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Diversity
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Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Seagrass
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Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Seagrass

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 13298

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rocío Jiménez-Ramos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Cadiz, International Campus of Excellence of the Sea (CEIMAR), 11510 Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain
Interests: biodiversity; grazing; blue carbon; ecosystem services; biotic interactions
Dr. Luis G. Egea

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Cadiz, International Campus of Excellence of the Sea (CEIMAR), 11510 Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain
Interests: coastal habitats; community ecology; biogeochemistry; global change; carbon sinks

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Seagrasses play a significant global role in supporting biodiversity, mitigating climate change and supporting food security. However, they remain relatively unknown and are often sidelined in marine conservation plans. Currently, a significant challenge for seagrass ecosystems is that they are threatened globally, with evidence indicating accelerating rates of loss and degradation. Moreover, seagrass research continues to fall behind that of other coastal ecosystems (corals or saltmarshes), undermining its public recognition and presence in conservation policy. Recently, however, we have seen increasing multidisciplinary seagrass research about ecosystem services, resilience in a changing world, restoration or management. Research areas in which seagrasses are already receiving considerable attention (e.g., seagrass meadows as blue carbon sinks or the role of seagrasses for food security) in particular could be used to gain a broader interest in seagrass conservation. Even so, there are still many knowledge gaps about seagrass that need to be filled, including basic ecological and distributional awareness.

For this Special Issue, we invite submissions that contribute scientific knowledge supporting conservation actions on seagrass communities using a variety of topics. Interdisciplinary themes are encouraged. We hope to collate a diverse body of recent progress in the field of seagrass ecology (e.g., biodiversity, food webs, landscape) restoration (e.g., methods, distribution, strategic plans) and management (e.g., climate change effects, food security, carbon sink). These varied themes will provide opportunities for seagrass research to work other aspects of seagrass conservation (e.g., genetic diversity or symbiotic associations) and would improve local, regional and global seagrass recognition.

Dr. Rocío Jiménez-Ramos
Dr. Luis G. Egea
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • seagrass
  • biodiversity
  • restoration
  • seagrass distribution
  • food security
  • blue carbon
  • ecosystem services
  • climate change
  • landscape ecology
  • management

