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Reduced carbon sequestration in a Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) ecosystem impacted by fish farming
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Apostolaki, Eugenia T. Holmer, Marianne Marbà, Núria Karakassis, Ioannis |
| Copyright Year | 2011 |
| Abstract | We studied the relationship between sediment nutrient enrichment and carbon sequestration, using the ratio of gross primary production to respiration (P/R), in a fish- farming impacted and an unaffected Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) ecosystem in the Aegean Sea, Greece. Carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) sedimentation, nutrient pools in sediment and dissolved nutrients in pore water were significantly and posi- tively intercorrelated, indicating close linkage between sedimentation and sediment nutrient pools in seagrass meadows. C, N and P sediment pools were significantly enhanced in the impacted meadow throughout the year, even during winter when fish farming activity was low. In the impacted sediment, the increase in C and N was higher than P, reflecting a faster remineralization and uptake of P than C and N. The ecosystem P/R ratio decreased exponen- tially with sediment nutrient enrichment. Threshold values are given for C, N and P sedimen- tation rates and sediment pools, and for N and P concentrations in pore waters, after which P/R ratio in the seagrass meadow decreases below 1, indicating a shift from autotrophy to heterotrophy with sediment nutrient enrichment. Such a regime shift indicates a loss of storage capacity of the seagrass ecosystem, jeopardizing the key role of P. oceanica as a carbon sink in the Mediterranean. |
| Starting Page | 49 |
| Ending Page | 59 |
| Page Count | 11 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.3354/aei00031 |
| Volume Number | 2 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://www.int-res.com/articles/aei2011/2/q002p049.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00031 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |