Author(s):
Vieira, Vasco M.N.C.S. ; Santos, Rafael ; Leitão-Silva, David ; Veronez, Arthur ; Neves, Joana M. ; Nogueira, Marta ; Brito, Ana ; Cereja, Rui ; Creed, Joel C. ; Bertelli, Chiara M. ; Samper-Villarreal, Jimena ; Bartilotti, Cátia ; Lobo-Arteaga, Jorge
Date: 2024
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/179072
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Project/scholarship:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Base/UIDB%2F50009%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Programático/UIDP%2F50009%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso para Atribuição do Estatuto e Financiamento de Laboratórios Associados (LA)/LA%2FP%2F0083%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT//2023.03020.BDANA/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT//PRT%2FBD%2F153040%2F2021/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/POR_CENTRO/UI%2FBD%2F150954%2F2021/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/CEEC IND 2017/CEECIND%2F00095%2F2017%2FCP1387%2FCT0038/PT;
Subject(s): Environmental Science(all); Earth and Planetary Sciences(all); SDG 13 - Climate Action
Description
Permits to sampling in the RNES and RNET marine protected areas were granted by ICNF. The authors are grateful to António Manuel Pereira (IPMA) for helping with laboratory procedures for sediment physico-chemical analyses. The authors are grateful to the researchers who shared their data for the meta-analysis compilation, namely Kenneth Dutton and Martin Plus. Studies in Costa Rica were funded by the Vicerrectorı́a de Investigación at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024
Studies for the preservation of seagrass beds biotopes have met difficulties in establishing appropriate methods assessing their health. We tested the efficiency of space occupation by seagrasses scattered worldwide (dgrass index), which proved to be dependent on clonal growth form and morphometric plasticity. dgrass correlated with the above-ground to below-ground biomass ratio. However, the latter was misleading when high ratios resulted from low below-ground biomass. Nutrient Posphate-limitations were revealed in situations of theoretical Nitrogen-limitation. Enhanced nutrient supply benefitted seagrasses only up to a threshold after which it became detrimental. Better nurtured, healthier meadows with denser canopies increased the organic matter in the sediment and had associated greater abundances of benthic macrofauna. Hence, seagrass biotopes could benefit from moderate anthropogenic nutrient additions. However, organic matter above ≈6% and/or reduced riverine discharges (dams upstream and climate-change-related droughts) were detrimental to healthy meadows, jeopardizing ecosystem services such as macrofauna abundances and carbon sinks.
