Remote sensing in seagrass ecology: coupled dynamics between migratory herbivorous birds and intertidal meadows observed by satellite during four decades
Abstract Taking into account trophic relationships in seagrass meadows is crucial to explain and predict seagrass temporal trajectories, as well as for implementing and evaluating seagrass conservation policies. However, this type of interaction has been rarely investigated over the long term and at...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.319 |
| _version_ | 1797797613366411264 |
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| author | Maria Laura Zoffoli Pierre Gernez Simon Oiry Laurent Godet Sébastien Dalloyau Bede Ffinian Rowe Davies Laurent Barillé |
| author_facet | Maria Laura Zoffoli Pierre Gernez Simon Oiry Laurent Godet Sébastien Dalloyau Bede Ffinian Rowe Davies Laurent Barillé |
| author_sort | Maria Laura Zoffoli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Taking into account trophic relationships in seagrass meadows is crucial to explain and predict seagrass temporal trajectories, as well as for implementing and evaluating seagrass conservation policies. However, this type of interaction has been rarely investigated over the long term and at the scale of the whole seagrass habitat. In this work, reciprocal links between an intertidal seagrass species, Zostera noltei, and a herbivorous bird feeding on this seagrass species, the migratory goose Branta bernicla bernicla, were investigated using an original combination of long‐term Earth Observation (EO) and bird census data. Seagrass Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) such as seagrass abundance and phenology were measured from 1985 to 2020 using high‐resolution satellite remote sensing over Bourgneuf Bay (France), and cross‐analysed with in situ measurements of bird population size during the goose wintering season. Our results showed a mutual relationship between seagrass and Brent geese over the four last decades, suggesting that the relationship between the two species extends beyond a simple grass—herbivore consumptive effect. We provided evidence of two types of interactions: (i) a bottom‐up control where the late‐summer seagrass abundance drives the wintering population of herbivorous geese and (ii) an indirect top‐down effect of Brent goose on seagrass habitat, where seagrass development is positively influenced by the bird population during the previous wintering season. Such a mutualistic relationship has strong implications for biodiversity conservation because protecting one species is beneficial to the other one, as demonstrated here by the positive trajectories observed from 1985 to 2020 in both seagrass and bird populations. Importantly, we also demonstrated here that exploring the synergy between EO and in situ bird data can benefit seagrass ecology and ecosystem management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:51:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-954cd33cc09d47d5b2255d3d7151e427 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-3485 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:51:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-954cd33cc09d47d5b2255d3d7151e4272023-06-22T13:38:12ZengWileyRemote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation2056-34852023-06-019342043310.1002/rse2.319Remote sensing in seagrass ecology: coupled dynamics between migratory herbivorous birds and intertidal meadows observed by satellite during four decadesMaria Laura Zoffoli0Pierre Gernez1Simon Oiry2Laurent Godet3Sébastien Dalloyau4Bede Ffinian Rowe Davies5Laurent Barillé6Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto di Scienze Marine (CNR‐ISMAR) 00133 Rome ItalyNantes Université Institut des Substances et Organismes de la Mer, ISOMer UR 2160 F‐44000 Nantes FranceNantes Université Institut des Substances et Organismes de la Mer, ISOMer UR 2160 F‐44000 Nantes FranceCNRS Nantes Université, UMR LETG B.P. 81223 44312 Nantes FranceLPO France Fonderies Royales 8 rue du Dr Pujos 17305 Rochefort FranceNantes Université Institut des Substances et Organismes de la Mer, ISOMer UR 2160 F‐44000 Nantes FranceNantes Université Institut des Substances et Organismes de la Mer, ISOMer UR 2160 F‐44000 Nantes FranceAbstract Taking into account trophic relationships in seagrass meadows is crucial to explain and predict seagrass temporal trajectories, as well as for implementing and evaluating seagrass conservation policies. However, this type of interaction has been rarely investigated over the long term and at the scale of the whole seagrass habitat. In this work, reciprocal links between an intertidal seagrass species, Zostera noltei, and a herbivorous bird feeding on this seagrass species, the migratory goose Branta bernicla bernicla, were investigated using an original combination of long‐term Earth Observation (EO) and bird census data. Seagrass Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) such as seagrass abundance and phenology were measured from 1985 to 2020 using high‐resolution satellite remote sensing over Bourgneuf Bay (France), and cross‐analysed with in situ measurements of bird population size during the goose wintering season. Our results showed a mutual relationship between seagrass and Brent geese over the four last decades, suggesting that the relationship between the two species extends beyond a simple grass—herbivore consumptive effect. We provided evidence of two types of interactions: (i) a bottom‐up control where the late‐summer seagrass abundance drives the wintering population of herbivorous geese and (ii) an indirect top‐down effect of Brent goose on seagrass habitat, where seagrass development is positively influenced by the bird population during the previous wintering season. Such a mutualistic relationship has strong implications for biodiversity conservation because protecting one species is beneficial to the other one, as demonstrated here by the positive trajectories observed from 1985 to 2020 in both seagrass and bird populations. Importantly, we also demonstrated here that exploring the synergy between EO and in situ bird data can benefit seagrass ecology and ecosystem management.https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.319Branta bernicla bernicla; trophic relationshipsEarth observationessential biodiversity variablestime‐seriesZostera noltei |
| spellingShingle | Maria Laura Zoffoli Pierre Gernez Simon Oiry Laurent Godet Sébastien Dalloyau Bede Ffinian Rowe Davies Laurent Barillé Remote sensing in seagrass ecology: coupled dynamics between migratory herbivorous birds and intertidal meadows observed by satellite during four decades Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation Branta bernicla bernicla; trophic relationships Earth observation essential biodiversity variables time‐series Zostera noltei |
| title | Remote sensing in seagrass ecology: coupled dynamics between migratory herbivorous birds and intertidal meadows observed by satellite during four decades |
| title_full | Remote sensing in seagrass ecology: coupled dynamics between migratory herbivorous birds and intertidal meadows observed by satellite during four decades |
| title_fullStr | Remote sensing in seagrass ecology: coupled dynamics between migratory herbivorous birds and intertidal meadows observed by satellite during four decades |
| title_full_unstemmed | Remote sensing in seagrass ecology: coupled dynamics between migratory herbivorous birds and intertidal meadows observed by satellite during four decades |
| title_short | Remote sensing in seagrass ecology: coupled dynamics between migratory herbivorous birds and intertidal meadows observed by satellite during four decades |
| title_sort | remote sensing in seagrass ecology coupled dynamics between migratory herbivorous birds and intertidal meadows observed by satellite during four decades |
| topic | Branta bernicla bernicla; trophic relationships Earth observation essential biodiversity variables time‐series Zostera noltei |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.319 |
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