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Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation in Seagrass Ecosystems
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Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation in Seagrass Ecosystems

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 4766

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Peidong Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
Interests: marine vegetation restoration; marine ecosystem services; biodiversity; sustainable habitat optimization
Prof. Dr. Yi Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: marine ecosystem services; biodiversity; marine vegetation restoration and conservation
Prof. Dr. Guanglong Qiu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Guangxi Mangrove Research Center, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Beihai 536000, China
Interests: seagrass ecology; coastal ecology
Prof. Dr. Zhijian Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
Interests: seagrass biology; seagrass ecology; marine ecology; ecosystem biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Seagrasses are a unique group of flowering plants adapted to exist fully submerged in the sea, and provide high-value ecosystem services that are critical to humans and wildlife, such as water quality improvement, sediment accumulation and stabilization, carbon storage and sequestration, enhanced biodiversity, important nursery grounds and feeding areas, and fisheries production. However, they have been disappearing rapidly worldwide because of natural and anthropogenic influences, including sediment and nutrient runoff, physical disturbance, invasive species, commercial fishing practices, aquaculture, overgrazing, algal blooms, and global warming, with rates of decline accelerating from a median of 0.9% yr−1 before 1940 to 7% after 1990. Reported seagrass losses have led to increased awareness of the need for seagrass protection, monitoring, management, and restoration. Seagrass ecosystem recovery can promote their ecological function recovery, which can aid sustainable development. However, seagrass science has grown rapidly and is disconnected from the public awareness of seagrasses, which has lagged behind the awareness of other coastal ecosystems. We aim to summarize the current achievements, measures, methods, technology and policies of seagrass ecosystems. Our hope is to find an effective solution for guiding the next stage of seagrass restoration and elucidating the ecological function (e.g., habitat, nursery, carbon sequestration) changes in response to seagrass ecosystem recovery, with important implications for sustainable development.   

In this Special Issue, we invite research contributions with cutting-edge studies informing the ecology, biodiversity and conservation practice for seagrass ecosystems. We encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical research relating to the ecology, biology, and physiology of seagrasses, the restoration of seagrass beds, and the management and policies of seagrass conservation, providing new findings and views with the potential to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of seagrass habitats. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: ecological function, ecosystem services, biodiversity, ecophysiology, degradation mechanism, ecological restoration, ecosystem recovery, sustainable development and conservation.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Peidong Zhang
Prof. Dr. Yi Zhou
Prof. Dr. Guanglong Qiu
Prof. Dr. Zhijian Jiang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ecological function
  • ecosystem services
  • ecophysiology
  • environmental stress
  • human activities
  • climate change
  • ecological restoration
  • biological conservation
  • conservation effectiveness
  • sustainable development