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2811 KiB  
Article
Leaf Senescence of the Seagrass Cymodocea nodosa in Cádiz Bay, Southern Spain
by Rocío Jiménez-Ramos, Carmen Henares, Luis G. Egea, Juan J. Vergara and Fernando G. Brun
Diversity 2023, 15(2), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020187 - 29 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1776
Abstract
Leaf decay in seagrasses is enhanced in some seasons since large green senescent beach-cast seagrass leaves are frequently recorded during autumn and winter seasons. Here, we explore if senescence is operating in seagrass leaf decay or if hydrodynamic stress is responsible for the [...] Read more.
Leaf decay in seagrasses is enhanced in some seasons since large green senescent beach-cast seagrass leaves are frequently recorded during autumn and winter seasons. Here, we explore if senescence is operating in seagrass leaf decay or if hydrodynamic stress is responsible for the seasonal leaf abscission. A seasonal study on the temperate seagrass Cymodocea nodosa was carried out in four locations with contrasting hydrodynamic regimes. The morphological, biomechanical and material properties of C. nodosa were measured. The force required to break the ligule was always lower than that required to break the blade. This could be considered an adaptive strategy to reduce acute drag forces and thus lessen the chance of plant uprooting. The absolute force needed to dislodge the blade at the ligule level varied with season and location, with the lowest forces recorded in autumn. This may indicate that senescence is operating in this species. On the other hand, the minimum estimated failure velocities for leaf abscission were also recorded in autumn. Consequently, this may cause the premature shedding of leaves in this season before the senescence process has finished and can probably explain the occurrence of green beach-cast seagrass leaves usually found during autumn and winter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Seagrass)
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11 pages, 705 KiB  
Article
Phylogenomic Insights into the Phylogeography of Halophila baillonii Asch.
by Kor-jent van Dijk, Michelle Waycott, Ed Biffin, Joel C. Creed, Federico J. Albertazzi and Jimena Samper-Villarreal
Diversity 2023, 15(1), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010111 - 13 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1837
Abstract
A molecular genetic approach was used to elucidate the phylogeographic relationships of the clover grass (Halophila baillonii Asch.) from three key regions within its current distributional range. Halophila baillonii is a small seagrass that has historically been only found in a few [...] Read more.
A molecular genetic approach was used to elucidate the phylogeographic relationships of the clover grass (Halophila baillonii Asch.) from three key regions within its current distributional range. Halophila baillonii is a small seagrass that has historically been only found in a few locations in the Caribbean and Atlantic coast of Brazil. In the past few decades H. baillonii has also been observed in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). Very little is known about the relationship between the ETP populations and the Caribbean and Atlantic ones. To study their relationship, we used a hybrid capture approach targeting chloroplast loci on samples from Belize, Brazil, and the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Phylogenetic analyses resolved H. baillonii as monophyletic and placed the samples from Belize and Costa Rica in a clade sister to the Brazilian ones. The results clearly indicate that the ETP samples are very closely related to Belize and that the most likely explanation of its occurrence in the ETP is a recent introduction, possibly as a consequence of the opening of the Panama Canal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Seagrass)
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10 pages, 7605 KiB  
Communication
Plant and Meadow Structure Characterisation of Posidonia oceanica in Its Westernmost Distribution Range
by Tomás Azcárate-García, Pedro Beca-Carretero and Fernando G. Brun
Diversity 2023, 15(1), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010101 - 12 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3743
Abstract
Posidonia oceanica is an endemic seagrass species from the Mediterranean Sea that provides critical ecological services to coastal environments. This species is distributed from the Turkish to the Spanish coast, where its westernmost record was documented in Punta Chullera, Malaga (36°18′36.45′′ N, 5°14′54.31′′ [...] Read more.
Posidonia oceanica is an endemic seagrass species from the Mediterranean Sea that provides critical ecological services to coastal environments. This species is distributed from the Turkish to the Spanish coast, where its westernmost record was documented in Punta Chullera, Malaga (36°18′36.45′′ N, 5°14′54.31′′ W). Nevertheless, previous studies suggested that its distribution was even further west, although these populations were never described. In this study, we documented and characterised the only known P. oceanica population on the coast of Cadiz, in Cala Sardina (36°18′38.80′′ N, 5°15′15.13′′ W). The newly documented population of P. oceanica presented a fragmented structure, consisting of nine patches found in a rocky shallow area surrounded by the invasive algae Rugulopteryx okamurae, with a total size of 61.14 m2. Shoots had a relatively small size (21.0 ± 2.9 cm) in comparison with centrally-distributed populations. The relatively small size of the plants, alongside the observed low shoot density (437 ± 42 shoots m−2) and leaf area index (4.8 ± 0.7 m2 m−2), may indicate that this meadow could be exposed to sub-optimal environmental conditions for plant development. By contrast, the meadow showed relatively high production rates (0.03 ± 0.01 leaf day−1 shoot−1) in comparison with other Mediterranean populations. The percentage of carbon in plant leaves was 38.73 ± 1.38%, while the nitrogen and C/N were 1.38 ± 0.37% and 29.93 ± 6.57, respectively. The documentation of this meadow extends the distribution of this species to the Mediterranean coast of Cadiz, making this region the place with the highest seagrass biodiversity (four species) in the Iberian Peninsula, and potentially in Europe. This exploratory study provides a baseline to examine the potential effects of climate change, anthropogenic disturbances or the presence of invasive species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Seagrass)
