Authors:
C. Cadier Edinburgh Napier University, 9 Sighthill Court, EH11 4BN Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Search for other papers by C. Cadier in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
and
A. Frouws Edinburgh Napier University, 9 Sighthill Court, EH11 4BN Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia

Search for other papers by A. Frouws in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Restricted access

Abstract

Seagrass meadows represent key ecosystems in coastal areas worldwide, hosting a great biodiversity of associated communities and thereby providing a large range of ecosystem services. In this study we present an experimental approach to investigate the effects of seagrass losses on related macrofauna assemblages. Over a three year period, seagrass canopies were removed in experimental plots and changes in epifauna, infauna and respective functional groups were recorded. The experimental removal of seagrass leaves resulted in a decline of 74% of overall macrofaunal abundance and the loss of several taxa. The immediate response of associated communities was followed by the establishment of an alternative assemblage, characterized by an increased number of bioturbators and deposit feeders. The colonization of disturbed seagrass plots by burrowing shrimps (Callianassidae) might have hindered the reestablishment of seagrass after the removal. Our findings highlight the important role of seagrasses as habitat forming species that provide relevant functioning and services in coastal ecosystems.

  • Airoldi, L., Balata, D. and Beck, M.W. 2008. The Gray Zone: Relationships between habitat loss and marine diversity and their applications in conservation. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 366:815.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Alfaro, A.C . 2006. Benthic macro-invertebrate community composition within a mangrove/seagrass estuary in northern New Zealand. Estuar. Coast. Shelf. Sci. 66:97110.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Alonso De Pina, G.M . 2003. A new species of Phoxocephalidae and some other records of sand-burrowing Amphipoda (Crustacea) from Argentina. J. Nat. Hist. 37:10291057.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Anderson, M., Gorley, R.N. and Clarke, R.K. 2008. Permanova+ for primer: Guide to software and statistical methods. Primer-E Limited, Plymouth, UK.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Barnes, R.S.K. and Hendy, I.W. 2015. Functional uniformity underlies the common spatial structure of macrofaunal assemblages in intertidal seagrass beds. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 115:114126.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Berkenbusch, K., Rowden, A.A. and Myers, T.E. 2007. Interactions between seagrasses and burrowing ghost shrimps and their influence on infaunal assemblages. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 341:7084.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Blackburn, N.J. and Orth, R.J. 2013. Seed burial in eelgrass, Zostera marina: the role of infauna. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 474:135145.

  • Bologna, P.A. and Heck Jr, K.L. 1999. Macrofaunal associations with seagrass epiphytes: relative importance of trophic and structural characteristics. J. Exp. Mar. Bio. Ecol. 242:2139.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Borja, A., Muxika, I. and Rodríguez, J.G. 2009. Paradigmatic responses of marine benthic communities to different anthropogenic pressures, using M-AMBI, within the European Water Framework Directive. Mar. Ecol. 30:214227.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Bouillon, S., Moens, T. and Dehairs, F. 2004. Carbon sources supporting benthic mineralization in mangrove and adjacent sea-grass sediments (Gazi Bay, Kenya). Biogeosciences Discuss. 1:311333.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Bourque, A.S., Kenworthy, W.J. and Fourqurean, J.W. 2015. Impacts of physical disturbance on ecosystem structure in subtropical seagrass meadows. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 540:2741.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Bowden, D A., Rowden, A. and Attrill, M.J. 2001. Effect of patch size and in-patch location on the infaunal macroinvertebrate assemblages of, Zostera marina seagrass beds. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 259:133154.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Campbell, A . 2007. Seashores and Shallow Seas of Britain and Europe. Bounty Books, London, UK.

