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Spatial Distribution of Deepwater Seagrass in the Inter-Reef Lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

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Spatial Distribution of Deepwater Seagrass in the Inter-Reef Lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area Vol. 392: 57–68, 2009 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published October 19 doi: 10.3354/meps08197 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Spatial distribution of deepwater seagrass in the inter-reef lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area Robert Coles1,*, Len McKenzie1, Glenn De’ath2, Anthony Roelofs1, Warren Lee Long3 1Northern Fisheries Centre, Primary Industries and Fisheries, PO Box 5396, Queensland 4870, Australia 2Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia 3Wetlands International — Oceania, PO Box 4573, Kingston, ACT 2604, Australia ABSTRACT: Seagrasses in waters deeper than 15 m in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (adjacent to the Queensland coast) were surveyed using a camera and dredge (towed for a period of 4 to 6 min); 1426 sites were surveyed, spanning from 10 to 25°S, and from inshore to the edge of the reef (out to 120 nautical miles from the coast). At each site seagrass presence, species, and biomass were recorded; together with depth, sediment, secchi, algae presence, epibenthos, and proximity to reefs. Seagrasses in the study area extend down to water depths of 61 m, and are difficult to map other than by generating distributions from point source data. Statistical modeling of the seagrass dis- tribution suggests 40 000 km2 of the sea bottom has a probability of some seagrass being present. There is strong spatial variation driven in part by the constraint of the Great Barrier Reef’s long, thin shape, and by physical processes associated with the land and ocean. All seagrass species found were from the genus Halophila. Probability distributions were mapped for the 4 most common species: Halophila ovalis, H. spinulosa, H. decipiens, and H. tricostata. Distributions of H. ovalis and H. spin- ulosa show strong depth and sediment effects, whereas H. decipiens and H. tricostata are only weakly correlated with environmental variables, but show strong spatial patterns. Distributions of all species are correlated most closely with water depth, the proportion of medium-sized sediment, and visibility measured by Secchi depth. These 3 simple characteristics of the environment correctly pre- dict the presence of seagrass 74% of the time. The results are discussed in terms of environmental dynamics, management of the Great Barrier Reef province, and the potential for using surrogates to predict the presence of seagrass habitats. KEY WORDS: Seagrass · Trawling · Depth · Marine park · Halophila spp. Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTION itage area and provides the legal basis for manage- ment which follows a multi-use zoning strategy. Coral The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area reef systems of the GBR have been researched exten- stretches 2000 km along the northeastern coast of Aus- sively, but until recently little attention has been paid tralia, covering 347 800 km2 of seabed and including to the less accessible and less charismatic soft-bottom almost all of the coral reefs and lagoons of the Great inter-reef habitats. This is despite the fact that a major Barrier Reef (GBR) province. Its ca. 2800 coral reefs penaeid shrimp trawl fishery with a gross value of make up ~6% of the area. The shallow inter-reef and product of around AU$ 110 000 000 yr–1 and a scallop lagoon areas are more extensive comprising ~58% of trawl fishery with a gross value of product of around the area, with the remainder being continental shelf, AU$ 17 000 000 yr–1 operate in these inter-reef waters slope, and deep ocean (Wachenfeld et al. 1998). The (Williams 2002). Recent rezoning of the marine park Great Barrier Reef Marine Park overlays the world her- has focused attention on these non-reef ecosystems; *Email: [email protected] © Inter-Research 2009 · www.int-res.com 58 Mar Ecol Prog Ser 392: 57–68, 2009 their connectivity to the coral reef ecosystem, the rate. Incidental collections from trawl nets, vessel impacts of fishing, global threats from climate change, anchors and taxonomic collections indicated that global declines of coral reef ecosystems and on the bio- seagrass was present in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon diversity of the system as a whole (Day et al. 2000). at least to depths of 30 m, well below the depth feasi- In the early 1990s coastal management agencies ble with conventional meadow-edge mapping tech- recognised the value of seagrass meadows to coastal niques. fisheries in the northern Australian region (Coles et al. This paper describes a deepwater seagrass survey 1993, Watson et al. 1993), and subsequent studies have using a towed video camera at selected sites in water reinforced the value of seagrasses as part of coastal between depths of 15 and 90 m in the GBR, and a ecosystems worldwide (Larkum et al. 2006, Kenworthy method of using that point data to determine the likely et al. 2006). Seagrasses are a functional grouping of distribution of seagrasses. The approach to mapping vascular flowering plants which can grow fully sub- seagrasses by modelling point source data is dis- merged and rooted in soft bottom estuarine and marine cussed, and its implications for global seagrass map- environments. Seagrasses are rated the third most ping initiatives considered. Also described is how that valuable ecosystem globally (on a per hectare basis), information has been used to establish a sophisticated and the average global value for their nutrient cycling zoning plan for the maintenance of biodiversity and services and the raw product they provide has been fisheries productivity in the Great Barrier Reef Marine estimated at US$ 19 004 ha–1 yr–1 (at 1994 prices; Park; broad-scale patterns of the seagrass meadows Costanza et al. 1997). In tropical and subtropical are examined, and their implications for fisheries and waters, seagrasses are also important as food for the marine park management discussed. endangered green sea turtle Chelonia mydas and dugong Dugong dugon (Lanyon et al. 1989), which are found throughout the GBR and used by traditional MATERIALS AND METHODS indigenous communities for food and ceremonies. Sea- grass systems exert a buffering effect on the environ- Sampling strategy. Because of the extent of the ment, resulting in important physical and biological region covered, sampling was conducted over multiple support for the other communities. years (1994–1999) with a different section of the GBR Seagrasses face an array of pressures in coastal sampled in each year; data was collected over 5 sepa- waters as human populations increase and the poten- rate cruises (of approximately 20 d each) in each of the tial effects of global warming, such as increased storm 5 yr. Cruises were all conducted in the southern hemi- activity, come into play. Seagrasses have been exposed sphere spring/summer months October, November to climate change in the past, but only over time scales and December, as previous studies have shown sea- of millions of years (Orth et al. 2006). The rapid grass biomass to be at a maximum during this time changes in coastal waters currently being experienced (Kuo et al. 1993); this is particularly important for Halo- (Orth et al. 2006) may exceed the capacity of sea- phila tricostata which can be annual in tropical grasses to adapt. There is a clear need to characterise Queensland, occurring only in spring and summer. initially the extent of existing meadows and their abil- The sampling area included the inter-reef and ity to adapt to change. lagoon waters (from the 15 m contour seaward to the Comprehensive broad-scale inshore (intertidal and outer barrier reefs, or to the inner edge of the Ribbon subtidal to 15 m depth) seagrass surveys of the Reefs in the northern section). Sampling included the Queensland coast have been completed (Coles et al. GBR from the tip of Cape York Peninsular (10°S) to 1987,2007; Lee Long et al. 1993), however, remarkably Hervey Bay (25°S); approximately 1000 nautical miles little work has occurred to describe benthic communi- (n miles) of coastline extending to just below the GBR ties in the soft-bottom, inter-reef and lagoon parts of in the south. (Fig. 1). the Great Barrier Reef. Mapping of seagrass in inter- Sampling was stratified in 10 m depth zones from the tidal zones and shallow water is relatively easy, with 15 m contour down (15–25, 25–35, 35–45, 45–55, and many techniques available (McKenzie et al. 2001); 55–65 m etc.). Recorded depths were adjusted to mean however, all rely on the ability to locate a seagrass sea level by reference to the nearest located tidal plane meadow and to map edges or features that can be geo- datum (Queensland Transport 1994–1999) and time of referenced. Georeferencing is simple and quick in measurement. Two or three cross-shelf transects were intertidal zones and down to depths where free-divers randomly located within every 1° of latitude, with the or SCUBA divers can reasonably operate (i.e. ~15 m constraint that any location less that a minimum of 10 n below mean sea level); at greater depths the logistics miles from a transect location already chosen was of diving and reduced safe dive times make meadow- rejected. Sites were randomly selected within a dis- edge mapping expensive, time consuming and inaccu- tance increment along each transect, such that a mini- Coles et al.: Great Barrier Reef deepwater seagrass distribution 59 mum of 3 sites were in each of the 10 m depth zones; spot sites between transects were additionally chosen at random to check habitat continuity. Any sample location within 2 n miles of a reef or island was coded separately to examine the effect of proximity or shelter from waves. In pre-analysis of the data neither time nor location was found to have a significant effect on sea- grass distribution, so the final analysis included all sample points deeper than 15 m where data was recorded.
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