Marine Science and Conservation Leadership : Publications since January 2023

%% Silliman, Brian R.   
@article{fds369737,
   Author = {Gräfnings, MLE and Govers, LL and Heusinkveld, JHT and Silliman, BR and Smeele, Q and Valdez, SR and van der Heide, T},
   Title = {Macrozoobenthos as an indicator of habitat suitability for
             intertidal seagrass},
   Journal = {Ecological Indicators},
   Volume = {147},
   Year = {2023},
   Month = {March},
   url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.109948},
   Abstract = {Seagrass meadows form the foundation of many coastal
             ecosystems, but are rapidly declining on a global scale. To
             conserve and restore these key-ecosystems, improved
             understanding of drivers behind seagrass presence and
             recovery is needed. Many animals are known to both
             facilitate and inhibit seagrasses, but biotic factors are
             still rarely used as indicators of seagrass presence. Hence,
             we investigate if macrozoobenthos could be used as an
             indicator for intertidal seagrass (Zostera marina and
             Zostera noltii) habitat suitability in the international
             Wadden Sea. Additionally, we explore if macrozoobenthos can
             explain the differing seagrass recovery rates that have been
             observed between the Northern (Denmark and Schleswig
             Holstein) and Southern (Lower Saxony and Netherlands)
             regions of the Wadden Sea. To achieve this, we performed a
             Wadden Sea-wide survey at 36 intertidal locations, across
             three countries, and investigated the importance of 21
             abiotic and biotic variables in explaining the presence and
             absence of intertidal seagrasses. Seagrass presence or
             absence could be reliably predicted (prediction error:
             16.7%) with a multivariate logistic regression with only
             four variables; chlorophyll a, bivalve, ragworm and mudsnail
             biomass. We also found higher chlorophyll concentrations and
             ragworm biomass in the South compared to the Northern Wadden
             Sea, suggesting that eutrophication and associated community
             shifts might still inhibit seagrass recovery in the South.
             Our findings highlight the potential of using
             macrozoobenthos as indicators for seagrass habitat
             suitability. In areas, like the Dutch Wadden Sea, where
             macrozoobenthic surveys are common and where benthic data is
             readily available, our findings can be used to improve the
             understanding of seagrass recovery dynamics and the
             selection of suitable seagrass restoration
             sites.},
   Doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.109948},
   Key = {fds369737}
}