  • del Norte-Campos, A.G. and Burgos, L.A. 2015. Interannual Variability of Macrofaunal Assemblages in a NaGISA Sea-grass Site in Southern Guimaras, Philippines Subjected to Anthropogenic and Natural Disturbances. Philipp. Agric. Sci. 98.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Castorani, M.C., Hovel, K.A., Williams, S.L. and Baskett, M.L. 2014. Disturbance facilitates the coexistence of antagonistic ecosystem engineers in California estuaries. Ecology 95:22772288.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Clarke, K.R. and Warwick, R.M. 2001. Changes in Marine Communities: an Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation. 2nd Edition. PRIMER-E Ltd, Plymouth, UK.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Coles, R. et al. 2011. Seagrass ecology and threats in the tropical Indo-Pacific bioregion. In: R.S. Pirog (ed.), Seagrass: Ecology, Uses and Threats. Nova Science Publishers, New York. pp. 225240.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Conway, D.V.P . 2015. Marine Zooplankton of southern, Part 3: Ostracoda, Stomatopoda, Nebaliacea, Mysida, Amphipoda, Isopoda, Cumacea, Euphausiacea, Decapoda, Annelida, Tardigrada, Nematoda, Phoronida, Bryozoa, Entoprocta, Brachiopoda, Echinodermata, Chaetognatha, Hemichordata. Mar. Biol. Assoc. Occas. Pub. l:1271.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Coppejans, E., Beeckman, H. and Wit, M. De. 1992. The seagrass and associated macroalgal vegetation of Gazi Bay (Kenya). Hydrobiologia 247:5975.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Day, J.H . 1967. A Monograph of the Polychaeta of Southern Africa. British Museum of Natural History, Publication 656:1878.

  • Do, V.T., Blanchet, H., Montaudouin, X. de and Lavesque, N. 2013. Limited Consequences of seagrass decline on benthic macrofauna and associated biotic indicators. Estuar. Coast. 36:795807.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Dorenbosch, M., Grol, M.G.G., Christianen, M.J., Nagelkerken, I. and van der Velde, G. 2005. Indo-Pacific seagrass beds and mangroves contribute to fish density and diversity on adjacent coral reefs. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 302:6376.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Duarte, C.M., Dennison, W.C., Orth, R.J.W. and Carruthers, T.J.B. 2008. The charisma of coastal ecosystems: Addressing the imbalance. Estuar. Coast. 31:233238.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Duarte, C.M., Kennedy, H., Marbà, N. and Hendriks, I. 2013. Assessing the capacity of seagrass meadows for carbon burial: Current limitations and future strategies. Ocean Coast. Manag. 83:3238.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Edgar, G.J . 1990. The influence of plant structure on the species richness, biomass and secondary production of macrofaunal assemblages associated with Western Australian seagrass beds. J. Exp. Mar. Bio. Ecol. 137:215240.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Eleftheriou, A. and McIntyre, A. (eds). 2005. Methods for the Study of Marine Benthos. Blackwell, Oxford.

  • Gamito, S., Patrício, J., Neto, J.M., Teixeira, H. and Marques, J.C. 2012. Feeding diversity index as complementary information in the assessment of ecological quality status. Ecol. Indic. 19:7378.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Gartner, A., Lavery, P.S., McMahon, K., Brearley, A. and Barwick, H. 2010. Light reductions drive macroinvertebrate changes in, Amphibolis griffithii seagrass habitat. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 401:87100.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Gray, J.S. and Michael, E. 2009. Ecology of Marine Sediments. From Science to Management. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

  • Githaiga, M.N., Frouws, A.M., Kairo, J.G. and Huxham, M. 2019. Seagrass removal leads to rapid changes in fauna and loss of carbon. Front. Ecol. Evol. 7:112.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Green, E.P. and Short, F.T. 2003. World Atlas of Seagrasses. University of California Press, Berkeley, USA.

  • Greenfield, B.L., Kraan, C., Pilditch, C.A. and Thrush, S.F. 2016. Mapping functional groups can provide insight into ecosystem functioning and potential resilience of intertidal sandflats. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 548:110.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Harcourt, W.D., Briers, R.A. and Huxham, M. 2018. The thin (ning) green line? Investigating changes in Kenya's seagrass coverage. Biol. Letters 14:20180227.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Haye, P.A., Kornfield, I. and Watling, L. 2004. Molecular insights into Cumacean family relationships (Crustacea, Cumacea). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 30:798809.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Hayward, P.J. and Ryland, J.S. (eds). 2000. Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford University Press, New York, USA.