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17 pages, 3780 KiB  
Article
High-Resolution Mapping of Seagrass Biomass Dynamics Suggests Differential Response of Seagrasses to Fluctuating Environments
by Kuan-Yu Chen and Hsing-Juh Lin
Diversity 2022, 14(11), 999; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14110999 - 19 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2060
Abstract
Seagrass beds are major blue carbon ecosystems. Climate change-associated factors may change the seagrass community and affect the capacity of carbon sequestration. To explore the possible effects of warming, higher precipitation levels and/or sea level rise on seagrasses, the spatial and seasonal dynamics [...] Read more.
Seagrass beds are major blue carbon ecosystems. Climate change-associated factors may change the seagrass community and affect the capacity of carbon sequestration. To explore the possible effects of warming, higher precipitation levels and/or sea level rise on seagrasses, the spatial and seasonal dynamics in shallow seagrass beds comprising the late-successional seagrass Thalassia hemprichii and the early-successional seagrass Halodule uninervis were tracked. The high-resolution mapping of seagrass biomass dynamics showed that T. hemprichii was the dominant species in the study sites year round, as the space occupation by the larger seagrass T. hemprichii was more efficient than that by the smaller seagrass H. uninervis. The space occupation by both species in the low-elevation site was more efficient than in the high-elevation site. In the low-elevation site, while the dominance of the faster growing seagrass H. uninervis was increasing, the dominance of T. hemprichii was decreasing. This suggested that the carbon sequestration capacity of the seagrass beds will decrease, as T. hemprichii was capable of storing more carbon in the sediments. In the high-elevation site, however, the distribution of both species was distinct and showed a clear seasonal succession. The dominance of H. uninervis moved to shallower water in the wet season and then moved back to deeper water in the dry season. Our observations suggested that four possible mechanisms might be involved in the dominance shift in the shallow seagrass beds: (1) the deeper water in the low-elevation site or the higher precipitation levels in the wet season might reduce the drought stress of H. uninervis at low tide and enhance the competition of H. uninervis over T. hemprichii; (2) the growth of H. uninervis might be stimulated more by the flushing of land-based nutrients caused by the higher precipitation rates in the wet season; (3) in the high-elevation site, the faster flow velocity and frequently disturbed sediments in the dry season might constrain the further expansion of H. uninervis to shallower water; (4) the faster flow velocity in the high-elevation site might reduce the impacts of periphyton overgrowth on T. hemprichii and maintain the dominance of T. hemprichii in the community. Our results suggest seagrasses will not necessarily respond to fluctuating environments in the same way in the coming decades. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Seagrass)
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18 pages, 2379 KiB  
Article
Variation in Fish Abundance, Diversity and Assemblage Structure in Seagrass Meadows across the Atlanto-Mediterranean Province
by Julia Máñez-Crespo, Fiona Tomas, Yolanda Fernández-Torquemada, Laura Royo, Fernando Espino, Laura Antich, Néstor E. Bosch, Inés Castejón, Gema Hernan, Candela Marco-Méndez, Ángel Mateo-Ramírez, Laura Pereda-Briones, Yoana Del Pilar-Ruso, Jorge Terrados and Fernando Tuya
Diversity 2022, 14(10), 808; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14100808 - 28 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2706
Abstract
Seagrasses worldwide provide key habitats for fish assemblages. Biogeographical disparities in ocean climate conditions and seasonal regimes are well-known drivers of the spatial and temporal variation in seagrass structure, with potential effects on associated fish assemblages. Whether taxonomically disparate fish assemblages support a [...] Read more.
Seagrasses worldwide provide key habitats for fish assemblages. Biogeographical disparities in ocean climate conditions and seasonal regimes are well-known drivers of the spatial and temporal variation in seagrass structure, with potential effects on associated fish assemblages. Whether taxonomically disparate fish assemblages support a similar range of ecological functions remains poorly tested in seagrass ecosystems. In this study, we examined variation in the abundance, diversity (from a taxonomic and functional perspective), and assemblage structure of fish community inhabiting nine meadows of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa across three regions in the Mediterranean (Mallorca and Alicante) and the adjacent Atlantic (Gran Canaria), and identified which attributes typifying the structure of meadows, and large-scale variability in ocean climate, contributed most to explaining such ecological variation. Despite a similar total number of species between Mallorca and Gran Canaria, the latter region had more taxonomically and functionally diverse fish assemblages relative to the western Mediterranean regions, which translated into differences in multivariate assemblage structure. While variation in the abundance of the most conspicuous fish species was largely explained by variation in seagrass structural descriptors, most variation in diversity was accounted for by a descriptor of ocean climate (mean seasonal SST), operating at regional scales. Variation in fish assemblage structure was, to a lesser extent, also explained by local variability in seagrass structure. Beyond climatic drivers, our results suggest that lower temporal variability in the canopy structure of C. nodosa meadows in Gran Canaria provides a more consistent source of food and protection for associated fish assemblages, which likely enhances the more abundant and diverse fish assemblages there. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Seagrass)
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