Response of seagrass indicators to shifts in environmental stressors: A global review and management synthesis

G. Roca; T. Alcoverro; D. Krause-Jensen; T.J.S. Balsby; M.M. van Katwijk; N. Marbà; R. Santos; R. Arthur; O. Mascaró; Y. Fernández-Torquemada; M. Pérez; Carlos M. Duarte; J. Romero

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.12.007

Response of seagrass indicators to shifts in environmental stressors: A global review and management synthesis

G. Roca, T. Alcoverro, D. Krause-Jensen, T.J.S. Balsby, M.M. van Katwijk, N. Marbà, R. Santos, R. Arthur, O. Mascaró, Y. Fernández-Torquemada, M. Pérez, Carlos M. Duarte, J. Romero

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108 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although seagrass-based indicators are widely used to assess coastal ecosystem status, there is little universality in their application. Matching the plethora of available indicators to specific management objectives requires a detailed knowledge of their species-specific sensitivities and their response time to environmental stressors. We conducted an extensive survey of experimental studies to determine the sensitivity and response time of seagrass indicators to ecosystem degradation and recovery. We identified seagrass size and indicator type (i.e. level of biological organization of the measure) as the main factors affecting indicator sensitivity and response time to degradation and recovery. While structural and demographic parameters (e.g. shoot density, biomass) show a high and unspecific sensitivity, biochemical/physiological indicators present more stressor-specific responses and are the most sensitive detecting early phases of environmental improvement. Based on these results we present a simple decision tree to assist ecosystem managers to match adequate and reliable indicators to specific management goals. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	310-323
Number of pages	14
Journal	Ecological Indicators
Volume	63
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.12.007
State	Published - Jan 1 2016

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: This work was funded by the COST action ES0906, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (projects CTM2010-22273-C02-01 and -02) and CSIC- 201330E062. GR was supported by a STSM of the COST Action and by a grant of Generalitat de Catalunya (Fi DGR-2012). DKJ and TJSB received funding from the European Commission (DEVOTES contract # FP-308392). This manuscript would not have seen its present form without the patient criticisms of several anonymous reviewers whose contributions we humbly acknowledge.

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Roca, G., Alcoverro, T., Krause-Jensen, D., Balsby, T. J. S., van Katwijk, M. M., Marbà, N., Santos, R., Arthur, R., Mascaró, O., Fernández-Torquemada, Y., Pérez, M., Duarte, C. M., & Romero, J. (2016). Response of seagrass indicators to shifts in environmental stressors: A global review and management synthesis. Ecological Indicators, 63, 310-323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.12.007

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title = "Response of seagrass indicators to shifts in environmental stressors: A global review and management synthesis",

abstract = "Although seagrass-based indicators are widely used to assess coastal ecosystem status, there is little universality in their application. Matching the plethora of available indicators to specific management objectives requires a detailed knowledge of their species-specific sensitivities and their response time to environmental stressors. We conducted an extensive survey of experimental studies to determine the sensitivity and response time of seagrass indicators to ecosystem degradation and recovery. We identified seagrass size and indicator type (i.e. level of biological organization of the measure) as the main factors affecting indicator sensitivity and response time to degradation and recovery. While structural and demographic parameters (e.g. shoot density, biomass) show a high and unspecific sensitivity, biochemical/physiological indicators present more stressor-specific responses and are the most sensitive detecting early phases of environmental improvement. Based on these results we present a simple decision tree to assist ecosystem managers to match adequate and reliable indicators to specific management goals. {\textcopyright} 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.",

author = "G. Roca and T. Alcoverro and D. Krause-Jensen and T.J.S. Balsby and {van Katwijk}, M.M. and N. Marb{\`a} and R. Santos and R. Arthur and O. Mascar{\'o} and Y. Fern{\'a}ndez-Torquemada and M. P{\'e}rez and Duarte, {Carlos M.} and J. Romero",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: This work was funded by the COST action ES0906, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (projects CTM2010-22273-C02-01 and -02) and CSIC- 201330E062. GR was supported by a STSM of the COST Action and by a grant of Generalitat de Catalunya (Fi DGR-2012). DKJ and TJSB received funding from the European Commission (DEVOTES contract # FP-308392). This manuscript would not have seen its present form without the patient criticisms of several anonymous reviewers whose contributions we humbly acknowledge.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.12.007",

