Status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal ESSD.
Global dataset on seagrass meadow structure, biomass, production and reproduction
Simone Strydom1,2,Chanelle L. Webster1,Caitlyn M. O'Dea1,Nicole E. Said1,Roisin McCallum1,Karina Inostroza3,Cristian Salinas1,Samuel Billinghurst1,Anna Lafratta1,Charlie M. Phelps1,Connor Campbell1,Connor Gorham1,Natasha Dunham1,Rachele Bernasconi1,Anna M. Frouws1,Axel Werner1,Frederico Vitelli1,Viena Puigcorbé1,4,Alexandra D'Cruz1,Kathryn M. McMahon1,Jack Robinson1,Megan J. Huggett5,Sian McNamara1,Glenn A. Hyndes1,and Oscar Serrano1,6Simone Strydom et al.Simone Strydom1,2,Chanelle L. Webster1,Caitlyn M. O'Dea1,Nicole E. Said1,Roisin McCallum1,Karina Inostroza3,Cristian Salinas1,Samuel Billinghurst1,Anna Lafratta1,Charlie M. Phelps1,Connor Campbell1,Connor Gorham1,Natasha Dunham1,Rachele Bernasconi1,Anna M. Frouws1,Axel Werner1,Frederico Vitelli1,Viena Puigcorbé1,4,Alexandra D'Cruz1,Kathryn M. McMahon1,Jack Robinson1,Megan J. Huggett5,Sian McNamara1,Glenn A. Hyndes1,and Oscar Serrano1,6
1Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research and School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, 270 Joondalup Dr, WA 6027, Australia
2Marine Science Program, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
4Institut de Ciències del Mar, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
5School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, 10 Chittaway Rd, Ourimbah, NSW 2258, Australia
6Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Blanes, Spain
1Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research and School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, 270 Joondalup Dr, WA 6027, Australia
2Marine Science Program, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia
Received: 13 May 2022 – Discussion started: 11 Jul 2022
Abstract. Seagrass meadows provide valuable socio-ecological ecosystem services, including a key role in climate change mitigation and adaption. Understanding the natural history of seagrass meadows across environmental gradients is crucial to decipher the role of seagrasses in the global ocean. In this data collation, spatial and temporal patterns in seagrass meadow structure, biomass, production and reproduction data are presented as a function of biotic and abiotic habitat characteristics. The biological traits compiled include measures of meadow structure (e.g., percent cover and shoot density), biomass (e.g., above-ground biomass), production (e.g., shoot production), and reproduction effort (e.g., flowering intensity and seed bank density). Categorical factors include bioregion, geotype (coastal or estuarine), genera and year of sampling. This dataset contains data extracted from peer-reviewed publications published between 1975 and 2020 based on a Web of Science search, and includes 15 data variables across 12 seagrass genera. The top four most studied genera are Zostera, Thalassia, Halophila and Cymodocea (80 % of data), and the least studied genera are Phyllospadix, Amphibolis and Thalassodendron (2.3 % of data). The data hotspot bioregion is the Tropical Indo Pacific (25 % of data), whereas data for the other five bioregions are evenly spread (ranging between 13 and 16 % of total data within each bioregion). From the data compiled, 39 % related to seagrass biomass, while the least number of data were related to seagrass production (10 % of data). This data collation can inform several research fields beyond seagrass ecology, such as the development of nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation, which include readership interested in blue carbon, engineering, fisheries, global change, conservation and policy.
Wonderful resource. Would be great to include some sort of metadata on when the measurments were taken given the well-established relationship between season and some of the variables (e.g. productivity). A similar output has just been published for macroalgae, which may bring us closer to examining the production of submerged vegetated habitats!
Thank you Albert for your positive feedback. Data on seasonality was initially sought during the review process, however it become apparent that this was not going to be possible because many articles did not report the date of data collection, therefore we could not be sure of season. Instead we focused on categorical variables that could be included for the majority of numerical variables compiled. For example, the dataset reports the year of data collection which could be useful for deciphering long-term temporal trends in seagrass structure, biomass, net primary production and reproduction variables, even if an effect of season cannot be delinated.
Seagrasses are important underwater plants that provide valuable ecosystem services to humans, including mitigating climate change. Understanding the natural history of seagrass meadows across different types of environments is crucial to conserve seagrasses in the global ocean. This dataset contains data extracted from peer-reviewed publications and highlights which seagrasses have been studied, in which locations, and is useful for pointing out which need further investigation.
Seagrasses are important underwater plants that provide valuable ecosystem services to humans,...