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3430 KiB  
Article
Mapping and Characterizing Eelgrass Meadows Using UAV Imagery in Placentia Bay and Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
by Aaron Sneep, Rodolphe Devillers, Katleen Robert, Arnault Le Bris and Evan Edinger
Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3471; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083471 - 21 Apr 2024
Viewed by 700
Abstract
Sustainable coastal social–ecological systems rely on healthy ecosystems known to provide benefits to both nature and people. A key ecosystem found globally is seagrass, for which maps at a scale relevant to inform conservation and management efforts are often missing. Eelgrass (Zostera [...] Read more.
Sustainable coastal social–ecological systems rely on healthy ecosystems known to provide benefits to both nature and people. A key ecosystem found globally is seagrass, for which maps at a scale relevant to inform conservation and management efforts are often missing. Eelgrass (Zostera marina), a species of seagrass found throughout the northern hemisphere, has been declining in Placentia Bay, an ecologically and biologically significant area of Canada’s east coast subject to an increasing human impact. This research provides baseline information on the distribution of eelgrass meadows and their anthropogenic stressors at seven sites of Placentia Bay and three sites of the adjacent Trinity Bay, on the island of Newfoundland. High-resolution maps of eelgrass meadows were created by combining ground-truth underwater videos with unmanned aerial vehicle imagery classified with an object-based image analysis approach. Visual analyses of the imagery and underwater videos were conducted to characterize sites based on the presence of physical disturbances and the semi-quantitative cover of epiphytes, an indication of nutrient enrichment. A total eelgrass area of ~1 km2 was mapped across the 10 sites, with an overall map accuracy of over 80% for 8 of the 10 sites. Results indicated minimum pressures of physical disturbance and eutrophication affecting eelgrass in the region, likely due to the small population size of the communities near the eelgrass meadows. These baseline data will promote the sustainability of potential future coastal development in the region by facilitating the future monitoring and conservation of eelgrass ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation in Seagrass Ecosystems)
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13 pages, 2957 KiB  
Article
Seed Provision Efficacy of Detached Reproductive Shoots in Restoration Projects for Degraded Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) Meadows
by Mingjie Liu, Shaochun Xu, Shidong Yue, Yongliang Qiao, Yu Zhang, Xiaomei Zhang and Yi Zhou
Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5904; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075904 - 29 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1463
Abstract
Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) is a dominant seagrass species in the temperate waters of the northern hemisphere and is experiencing global declines. The use of eelgrass seeds is increasingly being recognized as a viable option for large-scale restoration projects. Eelgrass reproductive shoots [...] Read more.
Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) is a dominant seagrass species in the temperate waters of the northern hemisphere and is experiencing global declines. The use of eelgrass seeds is increasingly being recognized as a viable option for large-scale restoration projects. Eelgrass reproductive shoots are often collected to obtain seeds or to broadcast seeds in restoration projects. Here, a new method to accurately evaluate the seed provision efficacy of detached eelgrass reproductive is proposed. Viable seeds of detached eelgrass reproductive shoots were collected using in situ net cages at Swan Lake, China. The seed yield and quality of detached eelgrass reproductive shoots under five different treatments (with or without rhizomes and roots, vegetative shoots, and sediment) were compared to select the optimal treatment for this method. The results showed that each detached eelgrass reproductive shoot produced approximately 50 viable seeds on average and the potential seed yield overestimated the actual seed yields by around four times. Seed quality evaluated by size and weight was consistent with that of the natural eelgrass meadow in Swan Lake. Comparing the five different treatments, the simplest treatment (a single reproductive shoot) was convenient and robust for this method. The results indicate that this method is worth further extending to other populations to improve the efficiency of seed use and for effectiveness evaluation in restoration projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation in Seagrass Ecosystems)
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15 pages, 3893 KiB  
Article
Environmental Determinants of the Distribution of Halophila beccarii Ascherson in Hainan Island, China
by Xiaoxiao Geng, Zefu Cai, Shuwen Jia, Jie Shen, Di Tang, Daoru Wang and Shiquan Chen
Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13491; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013491 - 19 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1452
Abstract
This study presents the first record of the overall distribution of the seagrass Halophila beccarii Ascherson on the island of Hainan. Statistical and ecological methods were used to analyze the distribution of the species and the influence of environmental factors. Halophila beccarii was [...] Read more.
This study presents the first record of the overall distribution of the seagrass Halophila beccarii Ascherson on the island of Hainan. Statistical and ecological methods were used to analyze the distribution of the species and the influence of environmental factors. Halophila beccarii was mainly distributed in the northwest and southeast of Hainan, in lagoons with a total area of 20.981 km2, including the largest H. beccarii area in China covering approximately 9.58 km2 in Xiaohai, Wanning; there were also 4.89 km2 in Xinying Bay, Danzhou, approximately 2.20 km2 in Huachang Bay, Chengmai, 1.88 km2 in Dongzhai Port, Haikou, 0.95 km2 in Xinying Port, Lingao, approximately 0.668 km2 in Laoyehai, Wanning, approximately 0.363 km2 in Hongpai, approximately 0.23 km2 in Maniao, and approximately 0.22 km2 in Huanglong Port, Lingao. The average coverage of H. beccarii measured at 7.08–56.33%, the density of stem and branch was 487.47–20,167.1 ind/m2, and the biomass measured at 1.57–112.94 gDW/m2. The growth distribution was mainly influenced by habitat type and, to a lesser extent, by tidal branching channels, heavy metal content (Cu, Pb, Cr, Zn) in the marine environment, and human activities in adjacent coastal areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation in Seagrass Ecosystems)
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