  • Hemminga, M.A. and Duarte, C.M. 2000. Seagrass Ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

  • Hendriks, I.E., Sintes, T., Bouma, T.J. and Duarte, C.M. 2008. Experimental assessment and modeling evaluation of the effects of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica on flow and particle trapping. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 356:16373

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Herkül, K. and Kotta, J. 2009. Effects of eelgrass (Zostera marina) canopy removal and sediment addition on sediment characteristics and benthic communities in the Northern Baltic Sea. Mar. Ecol. 30:7482.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Jumars, P. A., Dorgan, K.M. and Lindsay, S.M. 2015. Diet of worms emended: an update of polychaete feeding guilds. Appendix A. Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci. 7:497520.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Kalejta, B. and Hockey, P.A.R. 1991. Distribution, abundance and productivity of benthic invertebrates at the Berg River estuary, South Africa. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 33:175191.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Kilminster, K., McMahon, K., Waycott, M., Kendrick, G.A., Scanes, P., McKenzie, L., … and Glasby, T. 2015. Unravelling complexity in seagrass systems for management: Australia as a microcosm. Sci. Total Environ. 534:97109.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Kitheka, J.U . 1997. Coastal tidally-driven circulation and the role of water exchange in the linkage between tropical coastal ecosystems. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 45:177187.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Kneer, D., Asmus, H. and Jompa, J. 2013. Do burrowing callianassid shrimp control the lower boundary of tropical seagrass beds? J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 446:262272.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Laffoley, D. and Grimsditch, G. 2009. The Management of Natural Coastal Carbon Sinks. Gland, Switzerland.

  • Lavesque, N., Blanchet, H. and Montaudouin, X. de. 2009. Development of a multimetric approach to assess perturbation of benthic macrofauna in, Zostera noltii beds. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 368:101112.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Lee, S.Y., Fong, C.W. and Wu, R.S.S. 2001. The effects of seagrass (Zostera japonica) canopy structure on associated fauna: A study using artificial seagrass units and sampling of natural beds. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 259:2350.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Leopardas, V., Uy, W. and Nakaoka, M. 2014. Benthic macrofaunal assemblages in multispecific seagrass meadows of the southern Philippines: Variation among vegetation dominated by different seagrass species. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 457:7180.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Maxwell, P.S., Eklöf, J.S., van Katwijk, M.M., O’brien, K.R., de la Torre-Castro, M., Boström, C., … and van der Heide, T. 2017. The fundamental role of ecological feedback mechanisms for the adaptive management of seagrass ecosystems–a review. Biol. Rev. 92:15211538.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Nagelkerken, I., Velde, G., Van Der Dorenbosch, M., Van Riel, M.C., De La Moriniere, E.C. and Nienhuis, P.H. 2004. How important are mangroves and seagrass beds for coral-reef fish? The nursery hypothesis tested on an island scale. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 244:299305.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Ngoc-Ho, N . 2003. European and Mediterranean thalassinidea (Crustacea, Decapoda). Zoosystema 25:439555.

  • Nordlund, L.M., Unsworth, R.K.F., Gullström, M. and Cullen-Unsworth, L.C. 2017. Global significance of seagrass fishery activity. Fish and Fisheries 19:114.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Ondiviela, B., Losada, I.J., Lara, J.L., Maza, M., Galván, C., Bouma, T.J. and van Belzen, J. 2014. The role of seagrasses in coastal protection in a changing climate. Coast. Eng. 87:158168.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Orth, R.J., Carruthers, T.J.B., Dennison, W.C., Duarte, C.M., Fourqurean, J.W., Heck, K.L., … and Short, F.T. 2006. A global crisis for seagrass ecosystems. Bioscience 56:987997.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Orth, R.J., Heck, K.L. and Monfrans, J. van. 1984. Faunal communities in seagrass beds: a review of the influence of plant structure and prey characteristics on predator-prey relationships. Estuaries 7:339350.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Paganelli, D., Marchini, A. and Occhipinti-Ambrogi, A. 2012. Functional structure of marine benthic assemblages using Biological Traits Analysis (BTA): A study along the Emilia-Romagna coastline (Italy, North-West Adriatic Sea). Estuar. Coast. Shelf. Sci. 96:245256.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Pagliosa, P.R . 2005. Another diet of worms: The applicability of polychaete feeding guilds as a useful conceptual framework and biological variable. Mar. Ecol. 26:246254.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Paula, J., Fidalgo Ecosta, P., Martins, A. and Gove, D. 2001. Patterns of abundance of seagrasses and associated infaunal communities at Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 53:307318.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Peng, S., Zhou, R., Qin, X., Shi, H. and Ding, D. 2013. Application of macrobenthos functional groups to estimate the ecosystem health in a semi-enclosed bay. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 74:302310.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Poore, G.C.B. and Bruce, N.L. 2012. Global diversity of marine isopods (except Asselota and crustacean symbionts). PLoS One 7:e43529.

