Temporal Variation of Intertidal Seagrass in Southern China

Understanding the temporal dynamics of seagrasses and the major influences on seagrass growth is critical for seagrass habitat conservation and administration. However, little work has been done regarding these issues in southern China. To examine inter-annual and seasonal variations of the intertidal Halophila ovalis community in southern China, we conducted quarterly sampling using the SeagrassNet methodology and assessed environmental conditions as well as direct anthropogenic impacts on the seagrass meadow from July 2008 to October 2014. Our study demonstrated strong inter-annual and seasonal dynamics of the intertidal seagrass meadow in the study area. Generally, the community performed best (highest seagrass cover, leaf area, shoot density, total biomass) in summer and worst in spring among the 4 seasons. The temporal variations in the seagrass community attributes (e.g. above-ground biomass) were significantly affected by precipitation, atmospheric visibility, and salinity, while leaf width was significantly negatively correlated with temperature, atmospheric visibility and salinity. Temperature was a major factor influencing the seagrass community (both macroalgae and seagrass), with temperature data showing an inverse relationship between seagrass and macroalgae. The above-ground: below-ground biomass ratio and leaf width of H. ovalis were the most sensitive plant parameters monitored when assessing environmental interactions. Human physical disturbances did not have a significant effect on seagrass dynamics in the study area. We concluded that long-term monitoring (like SeagrassNet) is valuable in understanding the relationship between environmental variables and seagrasses

Can Strict Protection Stop the Decline of Mangrove Ecosystems in China? From Rapid Destruction to Rampant Degradation

China has lost about 50% of its mangrove forests from 1950 to 2001. Since 2001, mangrove forest area has increased by 1.8% per year due to strict protection of the remaining mangrove forests and large-scale restoration. By 2019, 67% of the mangrove forests in China had been enclosed within protected areas (PAs). In terms of the proportion of PAs of mangrove forests, China has achieved the conservation target of “Nature Needs Half”. The ongoing degradation of mangrove forests was assessed at the species, population, community and ecosystem levels. The results show that despite the strict protection, the remaining mangrove forests are suffering extensive degradation due to widespread anthropogenic disturbance. Of the 26 mangrove species, 50% are threatened with extinction, a proportion higher than the average for all higher plants in China (10.8%). Local extinction of some common species like Bruguiera gymnorhiza is widespread. About 53% of the existing mangrove areas were dominated by low-intertidal pioneer species. Consequently, the carbon stock in vegetation has decreased by 53.1%, from 21.8 Tg C in the 1950s to 10.2 Tg C in 2019. Meanwhile, there is an estimated 10.8% concomitant decrease in the carbon sequestration rate. The root cause for this degradation in China is seawall construction because most mangroves are outside seawalls in China. Without fundamental changes in protection and restoration strategies, mangrove forests in China will continue to degrade in spite of strict protection and large-scale restoration. Future mangrove conservation effort should aim to preserve the diversity of both the biota and the ecological processes sustaining the mangrove ecosystem. A few suggestions to raise the effectiveness of mangrove conservation actions were provided

Comparison of flooding-tolerance in four mangrove species in a diurnal tidal zone in the Beibu Gulf

The flood tolerance of four mangrove species, Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco (AC), Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. (Am), Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Savigny (Bg) and Rhizophora stylosa Griff. (Rs) was examined in a field trial conducted from August 2004 until August 2005 in a diurnal tidal zone in Yingluo Bay, Guangxi province, China. In a section of tidal flat, three replicate artificial platforms were constructed for seedling cultivation. Eight different tidal flat elevation (TFE) treatments were created on each platform. After one year of cultivation under the TFE treatments, the survival rate and growth parameters of seedlings were measured. Seedlings of A. corniculatum and A. marina seedlings survived all treatments. The survival rate of B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings, however, decreased sharply as the TFE fell; in any treatment, fewer B. gymnorrhiza seedlings survived than R. stylosa seedlings. Stem elongation in A. corniculatum and A. marina seedlings was significantly increased by lower TFEs. Lower TFE treatments also increased stem heights in B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings; however, growth was significantly higher as TFE increased. Leaf number, leaf conservation rate and leaf area per seedling changed relatively little among treatments in A. corniculatum and A. marina seedlings, while these three indexes in B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings all decreased dramatically with decreasing TFE. A. marina seedlings reached a higher neonatal biomass at lower TFE treatments, whereas A. corniculatum seedlings attained a higher biomass under moderate TFEs. In contrast, B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings accumulated more biomass in the higher TFEs habitats. Biomass partitioning among the components of both A. corniculatum and A. marina seedlings changed evenly; however, A. corniculatum accumulated more biomass in the leaf while A. marina accumulated more in the stem. The TFE treatments greatly influenced biomass partitioning in B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings, with a change from stem to leaf as the TFE increased. Generally speaking, the rank order of tolerance to flooding among these four mangrove species in the diurnal tidal zone was, from most to least tolerant, A. marina > A. corniculatum > R. stylosa > B. gymnorrhiza. This conclusion is consistent with the general pattern of natural mangrove species zonation along the Chinese coast in the Beibu Gulf. The critical tidal levels for afforestation with these four mangrove species are proposed. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Temporal variation of intertidal seagrass in southern China (2008–2014)

Understanding the temporal dynamics of seagrasses and the major influences on seagrass growth is critical for seagrass habitat conservation and administration. However, little work has been done regarding these issues in southern China. To examine inter-annual and seasonal variations of the intertidal Halophila ovalis community in southern China, we conducted quarterly sampling using the SeagrassNet methodology and assessed environmental conditions as well as direct anthropogenic impacts on the seagrass meadow from July 2008 to October 2014. Our study demonstrated strong inter-annual and seasonal dynamics of the intertidal seagrass meadow in the study area. Generally, the community performed best (highest seagrass cover, leaf area, shoot density, total biomass) in summer and worst in spring among the 4 seasons. The temporal variations in the seagrass community attributes (e.g. above-ground biomass) were significantly affected by precipitation, atmospheric visibility, and salinity, while leaf width was significantly negatively correlated with temperature, atmospheric visibility and salinity. Temperature was a major factor influencing the seagrass community (both macroalgae and seagrass), with temperature data showing an inverse relationship between seagrass and macroalgae. The above-ground: below-ground biomass ratio and leaf width of H. ovalis were the most sensitive plant parameters monitored when assessing environmental interactions. Human physical disturbances did not have a significant effect on seagrass dynamics in the study area. We concluded that long-term monitoring (like SeagrassNet) is valuable in understanding the relationship between environmental variables and seagrasses