Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 546661 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Volume | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - 3 Aug 2021 |
Abstract
Worldwide, seagrass meadows are under threat. Consequently, there is a strong need for seagrass restoration to guarantee the provision of related ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and habitat provision. Seagrass often grows in vast meadows in which the presence of seagrass itself leads to a reduction of hydrodynamic energy. By modifying the environment, seagrass thus serves as foundation species and ecosystem engineer improving habitat quality for itself and other species as well as positively affecting its own fitness. On the downside, this positive feedback mechanism can render natural recovery of vanished and destroyed seagrass meadows impossible. An innovative approach to promote positive feedback mechanisms in seagrass restoration is to create an artificial seagrass (ASG) that mimics the facilitation function of natural seagrass. ASG could provide a window of opportunity with respect to suitable hydrodynamic and light conditions as well as sediment stabilization to allow natural seagrass to re-establish. Here, we give an overview of challenges and open questions for the application of ASG to promote seagrass restoration based on experimental studies and restoration trials and we propose a general approach for the design of an ASG produced from biodegradable materials. Considering positive feedback mechanisms is crucial to support restoration attempts. ASG provides promising benefits when habitat conditions are too harsh for seagrass meadows to re-establish themselves.
Keywords
- artificial seagrass, biodegradable, ecosystem restoration, positive feedback mechanisms, seagrass sediment light feedback
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Oceanography
- Environmental Science(all)
- Global and Planetary Change
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Aquatic Science
- Environmental Science(all)
- Water Science and Technology
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
- Engineering(all)
- Ocean Engineering
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In: Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol. 8, 546661, 03.08.2021.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Using Artificial Seagrass for Promoting Positive Feedback Mechanisms in Seagrass Restoration
AU - Carus, Jana
AU - Arndt, Carmen
AU - Schröder, Boris
AU - Thom, Moritz
AU - Villanueva, Raúl
AU - Paul, Maike
N1 - Funding Information: This work was funded by MWK Lower Saxony Niedersächsisches Vorab as part of the collaborative project “SeaArt—Long term establishment of SEAgrass ecosystems through biodegradable ARTificial meadows,” funded by the Federal State of Lower Saxony” (Grant No. ZN3187) as well as by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (joint project “RELEEZE–RElease from Coastal SquEEZE”) (Grant No. 01LC1701). We acknowledge support by the Open Access Publication Funds of Technische Universität Braunschweig.
PY - 2021/8/3
Y1 - 2021/8/3
N2 - Worldwide, seagrass meadows are under threat. Consequently, there is a strong need for seagrass restoration to guarantee the provision of related ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and habitat provision. Seagrass often grows in vast meadows in which the presence of seagrass itself leads to a reduction of hydrodynamic energy. By modifying the environment, seagrass thus serves as foundation species and ecosystem engineer improving habitat quality for itself and other species as well as positively affecting its own fitness. On the downside, this positive feedback mechanism can render natural recovery of vanished and destroyed seagrass meadows impossible. An innovative approach to promote positive feedback mechanisms in seagrass restoration is to create an artificial seagrass (ASG) that mimics the facilitation function of natural seagrass. ASG could provide a window of opportunity with respect to suitable hydrodynamic and light conditions as well as sediment stabilization to allow natural seagrass to re-establish. Here, we give an overview of challenges and open questions for the application of ASG to promote seagrass restoration based on experimental studies and restoration trials and we propose a general approach for the design of an ASG produced from biodegradable materials. Considering positive feedback mechanisms is crucial to support restoration attempts. ASG provides promising benefits when habitat conditions are too harsh for seagrass meadows to re-establish themselves.
AB - Worldwide, seagrass meadows are under threat. Consequently, there is a strong need for seagrass restoration to guarantee the provision of related ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and habitat provision. Seagrass often grows in vast meadows in which the presence of seagrass itself leads to a reduction of hydrodynamic energy. By modifying the environment, seagrass thus serves as foundation species and ecosystem engineer improving habitat quality for itself and other species as well as positively affecting its own fitness. On the downside, this positive feedback mechanism can render natural recovery of vanished and destroyed seagrass meadows impossible. An innovative approach to promote positive feedback mechanisms in seagrass restoration is to create an artificial seagrass (ASG) that mimics the facilitation function of natural seagrass. ASG could provide a window of opportunity with respect to suitable hydrodynamic and light conditions as well as sediment stabilization to allow natural seagrass to re-establish. Here, we give an overview of challenges and open questions for the application of ASG to promote seagrass restoration based on experimental studies and restoration trials and we propose a general approach for the design of an ASG produced from biodegradable materials. Considering positive feedback mechanisms is crucial to support restoration attempts. ASG provides promising benefits when habitat conditions are too harsh for seagrass meadows to re-establish themselves.
KW - artificial seagrass
KW - biodegradable
KW - ecosystem restoration
KW - positive feedback mechanisms
KW - seagrass sediment light feedback
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85113165409&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fmars.2021.546661
DO - 10.3389/fmars.2021.546661
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85113165409
VL - 8
JO - Frontiers in Marine Science
JF - Frontiers in Marine Science
SN - 2296-7745
M1 - 546661
ER -