Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows
<p>Due to large losses of seagrass meadows worldwide, restoration is proposed as a key strategy for increasing coastal resilience and recovery. The emergence of a seagrass meadow is expected to substantially amplify biodiversity and enhance benthic metabolism by increasing primary productivity...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/1685/2024/bg-21-1685-2024.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797218388301316096 |
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| author | T. Kindeberg K. M. Attard K. M. Attard J. Hüller J. Müller C. O. Quintana C. O. Quintana E. Infantes |
| author_facet | T. Kindeberg K. M. Attard K. M. Attard J. Hüller J. Müller C. O. Quintana C. O. Quintana E. Infantes |
| author_sort | T. Kindeberg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Due to large losses of seagrass meadows worldwide, restoration is proposed as a key strategy for increasing coastal resilience and recovery. The emergence of a seagrass meadow is expected to substantially amplify biodiversity and enhance benthic metabolism by increasing primary productivity and respiration. Nevertheless, open questions remain regarding the metabolic balance of aging seagrass meadows and the roles benthic communities within the seagrass ecosystem play in overall metabolism.</p>
<p>To address these questions, we investigated a chronosequence of bare sediments and adjacent <i>Zostera marina</i> meadows of 3 and 7 years since restoration alongside a natural meadow located within a high-temperate marine embayment in Gåsö, Sweden. We combined continuous measurements of <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>2</sub></span> fluxes using underwater eddy covariance with dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>2</sub></span> fluxes from benthic chambers during the productive season (July). Based on the ratio between <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>2</sub></span> and DIC, we derived site-specific photosynthetic and respiratory quotients, enabling the conversion of eddy covariance fluxes to DIC. We assessed benthic diversity parameters as potential drivers of metabolic flux variability.</p>
<p>We observed high rates of gross primary productivity (GPP) spanning <span class="inline-formula">−</span>18 to <span class="inline-formula">−</span>82 <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M6" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="unit"><mi mathvariant="normal">mmol</mi><mspace width="0.125em" linebreak="nobreak"/><mi mathvariant="normal">DIC</mi><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">2</mn></mrow></msup><mspace width="0.125em" linebreak="nobreak"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">d</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="88pt" height="13pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="380dd183737a510d0eb3e7eb322b33fd"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="bg-21-1685-2024-ie00001.svg" width="88pt" height="13pt" src="bg-21-1685-2024-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>, which increased progressively with meadow age. Community respiration (CR) mirrored the GPP trend, and all meadows were net heterotrophic (GPP <span class="inline-formula"><</span> CR), with net community productivity (NCP) ranging from 16 to 28 <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M8" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="unit"><mi mathvariant="normal">mmol</mi><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><mi mathvariant="normal">DIC</mi><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">2</mn></mrow></msup><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">d</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="88pt" height="13pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="9e2e94f2b3a4e223a49b686ce350b668"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="bg-21-1685-2024-ie00002.svg" width="88pt" height="13pt" src="bg-21-1685-2024-ie00002.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>. While autotrophic biomass did not increase with meadow age, macrophyte diversity did, elucidating potential effects of niche complementarity among macrophytes on community metabolism. These findings provide valuable insights into how community composition and meadow development relate to ecosystem functioning, highlighting potential tradeoffs between carbon uptake and biodiversity.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:16:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8cd29ca28e80428db5148f360a50f8e7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:16:57Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biogeosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-8cd29ca28e80428db5148f360a50f8e72024-04-08T08:14:11ZengCopernicus PublicationsBiogeosciences1726-41701726-41892024-04-01211685170510.5194/bg-21-1685-2024Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadowsT. Kindeberg0K. M. Attard1K. M. Attard2J. Hüller3J. Müller4C. O. Quintana5C. O. Quintana6E. Infantes7Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230, Odense M, DenmarkDanish Institute for Advanced Study, University of Southern Denmark, 5230, Odense M, DenmarkDepartment of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230, Odense M, DenmarkSDU Climate Cluster, University of Southern Denmark, 5230, Odense M, DenmarkDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 451 78, Kristineberg, Sweden<p>Due to large losses of seagrass meadows worldwide, restoration is proposed as a key strategy for increasing coastal resilience and recovery. The emergence of a seagrass meadow is expected to substantially amplify biodiversity and enhance benthic metabolism by increasing primary productivity and respiration. Nevertheless, open questions remain regarding the metabolic balance of aging seagrass meadows and the roles benthic communities within the seagrass ecosystem play in overall metabolism.</p> <p>To address these questions, we investigated a chronosequence of bare sediments and adjacent <i>Zostera marina</i> meadows of 3 and 7 years since restoration alongside a natural meadow located within a high-temperate marine embayment in Gåsö, Sweden. We combined continuous measurements of <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>2</sub></span> fluxes using underwater eddy covariance with dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>2</sub></span> fluxes from benthic chambers during the productive season (July). Based on the ratio between <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>2</sub></span> and DIC, we derived site-specific photosynthetic and respiratory quotients, enabling the conversion of eddy covariance fluxes to DIC. We assessed benthic diversity parameters as potential drivers of metabolic flux variability.</p> <p>We observed high rates of gross primary productivity (GPP) spanning <span class="inline-formula">−</span>18 to <span class="inline-formula">−</span>82 <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M6" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="unit"><mi mathvariant="normal">mmol</mi><mspace width="0.125em" linebreak="nobreak"/><mi mathvariant="normal">DIC</mi><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">2</mn></mrow></msup><mspace width="0.125em" linebreak="nobreak"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">d</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="88pt" height="13pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="380dd183737a510d0eb3e7eb322b33fd"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="bg-21-1685-2024-ie00001.svg" width="88pt" height="13pt" src="bg-21-1685-2024-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>, which increased progressively with meadow age. Community respiration (CR) mirrored the GPP trend, and all meadows were net heterotrophic (GPP <span class="inline-formula"><</span> CR), with net community productivity (NCP) ranging from 16 to 28 <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M8" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="unit"><mi mathvariant="normal">mmol</mi><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><mi mathvariant="normal">DIC</mi><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">2</mn></mrow></msup><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">d</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="88pt" height="13pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="9e2e94f2b3a4e223a49b686ce350b668"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="bg-21-1685-2024-ie00002.svg" width="88pt" height="13pt" src="bg-21-1685-2024-ie00002.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>. While autotrophic biomass did not increase with meadow age, macrophyte diversity did, elucidating potential effects of niche complementarity among macrophytes on community metabolism. These findings provide valuable insights into how community composition and meadow development relate to ecosystem functioning, highlighting potential tradeoffs between carbon uptake and biodiversity.</p>https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/1685/2024/bg-21-1685-2024.pdf |
| spellingShingle | T. Kindeberg K. M. Attard K. M. Attard J. Hüller J. Müller C. O. Quintana C. O. Quintana E. Infantes Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows Biogeosciences |
| title | Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows |
| title_full | Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows |
| title_fullStr | Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows |
| title_full_unstemmed | Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows |
| title_short | Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows |
| title_sort | structural complexity and benthic metabolism resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows |
| url | https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/1685/2024/bg-21-1685-2024.pdf |
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