Publication Date:
2023-12-05
Description:
Seagrass meadows are important marine carbon sinks, yet they are threatened and declining worldwide. Seagrass management and conservation requires adequate understanding of the physical and biological factors determining carbon content in seagrass sediments. Here, we identified key factors that influence carbon content in seagrass meadows across several environmental gradients in Moreton Bay, SE Queensland. Sampling was conducted in two regions: (1) Canopy Complexity, 98 sites on the Eastern Banks, where seagrass canopy structure and species composition varied while turbidity was consistently low; and (2) Turbidity Gradient, 11 locations across the entire bay, where turbidity varied among sampling locations. Sediment organic carbon content and seagrass structural complexity (shoot density, leaf area, and species specific characteristics) were measured from shallow sediment and seagrass biomass cores at each location, respectively. Environmental data were obtained from empirical measurements (water quality) and models (wave height). The key factors influencing carbon content in seagrass sediments were seagrass structural complexity, turbidity, water depth, and wave height. In the Canopy Complexity region, carbon content was higher for shallower sites and those with higher seagrass structural complexity. When turbidity varied along the Turbidity Gradient, carbon content was higher at sites with high turbidity. In both regions carbon content was consistently higher in sheltered areas with lower wave height. Seagrass canopy structure, water depth, turbidity, and hydrodynamic setting of seagrass meadows should therefore be considered in conservation and management strategies that aim to maximize sediment carbon content.
Keywords:
AM_T23-S; AM_T24-W; AM_T3-N; AM_T4-S; AM_T5-N; AM_T6-W; AM_T7-N; AP.1; AP.2; AP.3; AP.4; AP.5; AP.6; Biomass, dry mass per area; BM_WA_04; BM_WA_05; BMS_AM_06; BMS_AM_07; BMS_AM_08; BMS_AM_10; BMS_AM_11; BMS_AM_11-3; BMS_AM_16; BMS_AM_18; BMS_AM_7; BMS_AM_8; BMS_MA_01; BMS_MA_03; BMS_MA_05; BMS_MA_06; BMS_MA_07; BMS_MA_11; BMS_MA_18; BMS_MA_3; BMS_MA_5; BMS_MA_6; BMS_MO_01; BMS_MO_02; BMS_MO_09; BMS_MO_15; BMS_MO_16; BMS_MO_18; BMS_WA_0; BMS_WA_01; BMS_WA_02; BMS_WA_4; BMS_WA_5; C.1; C.2; C.3; C.4; C.5; C.6; Cymodocea serrulata, area; Cymodocea serrulata, biomass, dry mass; Cymodocea serrulata, length; Cymodocea serrulata, shoots; Cymodocea serrulata, width; DATE/TIME; Density, shoots; Detritus, biomass, dry mass; DIVER; Eastern Banks, Amity Banks; Eastern Banks, Chain Banks; Eastern Banks, Maroom Banks; Eastern Banks, Moreton Banks; Eastern Banks, Wanga Wallen Banks; Event label; Halodule uninervis, area; Halodule uninervis, biomass, dry mass; Halodule uninervis, length; Halodule uninervis, shoots; Halodule uninervis, width; Halophila ovalis, area; Halophila ovalis, biomass, dry mass; Halophila ovalis, length; Halophila ovalis, shoots; Halophila ovalis, width; Halophila spinulosa, area; Halophila spinulosa, biomass, dry mass; Halophila spinulosa, length; Halophila spinulosa, shoots; Halophila spinulosa, width; L.1; L.2; L.3; L.4; L.5; L.6; Latitude of event; Location of event; Longitude of event; M.1; M.2; M.3; M.4; M.5; M.6; MA_T2-E; MA_T3-E; MA_T4-E; MA_T5-E; Macroalgae, biomass, dry mass; Mangrove, biomass, dry mass; MB_AM_T10-E; MB_AM_T10-W; MB_AM_T1-E; MB_AM_T23-N; MB_AM_T23-S; MB_AM_T24-E; MB_AM_T24-W; MB_AM_T3-N; MB_AM_T3-S; MB_AM_T4-N; MB_AM_T4-S; MB_AM_T5-N; MB_AM_T5-S; MB_AM_T6_end; MB_AM_T7-N; MB_AM_T7-S; MB_AM_T8-W; MB_CH1_end; MB_CH1_start; MB_MA_T1-N_end; MB_MA_T1-S; MB_MA_T2_end; MB_MA_T2-W_start; MB_MA_T3_end; MB_MA_T3-W; MB_MA_T4_end; MB_MA_T4-S_start; MB_MA_T5_end; MB_MA_T5_start; MB_MO_T21-E_start; MB_MO_T21-W_end; MB_MO_T2-N_end; MB_MO_T2-S_start; MB_MO_T30_end; MB_MO_T30_start; MB_MO_T3-E_end; MB_MO_T3-W_start; MB_MO_T4_end_B2; MB_MO_T4-E_start_B20; MB_MO_T4-E_start_B5; MB_MO_T4-W_end_B19; MB_MO_T5_end; MB_MO_T5-E_start; MB_MO_T6-E_end; MB_MO_T6-W_start; MB_MO_T8-N_start; MB_MO_T8-S_end; MB_MO_T9_end; MB_MO_T9_start; MB_WA_T3-E; MB_WA_T3-W; MB_WA_T4-E; MB_WA_T4-W; MB_WA_T5-E; MB_WA_T5-W; MB_WA_T6-E; MB_WA_T6-W; MB_WA_TW1-E; MB_WA_TW1-W; MO_T2-S; MO_T30-E; MO_T3-E; MO_T3-W; MO_T4-E; MO_T5-E; MO_T6-W; MO_T9-S; Moreton Bay, Amity Point; Moreton Bay, Cleveland; Moreton Bay, Lota; Moreton Bay, Myora Springs; Moreton Bay, North Deception Bay; Moreton Bay, Port of Brisbane; Moreton Bay, Wellington; NDB.1; NDB.2; NDB.3; NDB.4; NDB.5; NDB.6; PoB.1; PoB.2; PoB.3; PoB.4; PoB.5; PoB.6; Sampling by diver; see Samper-Villarreal et al. (2016); Syringodium isoetifolium, area; Syringodium isoetifolium, biomass, dry mass; Syringodium isoetifolium, length; Syringodium isoetifolium, shoots; Syringodium isoetifolium, width; T2_Starbug-1; T2_Starbug-2; T2_Starbug-3; W.1; W.2; W.3; W.4; W.5; W.6; WA_T4-W; WA_T5-N; WW_TT1; WW_TT10; WW_TT11; WW_TT2; WW_TT3; WW_TT4; WW_TT5; WW_TT6; WW_TT7; WW_TT8; WW_TT9; Zostera muelleri, area; Zostera muelleri, biomass, dry mass; Zostera muelleri, length; Zostera muelleri, shoots; Zostera muelleri, width
Type:
Dataset
Format:
text/tab-separated-values, 7333 data points
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