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Spatial and Temporal Variability of Seagrass at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

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Spatial and Temporal Variability of Seagrass at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef Botanica Marina 2015; 58(1): 35–49 Megan I. Saunders*, Elisa Bayraktarov, Chris M. Roelfsema, Javier X. Leona, Jimena Samper-Villarreal, Stuart R. Phinn, Catherine E. Lovelock and Peter J. Mumby Spatial and temporal variability of seagrass at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef Abstract: Increasing threats to natural ecosystems from Seagrass properties and sediment carbon content were local and global stressors are reinforcing the need for representative of shallow-water seagrass meadows on a baseline data on the distribution and abundance of organ- mid-shelf Great Barrier Reef island. The data can be used isms. We quantified spatial and/or temporal patterns of to evaluate change, to parameterize models of the impact seagrass distribution, shoot density, leaf area index, bio- of anthropogenic or environmental variability on seagrass mass, productivity, and sediment carbon content in shal- distribution and abundance, and to assess the success of low water (0–5 m) at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, management actions. Australia, in field surveys conducted in December 2011 and October 2012. Seagrass meadows were mapped using Keywords: benthic habitat mapping; Halodule uninervis; satellite imagery and field validation. A total of 18.3 ha of remote sensing; seagrass change analysis; Thalassia seagrass, composed primarily of Thalassia hemprichii and hemprichii. Halodule uninervis, was mapped in shallow water. This was 46% less than the area of seagrass in the same region DOI 10.1515/bot-2014-0060 reported in 1995, although variations in mapping methods Received 8 October, 2014; accepted 9 January, 2015 may have influenced the magnitude of change detected. There was inter-annual variability in shoot density and length, with values for both higher in 2011 than in 2012. Introduction aPresent address: School of Science and Engineering, University of Seagrass meadows provide high-value ecosystem services the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Qld 4558, Australia. (Costanza et al. 1997, Barbier et al. 2011a,b, Costanza et al. *Corresponding author: Megan I. Saunders, The Global Change 2014), such as habitat provision, stabilization of marine Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, sediments, production and storage of organic carbon, Australia; and Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, and coastal protection (Duarte 2000, Hemminga and Australia, e-mail: [email protected] Duarte 2000, Barbier et al. 2011a). Seagrasses function Elisa Bayraktarov: The Global Change Institute, The University of as ecological engineers by actively changing the physi- Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia cal structure of the environment, mainly by attenuating School of Geography, Planning and Chris M. Roelfsema: water flow and promoting sediment deposition (Gutiér- Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia rez et al. 2011). Seagrass meadows serve as globally sig- Javier X. Leon and Stuart R. Phinn: The Global Change Institute, nificant “blue carbon” stores (Fourqurean et al. 2012) The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia; and owing to their ability to accumulate significant amounts School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, of organic carbon as biomass and within associated sedi- The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia ments (Hemminga and Duarte 2000). The average global Jimena Samper-Villarreal: Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of value for the ecosystem services provided by seagrass Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld -1 -1 4072, Australia meadows was estimated at US $28,916 ha year in 2011 Catherine E. Lovelock: The Global Change Institute, The University (2007 dollars) (Costanza et al. 2014). of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia; and The School of There is growing concern regarding the accelerat- Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld ing loss of seagrass meadows globally (Orth et al. 2006, 4072, Australia Waycott et al. 2009), with an estimated area of 3370 km2 Peter J. Mumby: The Global Change Institute, The University of 2 Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia; and Marine Spatial lost from a maximum area of 11,592 km during previ- Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of ous decades (Waycott et al. 2009). Seagrass meadows Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia are impacted by stressors occurring both locally (e.g., Brought to you by | University of Queensland - UQ Library Authenticated Download Date | 9/18/15 2:07 AM 36 M.I. Saunders