Pubblicazione scientifica

The Role of Herbivory in Structuring Tropical Seagrass Ecosystem Service Delivery

FILONE TECNOLOGICO	TEMA
produzione e cattura

RIASSUNTO

Seagrass meadows support key ecosystem services, via provision of food directly for herbivores, and indirectly to their predators. The importance of herbivores in seagrass meadows has been well-documented, but the links between food webs and ecosystem services in seagrass meadows have not previously been made explicit. Herbivores interact with ecosystem services – including carbon sequestration, cultural values, and coastal protection. Interactions can be positive or negative and depend on a range of factors including the herbivore identity and the grazing type and intensity. There can be unintended consequences from management actions based on a poor understanding of trade-offs that occur with complex seagrass-herbivore interactions. Tropical seagrass meadows support a diversity of grazers spanning the meso-, macro-, and megaherbivore scales. We present a conceptual model to describe how multiple ecosystem services are influenced by herbivore pressure in tropical seagrass meadows. Our model suggests that a balanced ecosystem, incorporating both seagrass and herbivore diversity, is likely to sustain the broadest range of ecosystem services. Our framework suggests the pathway to achieve desired ecosystem services outcomes requires knowledge on four key areas: (1) how size classes of herbivores interact to structure seagrass; (2) desired community and management values; (3) seagrass responses to top–down and bottom–up controls; (4) the pathway from intermediate to final ecosystem services and human benefits. We suggest research should be directed to these areas. Herbivory is a major structuring influence in tropical seagrass systems and needs to be considered for effective management of these critical habitats and their services.

DATA

Data di pubblicazione: 12/02/2018

AUTORI

SCOTT ABIGAIL L
YORK PAUL H
DUNCAN CLARE
MACREADIE PETER I
CONNOLLY ROD M
ELLIS MEGAN T
JARVIS JESSIE C
JINKS KRISTIN I
MARSH HELENE
RASHEED MICHAEL A

ENTE DI AFFERENZA

CTR TROPICAL WATER & AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM RSCH JAMES COOK UNIV CAIRNS QLD AUSTRALIA
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & ENG JAMES COOK UNIV TOWNSVILLE QLD AUSTRALIA
CTR INTEGRATIVE ECOLOGY SCHOOL OF LIFE & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES DEAKIN UNIV BURWOOD VIC AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIAN RIVERS INST COAST & ESTUARIES SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT GRIFFITH UNIV NATHAN QLD AUSTRALIA
GLADSTONE PORTS CORP GLADSTONE QLD AUSTRALIA
DEPT BIOLOGY & MARINE BIOLOGY CTR MARINE SCIENCE UNIV NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON WILMINGTON NC US

RIVISTA

Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 127

IMPACT FACTOR

4,300

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