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Roca, G, Alcoverro, T, Krause-Jensen, D, Balsby, TJS, van Katwijk, MM, Marbà, N, Santos, R, Arthur, R, Mascaró, O, Fernández-Torquemada, Y, Pérez, M, Duarte, CM & Romero, J 2016, 'Response of seagrass indicators to shifts in environmental stressors: A global review and management synthesis', Ecological Indicators, vol. 63, pp. 310-323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.12.007

TY - JOUR

T1 - Response of seagrass indicators to shifts in environmental stressors: A global review and management synthesis

AU - Roca, G.

AU - Alcoverro, T.

AU - Krause-Jensen, D.

AU - Balsby, T.J.S.

AU - van Katwijk, M.M.

AU - Marbà, N.

AU - Santos, R.

AU - Arthur, R.

AU - Mascaró, O.

AU - Fernández-Torquemada, Y.

AU - Pérez, M.

AU - Duarte, Carlos M.

AU - Romero, J.

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: This work was funded by the COST action ES0906, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (projects CTM2010-22273-C02-01 and -02) and CSIC- 201330E062. GR was supported by a STSM of the COST Action and by a grant of Generalitat de Catalunya (Fi DGR-2012). DKJ and TJSB received funding from the European Commission (DEVOTES contract # FP-308392). This manuscript would not have seen its present form without the patient criticisms of several anonymous reviewers whose contributions we humbly acknowledge.

PY - 2016/1/1

Y1 - 2016/1/1

N2 - Although seagrass-based indicators are widely used to assess coastal ecosystem status, there is little universality in their application. Matching the plethora of available indicators to specific management objectives requires a detailed knowledge of their species-specific sensitivities and their response time to environmental stressors. We conducted an extensive survey of experimental studies to determine the sensitivity and response time of seagrass indicators to ecosystem degradation and recovery. We identified seagrass size and indicator type (i.e. level of biological organization of the measure) as the main factors affecting indicator sensitivity and response time to degradation and recovery. While structural and demographic parameters (e.g. shoot density, biomass) show a high and unspecific sensitivity, biochemical/physiological indicators present more stressor-specific responses and are the most sensitive detecting early phases of environmental improvement. Based on these results we present a simple decision tree to assist ecosystem managers to match adequate and reliable indicators to specific management goals. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

AB - Although seagrass-based indicators are widely used to assess coastal ecosystem status, there is little universality in their application. Matching the plethora of available indicators to specific management objectives requires a detailed knowledge of their species-specific sensitivities and their response time to environmental stressors. We conducted an extensive survey of experimental studies to determine the sensitivity and response time of seagrass indicators to ecosystem degradation and recovery. We identified seagrass size and indicator type (i.e. level of biological organization of the measure) as the main factors affecting indicator sensitivity and response time to degradation and recovery. While structural and demographic parameters (e.g. shoot density, biomass) show a high and unspecific sensitivity, biochemical/physiological indicators present more stressor-specific responses and are the most sensitive detecting early phases of environmental improvement. Based on these results we present a simple decision tree to assist ecosystem managers to match adequate and reliable indicators to specific management goals. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/621780

UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1470160X15007098

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84952361737&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.12.007

DO - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.12.007

M3 - Article

SN - 1470-160X

VL - 63

SP - 310

EP - 323

JO - Ecological Indicators

JF - Ecological Indicators

ER -

Response of seagrass indicators to shifts in environmental stressors: A global review and management synthesis

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