes coral, sand, …

Spatial And Temporal Variation In Population Genetic Diversity In Seagrasses And The Implications For Resilience, Anna Maria Frouws

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Seagrass ecosystems are highly productive and fulfil vital roles in the coastal environment as ecosystem engineers and keystone species. Unfortunately, anthropogenic pressures have resulted in a significant loss of seagrass habitat and associated ecosystem services. The complex and unpredictable nature of these pressures, and their increasing extent and intensity globally, makes resilience-based ecosystem management a valuable approach. Resilience-based management requires knowledge on processes enhancing ecosystem resilience and on actions supporting these processes. Genetic diversity, which is the allelic variation among individuals of a population, has been recognised as one of the pillars of resilient ecosystems. Genetic diversity within a population …

Substantial Blue Carbon Sequestration In The World’S Largest Seagrass Meadow, Chuancheng Fu, Sofia Frappi, Michelle N. Havlik, Wells Howe, S. David Harris, Elisa Laiolo, Austin J. Gallagher, Pere Masqué, Carlos M. Duarte

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass meadows are important sinks for organic carbon and provide co-benefits. However, data on the organic carbon stock in seagrass sediments are scarce for many regions, particularly The Bahamas, which accounts for up to 40.7% of the documented global seagrass area, limiting formulation of blue carbon strategies. Here, we sampled 10 seagrass meadows across an extensive island chain in The Bahamas. We estimate that Bahamas seagrass meadows store 0.42–0.59 Pg organic carbon in the top-meter sediments with an accumulation rate of 2.1–2.9 Tg annually, representing a substantial global blue carbon hotspot. Autochthonous organic carbon in sediments decreased from ~1980 onwards, …

Evaluating Habitat Use By Nekton In Widgeon Grass (Ruppia Maritima), Shoal Grass (Halodule Wrightii), And Unvegetated Bottom Habitats In The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Jessica Woodall

Master's Theses

Seagrass beds support high biodiversity and animal abundance, serve as feeding grounds for a variety of animals, offer shelter from predation, and act as a nursery habitat for juveniles. The species composition of seagrass beds can impact their use as habitat by animals. Two common species of seagrass in the Gulf of Mexico are Ruppia maritima (widgeon grass) and Halodule wrightii (shoal grass). The shallow coastal waters of the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) support both species, but the use of each seagrass as habitat by nekton is poorly understood, which can limit management decision-making. Nekton communities were …

Providing A Framework For Seagrass Mapping In United States Coastal Ecosystems Using High Spatial Resolution Satellite Imagery, Megan M. Coffer, David D. Graybill, Peter J. Whitman, Blake A. Schaeffer, Wilson B. Salls, Richard C. Zimmerman, Victoria Hill, Marie Cindy Lebrasse, Jiang Li, Darryl J. Keith, James Kaldy, Phil Colarusso, Gary Raulerson, David Ward, W. Judson Kenworthy

OES Faculty Publications

Seagrasses have been widely recognized for their ecosystem services, but traditional seagrass monitoring approaches emphasizing ground and aerial observations are costly, time-consuming, and lack standardization across datasets. This study leveraged satellite imagery from Maxar's WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 high spatial resolution, commercial satellite platforms to provide a consistent classification approach for monitoring seagrass at eleven study areas across the continental United States, representing geographically, ecologically, and climatically diverse regions. A single satellite image was selected at each of the eleven study areas to correspond temporally to reference data representing seagrass coverage and was classified into four general classes: land, seagrass, no …

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Response To Submarine Groundwater Discharge, Brielle K. Robbins

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Ecosystem services provided by seagrass meadow communities in Florida Bay propagate economic opportunity and carbon sequestration among many other benefits. Recent seagrass die-off events have threatened Florida Bay’s ecosystem and its ability to provide these services. These impacts fuel ongoing research investigating the complex causes of seagrass die-offs. While previous research has described how water quality parameters can lead to seagrass die-offs, there is still much to be explored regarding the proximate causes for these water quality changes. The aquifers underneath the bay may hold the missing pieces in our understanding of die-off events, as submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) can …

Effects Of Ph, Eelgrass, And Settlement Substrate On The Growth Of Juvenile Magallana (Crassostrea) Gigas, A Commercially Important Oyster Species, Johnny S. Roche