et al.: Seagrass at Lizard Island, Australia increased sediment loading, eutrophication, and pollu- climate change (Waycott et al. 2007, Collier and Waycott tion) and globally (e.g., warming sea surface tempera- 2009, Saunders et al. 2014). Therefore, a quantitative ture, sea-level rise, increased frequency, and intensity assessment of seagrass at this site was timely. of storms; Orth et al. 2006, Saunders et al. 2013a, 2014). Seagrasses in the region were previously mapped Interactions between multiple stressors may further exac- in the mid-1990s using spot checks and manual deline- erbate declines (Brown et al. 2013, 2014). In the face of ation of aerial photographs (McKenzie et al. 1997); rapidly declining seagrass habitat area on a global scale, however, spatial patterns in distribution have not been current baseline data are essential to document changes in assessed since. In 1995, seagrasses were largely distrib- distribution, abundance, and function. Mapping seagrass uted along the western margin of the island and in the meadow extent, composition, and structure (e.g., cover or lagoon, and included the species Thalassia hemprichii biomass) is a prerequisite for understanding the changes (Ehrenberg) Ascherson, Halodule uninervis (Forsskål) in seagrass communities due to natural and anthropogenic Ascherson, Halophila ovalis (Brown) Hooker, Halophila impacts (Ferguson et al. 1993, Kirkman 1996, Mumby et al. spinulosa (Brown) Ascherson, and Cymodocea spp. König 1997, Roelfsema et al. 2013). Knowledge of current ecologi- (Figure 1). To date, seagrass photosynthetic data have cal conditions that can serve as baseline data is important been reported from across a range of depths (Campbell to enable the identification of both the negative effects of et al. 2007), and information on seagrass recruitment, stressors and the positive effects of conservation actions. seasonality, and senescence has been documented for Tropical seagrass meadows occur in shallow sunlit deep-water ( > 10 m) habitats (McCormack et al. 2013). and wave-sheltered environments, on muddy or sandy However, detailed ecological information (e.g., shoot substrates, in estuaries, or along the coastal margins of density, biomass, productivity, and sediment carbon tropical and subtropical regions (Hemminga and Duarte content) has not been previously reported for shallow- 2000). One of the largest tropical seagrass ecosystems in water environments. Here, we report baseline data for the world exists in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage seagrass at Lizard Island in 2011 and 2012. The aims of Area (GBRWHA), in Queensland, Australia. In this region, this study were (i) to quantify the spatial patterns of shallow inter-reef and lagoonal areas including seagrass seagrass species distribution and abundance in shallow habitats extend across 58% of the 347,800 km2 seabed water ( < 5 m) in 2011, and to compare results with sea- area (Coles et al. 2015). In the GBRWHA, seagrasses may grass habitat maps produced in 1995 (McKenzie et al. be found in four main environments, including estuarine, 1997); and (ii) to quantify the spatial (one to four sites) coastal, deep-water, or reef environments (Carruthers and temporal (1–2 years) variabilities in percent cover, et al. 2002). There has been considerably less focus on the shoot density, shoot length, leaf area index (LAI), soft sediment habitats of the GBRWHA than on the more biomass, sediment organic carbon content, leaf produc- charismatic coral reef environments, suggesting that there tion, and vertical and horizontal rhizome elongation, in is a need to characterize the extent of existing seagrass 2011 and 2012. The results can be used to assess changes meadows in the region (Coles et al. 2015). in seagrass distribution and abundance (e.g., Roelfsema Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia, is et al. 2013), to contribute to global syntheses of seagrass a group of six high granitic islands located between the ecosystems (e.g., Duarte and Chiscano 1999, Fourqurean coast and the outer barrier reef, and is fringed by sea- et al. 2012), and to parameterize predictive models of grass meadows, mangroves, sandy beaches, and corals. ecological change (e.g., Saunders et al. 2013a, 2014). The majority of the land area comprises a national park, with the only coastal development being the Lizard Island Research Station operated by the Australian Museum, and a small luxury resort. Marine waters are protected by Marine Materials and methods National Park, Conservation and Scientific Research zones. Seagrass meadows at Lizard Island are therefore exposed Study site to relatively few anthropogenic stressors. However, the distribution and abundance of seagrass at Lizard Island The study was conducted at Lizard Island, GBR (145°27′145″ are thought to vary due to environmental (A. Hoggett and E; 14°40′12″ S), located 250 km northeast
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