Research Commons
      • Browse 
        • Communities & Collections
        • Titles
        • Authors
        • By Issue Date
        • Subjects
        • Types
        • Series
      • Help 
        • About
        • Collection Policy
        • OA Mandate Guidelines
        • Guidelines FAQ
        • Contact Us
      • My Account 
        • Sign In
        • Register
      View Item 
      •   Research Commons
      • University of Waikato Research
      • Science and Engineering
      • Science and Engineering Papers
      • View Item
      •   Research Commons
      • University of Waikato Research
      • Science and Engineering
      • Science and Engineering Papers
      • View Item
      JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

      Effects of fine sediment on seagrass meadows: A case study of Zostera muelleri in pāuatahanui inlet, New Zealand

      Zabarte-Maeztu, Iñigo; Matheson, Fleur E.; Manley-Harris, Merilyn; Davies-Colley, Robert J.; Oliver, Megan; Hawes, Ian
      Thumbnail
      Files
      2020 zabarte-maeztu matheson manley harris et al Journal of Marine Science and Engineering.pdf
      Published version, 2.133Mb
      DOI
       10.3390/JMSE8090645
      Find in your library  
      Citation
      Export citation
      Zabarte-Maeztu, I., Matheson, F. E., Manley-Harris, M., Davies-Colley, R. J., Oliver, M., & Hawes, I. (2020). Effects of fine sediment on seagrass meadows: A case study of Zostera muelleri in pāuatahanui inlet, New Zealand. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(9), 645. https://doi.org/10.3390/JMSE8090645
      Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/13913
      Abstract
      Seagrass meadows are vulnerable to fine sediment (mud) pollution, with impacts usually attributed to reduction in submerged light. Here we tested two non-exclusive hypotheses, that mud particles (≤63 μm) impact seagrasses through both (1) the light climate and (2) changes in substrate physico-chemistry. We tested these hypotheses in Pāuatahanui Inlet, New Zealand, by comparing seagrass presence, abundance, and health, together with light climate and substrate physico-chemistry at contrasting habitats where (1) seagrass used to thrive but no longer grows (historical seagrass), (2) seagrass still persists (existing seagrass) and (3) seagrass has been present recently, but not currently (potential seagrass). Historical seagrass substrate had significantly higher mud (35% average), bulk density (1.5 g cm⁻³), porewater ammonium concentration (65 μM), and a more reduced redox profile (negative redox at only 2 cm soil depth) as well as a lower light availability when submerged compared to other habitats, while total daily light exposure differed little between habitats. This suggests that failure of seagrass to recolonize historical seagrass habitat reflects substrate muddiness and consequent unfavorable rhizosphere conditions. Our results provide evidence for the multi-stressor effects of fine sediment on seagrasses, with substrate suitability for seagrass being detrimentally affected even where light exposure seems sufficient.
      Date
      2020
      Type
      Journal Article
      Publisher
      MDPI
      Rights
      © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
      Collections
      • Science and Engineering Papers [3069]
      Show full item record  

      Usage

      Downloads, last 12 months
      144
       
       
       

      Usage Statistics

      For this itemFor all of Research Commons

      The University of Waikato - Te Whare Wānanga o WaikatoFeedback and RequestsCopyright and Legal Statement