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Worsening ocean acidification (OA), resulting from ongoing absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) by the oceans, threatens marine life globally. Calcifying organisms, especially their early life stages, are particularly vulnerable; this includes the economically important Pacific oyster, Magallana (Crassostrea) gigas. Uptake of dissolved CO₂ through photosynthesis by seagrasses, like eelgrass (Zostera marina), may benefit calcifying organisms by increasing pH and carbonate availability. I conducted laboratory and field experiments to quantify carbonate chemistry modification by eelgrass and potential mitigation of OA impacts on growth in juvenile Pacific oysters. In the laboratory experiment, daytime …

Flaws In The Methodologies For Organic Carbon Analysis In Seagrass Blue Carbon Soils, Oscar Serrano, Ines Mazarrasa, James W. Fourqurean, Eduard Serrano, Jeffrey Baldock, Jonathan Sanderman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The ability to accurately measure organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments or soils is overall taken for granted in scientific communities, yet this seemingly mundane task remains a methodological challenge when the soil matrix contains calcium carbonate (CaCO3), creating inaccuracies in Blue Carbon estimates. Here, we compared five common methods combining acidification, combustion, and wet oxidation pre-treatments for determination of OC in sediments and soils containing CaCO3 based on the analyses of artificial soil mixtures made of different OC and CaCO3 contents, and multiple soils from Australian seagrass cores. The results obtained showed that methods involving acidification pre-treatment entailed −17 …

Editorial: Tropicalization In Seagrasses: Shifts In Ecosystem Function, Glenn A. Hyndes, Jessie C. Jarvis, Kenneth L. Heck

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass meadows form highly productive and diverse ecosystems that provide a range of ecosystem services along coasts of most continents (Barbier et al., 2011; Nordlund et al., 2016), yet they continue to experience large losses through direct and indirect human disturbances (Waycott et al., 2009; Duarte et al., 2018). Like other coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs and kelp forests, seagrasses are showing strong negative responses to elevated ocean temperatures and heatwaves, in which rising temperatures exceed their thresholds for survival [...].

Increased Extent Of Waterfowl Grazing Lengthens The Recovery Time Of A Colonizing Seagrass (Halophila Ovalis) With Implications For Seagrass Resilience, Caitlyn M. O’Dea, Paul S. Lavery, Chanelle L. Webster, Kathryn M. Mcmahon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Herbivore distributions and abundance are shifting because of climate change, leading to intensified grazing pressure on foundation species such as seagrasses. This, combined with rapidly increasing magnitudes of change in estuarine ecosystems, may affect seagrass resilience. While the overall resilience of seagrasses is generally well-studied, the timeframes of recovery has received comparatively little attention, particularly in temperate estuaries. We investigated how the recovery time (RT) of seagrass is affected by simulated grazing in a southwestern Australian estuary. Whilst excluding swans, we simulated different grazing intensities (25, 50, 75, and 100 % removal from 1 m2 plots) at four locations in …

A Spatial Assessment Of Impacts To The Flats Fishery By Recreational Boating In The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Kristin Anderson

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The recreational flats fishery in the Florida Keys is a significant component of the marine resource-based economy, exceeding $465 million (USD) in annual economic impact. Permit (Trachinotus falcatus), bonefish (Albula vulpes), and tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) are the three main species targeted by flat fishers. Those participating in this fishery generally practice catch-and-release angling therefore, the fishery is considered a more sustainable marine use compared to more traditional commercial fisheries. However, with population and tourism rising in South Florida, the fishery is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation and user conflicts. Ongoing revisions to the Florida …

The Risk Of Multiple Anthropogenic And Climate Change Threats Must Be Considered For Continental Scale Conservation And Management Of Seagrass Habitat, Kathryn Mcmahon, Kieryn Kilminster, Robert Canto, Chris Roelfsema, Mitchell Lyons, Gary A. Kendrick, Michelle Waycott, James Udy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Globally marine-terrestrial interfaces are highly impacted due to a range of human pressures. Seagrass habitats exist in the shallow marine waters of this interface, have significant values and are impacted by a range of pressures. Cumulative risk analysis is widely used to identify risk from multiple threats and assist in prioritizing management actions. This study conducted a cumulative risk analysis of seagrass habitat associated with the Australian continent to support management actions. We developed a spatially explicit risk model based on a database of threats to coastal aquatic habitat in Australia, spanning 35,000 km of coastline. Risk hotspots were identified …