  • Reed, B.J. and Hovel, K.A. 2006. Seagrass habitat disturbance: how loss and fragmentation of eelgrass, Zostera marina influences epifaunal abundance and diversity. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 326:133143.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Richmond, M.D. (ed.). 2011. A Field Guide to the Seashores of Eastern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean Islands. Sida, Norwich, UK.

  • Rodil, I.F., Lohrer, A.M., Hewitt, J.E., Townsend, M., Thrush, S.F. and Carbines, M. 2013. Tracking environmental stress gradients using three biotic integrity indices: Advantages of a locally-developed traits-based approach. Ecol. Indic. 34:560570.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Rosenberg, R., Nilsson, H.C. and Diaz, R.J. 2001. Response of benthic fauna and changing sediment redox profiles over a hypoxic gradient. Estuar. Coast. Shelf. Sci. 53:343350.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Sirota, L. and Hovel, K.A. 2006. Simulated eelgrass Zostera marina structural complexity: effects of shoot length, shoot density, and surface area on the epifaunal community of San Diego Bay, California, USA. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 326:115131.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Skilleter, G.A . 1994. Refuges from predation and the persistence of estuarine clam populations. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 109:2942.

  • Smith, M.M. and Heemstra, P.C. 1999. Smith's Sea Fishes. Southern Book Publishers, Southern Africa.

  • Stoner, A.W . 1980. The role of seagrass biomass in the organization of benthic macrofaunal assemblages. B. Mar. Sci. 30:537557.

  • Suchanek, T.H. and Colin, P.L. 1986. Rates and effects of bioturbation by invertebrates and fishes at Enewetak and Bikini Atolls. B. Mar. Sci. 38:2534.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Thomson, A.C., Trevathan-Tackett, S.M., Maher, D.T., Ralph, P.J. and Macreadie, P.I. 2018. Bioturbator-stimulated loss of seagrass sediment carbon stocks. Limnol. Oceanogr. 64:342356.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Tilman, D., Knops, J., Wedin, D. and Reich, P.B. 1997. The influence of functional diversity and composition on ecosystem processes. Science 277:13001302.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Unsworth, R.K.F., Collier, C.J., Waycott, M., Mckenzie, L.J. and Cullen-Unsworth, L.C. 2015. A framework for the resilience of seagrass ecosystems. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 100:3446.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Unsworth, R.K.F., Hinder, S.L., Bodger, O.G and Cullen-Unsworth, L.C. 2014. Food supply depends on seagrass meadows in the coral triangle. Environ. Res. Lett. 9:094005.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Valença, A.P.M.C. and Santos, P.J.P. 2012. Macrobenthic community for assessment of estuarine health in tropical areas (Northeast, Brazil): review of macrofauna classification in ecological groups and application of AZTI Marine Biotic Index. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 64:18091820.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Valentine, J.F. and Duffy, J.E. 2006. The central role of grazing in seagrass ecology. In: A.W.D. Larkum et al. (eds.), Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology, and Conservation. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 463501.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Verweij, M.C., Nagelkerken, I., Graaff, D. De, Peeters, M., Bakker, E.J. and Van der Velde, G. 2006. Structure, food and shade attract juvenile coral reef fish to mangrove and seagrass habitats: A field experiment. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 306:257268.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Wambiji, N., Odido, M., Appeltans, W., Bel Hassen, M., Mussai, P., Nsiangango, S.E., … and Jiddou, A.M. 2015. African Register of Marine Species http://www.marinespecies.org/afremas/. Viewed 1 Aug 2015.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Warwick, R.M . 1984. Species size distributions in marine benthic communities. Oecologia 61:3241.

  • Waycott, M., Duarte, C.M., Carruthers, T.J.B, Orth, R.J., Dennison, W.C., Olyarnik, S., … and Kendrick, G.A. 2009. Accelerating loss of seagrasses across the globe threatens coastal ecosystems. P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106:1237712381.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Collapse
  • Expand

To see the editorial board, please visit the website of Springer Nature.

Manuscript Submission: HERE

For subscription options, please visit the website of Springer Nature.

Community Ecology
Language English
Size A4
Year of
Foundation
2000
Volumes
per Year
1
Issues
per Year
3
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publisher's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
CH-6330 Cham, Switzerland Gewerbestrasse 11.
Responsible
Publisher
Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 1585-8553 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2756 (Online)