The importance of herbivory in the decline of a seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadow near a fish farm: An experimental approach

Botanica Marina

Volumn 52, Issue 5, 2009, Pages 449-458

  Ruíz, Juan M ^a   Pérez, Marta ^b   Romero, Javier ^b   Tomas, Fiona ^c  

^a Instituto Español de Oceanografía   (Spain)

^b UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA   (Spain)

^c INSTITUTO MEDITERRÁNEO DE ESTUDIOS AVANZADOS   (Spain)

Author keywords

Aquaculture; Grazing; Posidonia oceanica; Sea urchin; Seagrass decline

Indexed keywords

AQUACULTURE EFFLUENT; ECHINODERM; EPIPHYTE; EXPERIMENTAL STUDY; GRAZING; HERBIVORY; MEADOW; POPULATION DECLINE; SEAGRASS; SEAGRASS MEADOW; SHOOT;

ECHINOIDEA; PARACENTROTUS; PARACENTROTUS LIVIDUS; POSIDONIA OCEANICA;

EID: 71749105286     PISSN: 00068055     EISSN: 14374323     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1515/BOT.2009.053     Document Type: Article

References (58)

1. Alcoverro, T., C.M. Duarte and J. Romero. 1995. Annual growth dynamics of Posidonia oceanica: Contribution of large-scale versus local factors to seasonality. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 120: 203-210.
2. Alcoverro, T., C.M. Duarte and J. Romero. 1997. The influence of herbivores on Posidonia oceanica epiphytes. Aquat. Bot. 56: 93-104.
3. Alcoverro, T., M. Manzanera and J. Romero. 2001. Annual metabolic carbon balance of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica: The importance of carbohydrate reserves. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 211: 105-116.
4. Bjorndal, K.A. 1980. Nutrition and grazing behaviour of the green turtle Chelonia mydas. Mar. Biol. 56: 147-154.
5. Boudouresque, C.-F. and M. Verlaque. 2001. Ecology of Paracentrotus lividus. In: (J.M. Lawrence, ed.) Edible sea urchins: Biology and ecology. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam. pp. 177-216.
6. Bryant, J.P., T.P. Clausen, P.B. Reichardt, M.C. McCarthy and R.A. Werner. 1987. Effect of nitrogen fertilization upon the secondary chemistry and nutritional value of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) leaves for the large aspen tortrix (Choristoneura conflictana (Walker)). Oecologia 73: 513-517.
7. Camp, O.K., J.P. Cobb and J.F. van Breedveld. 1973. Overgrazing of seagrass by a regular sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. Bioscience 23: 37-38.
8. Cancemi, G., G. De Falco and G. Pergent. 2003. Effects of organic matter input from a fish farming facility on a Posidonia oceanica meadow. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 56: 961-968.
9. Cebriá n, J. 1999. Patterns in the fate of production in plant communities. Am. Nat. 154: 449-468.
10. Cebriá n, J. and C.M. Duarte. 1998. Patterns in leaf herbivory on seagrasses: The importance of the specific leaf growth-rate. Aquat. Bot. 60: 67-82.
11. Cebriá n, J., C.M. Duarte, N. Marbà, S. Enríquez, M. Gallegos and B. Olesen. 1996. Herbivory on Posidonia oceanica:Magnitude and variability in the Spanish Mediterranean. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 130: 147-155.
12. De Iong, H.H., B.J. Wenno and E. Meelis. 1995. Seagrass distribution and seasonal changes in relation to dugong grazing in the Moluccas, East Indonesia. Aquat. Bot. 50: 1-19.
13. Delgado, O., J.M. Ruíz, M. Pé rez, J. Romero and E. Ballesteros. 1999. Effects of fish farming on seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) in a Mediterranean bay: Seagrass decline after organic loading cessation. Oceanol. Acta 22: 109-117.
14. Delmas, P. 1988. Evolution of regular echinoids distribution in the area polluted by domestic wastes from Marseilles-Cortiu sewage outfall. Vie Mar. 9: 11-15.
15. Duarte, C.M. 1990. Seagrass nutrient content. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 67: 201-207.
16. FAO. 2007. The state of world fisheries and aquaculture. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. pp. 162.
17. Ganter, B. 2000. Seagrass (Zostera spp) as food for Brent geese (Branta bernicla): An overview. Helgol. Mar. Res. 54: 63-70.
