TY - JOUR
T1 - Temperature Drives Seagrass Recovery Across the Western North Atlantic
AU - Smulders, Fee O.H.
AU - Campbell, Justin E.
AU - Altieri, Andrew H.
AU - Armitage, Anna R.
AU - Bakker, Elisabeth S.
AU - Barry, Savanna C.
AU - Becker, S.T.
AU - Bethel, Enrique
AU - Douglass, James G.
AU - van Duijnhoven, Hannah J.
AU - de Fouw, Jimmy
AU - Frazer, Thomas K.
AU - Glazner, Rachael
AU - Goeke, Janelle A.
AU - Gort, Gerrit
AU - Heck, Kenneth L.
AU - Kramer, Olivier A.A.
AU - van de Leemput, Ingrid A.
AU - Manuel, Sarah A.
AU - Martin, Charles W.
AU - Martinez López, Isis G.
AU - McDonald, Ashley M.
AU - Munson, Calvin J.
AU - O'Shea, Owen R.
AU - Paul, Valerie J.
AU - Reynolds, Laura K.
AU - Rhoades, O.K.
AU - Rodriguez Bravo, Lucia M.
AU - Sang, Amanda
AU - Sawall, Yvonne
AU - Smith, Khalil
AU - Thompson, Jamie E.
AU - van Tussenbroek, Brigitta
AU - Wied, William L.
AU - Christianen, Marjolijn J.A.
PY - 2025/4/1
Y1 - 2025/4/1
N2 - Climate-driven shifts in herbivores, temperature, and nutrient runoff threaten coastal ecosystem resilience. However, ecological resilience, particularly for foundation species, remains poorly understood due to the scarcity of field experiments conducted across appropriate spatial and temporal scales that investigate multiple stressors. This study evaluates the resilience of a widespread tropical marine plant (turtlegrass) to disturbances across its geographic range and examines how environmental gradients in (a)biotic factors influence recovery. We assessed turtlegrass resilience by following recovery rates for a year after a simulated pulse disturbance (complete above- and belowground biomass removal). Contrary to studies in temperate areas, higher temperature generally enhanced seagrass recovery. While nutrients had minimal individual effects, they reduced aboveground recovery when combined with high levels of herbivore grazing (meso and megaherbivore). Belowground recovery was also affected by combined high levels of nutrients and grazing (megaherbivores only). Light availability had minimal effects. Our results suggest that the resilience of some tropical species, particularly in cooler subtropical waters, may initially benefit from warming. However, continuing shifts in nutrient supply and changes in grazing pressure may ultimately serve to compromise seagrass recovery
AB - Climate-driven shifts in herbivores, temperature, and nutrient runoff threaten coastal ecosystem resilience. However, ecological resilience, particularly for foundation species, remains poorly understood due to the scarcity of field experiments conducted across appropriate spatial and temporal scales that investigate multiple stressors. This study evaluates the resilience of a widespread tropical marine plant (turtlegrass) to disturbances across its geographic range and examines how environmental gradients in (a)biotic factors influence recovery. We assessed turtlegrass resilience by following recovery rates for a year after a simulated pulse disturbance (complete above- and belowground biomass removal). Contrary to studies in temperate areas, higher temperature generally enhanced seagrass recovery. While nutrients had minimal individual effects, they reduced aboveground recovery when combined with high levels of herbivore grazing (meso and megaherbivore). Belowground recovery was also affected by combined high levels of nutrients and grazing (megaherbivores only). Light availability had minimal effects. Our results suggest that the resilience of some tropical species, particularly in cooler subtropical waters, may initially benefit from warming. However, continuing shifts in nutrient supply and changes in grazing pressure may ultimately serve to compromise seagrass recovery
U2 - 10.1111/gcb.70172
DO - 10.1111/gcb.70172
M3 - Article
SN - 1354-1013
VL - 31
JO - Global Change Biology
JF - Global Change Biology
IS - 4
M1 - e70172
ER -