18. Goecker, M.E., K.L. Heck, Jr. and J.F. Valentine. 2005. Effects of nitrogen content in turtlegrass, Thalassia testudinum, on consumption by the bucktooth parrotfish, Sparisoma radians. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 286: 239-248.
19. Jackson, J.B.C., M.X. Kirby, W.H. Berger, K.A. Bjorndal, L.W. Botsford, B.J. Bourque, et al. 2001. Historical overfishing and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems. Science 293: 629-638.
20. Jones, A.B., M.J. Donohue, J. Udy and W.C. Dennison. 2001. Assessing ecological impacts of shrimp and sewage effluent: Biological indicators with standard water quality analyses. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 52: 91-109.
21. Kirkman, H. and P.C. Young. 1981. Measurements of health and echinoderm grazing of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile. Aquat. Bot. 10: 329-338.
22. Kirsch, K.D., J.F. Valentine and K.L. Heck. 2002. Parrotfish grazing on turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum): Evidence for the importance of seagrass consumption in food web dynamics of the Florida Keys natural sanctuary. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 227: 71-85.
23. Lepoint, G., F. Nyssen, S. Gobert, P. Dauby and J.M. Bouquegnean. 2000. Relative impact of a seagrass bed and its adjacent epilithic algal community in consumer diets. Mar. Biol. 136: 513-518.
24. Maciá, S. 2000. The effects of sea urchin grazing and drift algal blooms on a subtropical seagrass bed community. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 246: 53-67.
25. Madsen, J. 1998. Experimental designs for migratory waterfowl in Danish wetlands. II. Test of hunting disturbance effects. J. Appl. Ecol. 35: 398-417.
26. Mariani, S. and T. Alcoverro. 2002. Effects of sea urchin grazing on seagrass (Thalassodendron ciliatum) beds of a Kenyan lagoon. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 226: 255-263.
27. Mateo, M.A. and S. Sabaté. 1993. Wet digestion of vegetable tissue using a domestic microwave oven. Anal. Chem. 279: 273-279.
28. McClanahan, T.R., M. Nugues and S. Mwachireya. 1994. Fish and sea urchin herbivory and competition in Kenyan coral reef lagoons: The role of reef management. J. Exp. Mar. Ecol. Biol. 184: 237-254.
29. McGlathery, K.J. 1995. Nutrient and grazing influences on a tropical seagrass community. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 122: 239-252.
30. Nacken, M. and K. Reise. 2000. Effects of herbivorous birds on intertidal seagrass beds in the northern Wadden Sea. Helgol. Mar. Res. 54: 87-94.
31. Pé rez, M., O. Invers, J.M. Ruíz, M.S. Frederiksen and M. Holmer. 2007. Physiological responses of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica to elevated organic matter content in sediments: An experimental assessment. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 344: 149-160.
32. Pé rez, M., T. García, O. Invers and J.M. Ruíz. 2008. Physiological responses of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica as indicators of fish farm impacts. Mar. Pol. Bull. 56: 869-879.
33. Pergent, G., J. Romero, C. Pergent-Martini, M.A. Mateo and C.F. Boudouresque. 1994. Primary production, stocks and fluxes in the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 106: 130-146.
34. Pergent, G., S. Mendez, C. Pergent-Martini and V. Pasqualini. 1999. Preliminary data on the impact of fish farming facilities on Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Mediterranean. Oceanol. Acta 22: 95-107.
35. Pergent-Martini, C., C.-F. Boudouresque, V. Pasqualini and G. Pergent. 2006. Impact of fish farming facilities on Posidonia oceanica meadows: A review. Mar. Ecol. 27: 310-319. (Pubitemid 44830889)
36. Prado, P., F. Tomas, T. Alcoverro and J. Romero. 2007. Extensive direct measurements of Posidonia oceanica defoliation confirm the importance of herbivory in temperate seagrass meadows. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 340: 63-71.
37. Preen, A. 1995. Impacts of dugong foraging on seagrass habitats: Observational and experimental evidence for cultivation grazing. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 124: 201-213.
38. Quinn, G.P. and M.J. Keough. 2006. Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. pp. 537.
39. Romero, J. 1989. Primary production of Posidonia oceanica beds in the Medas Islands (Girona, NE Spain). In: (C.F. Boudouresque, A. Meinesz, E. Fresi and V. Gravez, eds.) International workshop on Posidonia oceanica beds 2. GIS Posidonie Publ., Marseille, France. pp. 85-91.
40. Rose, C.D., W.C. Sharp, W.J. Kenworthy, J.H. Hunt, W.G. Lyons, E.J. Prager, et al. 1999. Overgrazing of a large seagrass bed by the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus in Outer Florida Bay, Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 190: 211-222.
41. Ruíz, J.M. and J. Romero. 2001. Effects of in situ experimental shading on the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 215: 107-120. (Pubitemid 32632280)
42. Ruíz, J.M., A. Marín, J.F. Calvo and L. Ramírez-Díaz. 1993. Interactions between floodway and coastal constructions in Aguilas Bay (southeastern Spain). Ocean Coast. Manag. 19: 241-262.
43. Ruíz, J.M., M. Pé rez and J. Romero. 2001. Effects of fish farm loadings on seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) distribution, growth and photosynthesis. Mar. Poll. Bull. 42: 749-760.
44. Sala, E., C.-F. Boudouresque and M. Harmelin-Vivien. 1998. Fishing, trophic cascades, and the structure of algal assemblages: Evaluation of an old but untested paradigm. Oikos 82: 425-439.
45. Short, F.T. and S. Wyllie-Echeverria. 1996. Natural and humaninduced disturbance of seagrasses. Environ. Conserv. 23: 17-27.
46. Smith, R.D., A.M. Pregnall and R.S. Alberte. 1988. Effects of anaerobiosis on root metabolism of Zostera marina (eelgrass): Implications for survival in reducing sediments. Mar. Biol. 98: 131-141.
47. Thayer, G.W., K.A. Bjorndal, J.C. Ogden, S.L. Williams and J.C. Zieman. 1984. Role of larger herbivores in seagrass communities. Estuaries 7: 351-376.
48. Tomas, F., J. Romero and X. Turon. 2004. Settlement and recruitment of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in two contrasting habitats in the Mediterranean. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 282: 173-184.
49. Tomas, F., X. Turon and J. Romero. 2005a. Effects of herbivores on a Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow: Importance of epiphytes. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 287: 115-125.
50. Tomas, F., X. Turon and J. Romero. 2005b. Seasonal and smallscale spatial variability of herbivory pressure on the temperate seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 301: 95-107.
51. Tomas, F., D. Alvarez-Cascos, X. Turon and J. Romero. 2006. Differential element assimilation by sea urchins Paracentrotus lividus in seagrass beds: Implications for trophic interactions. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 306: 125-131.
52. Touchette, B.W. and J.M. Burkholder. 2007. Carbon and nitrogen metabolism in the seagrass, Zostera marina L.: Environmental control of enzymes involved in carbon allocation and nitrogen assimilation. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 350: 216-233.
53. Valentine, J.F. and J.E. Duffy. 2006. The central role of grazing in seagrass ecology. In: (A.W.D. Larkum, R.J. Orth and C.M. Duarte, eds.) Seagrasses: Biology, ecology and conservation. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 649.
54. Valentine, J.F. and K.L. Heck. 2001. The role of leaf nitrogen content in determining turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) grazing by a generalized herbivore in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 258: 65-86.
55. Vergé s, A., M.A. Becerro, T. Alcoverro and J. Romero. 2007. Experimental evidence of chemicals deterrence against multiple herbivores in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 343: 107-114.
56. Williams, S.L. and K.L. Heck. 2001. Seagrass community ecology. In: (M.D. Bertness, S.D. Gaines and M.E. Hay, eds.) Marine community ecology. Sinauer Associates Inc., Sunderland, MA. pp. 317-337.
57. Williams, S.L. and M.H. Ruckelshaus. 1993. Effects of nitrogen availability and herbivory on eelgrass (Zostera marina) and epiphytes. Ecology 74: 904-918.
58. Zar, H.Z. 1984. Biostatistical analysis. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. pp. 663.