Distribution, temporal change, and conservation status of tropical seagrass beds in Southeast Asia: 2000–2020

Although Southeast Asia is a hotspot of global seagrass diversity, there are considerable information gaps in the distribution of seagrass beds. Broad-scale seagrass distribution has not been updated in the global seagrass database by UNEP-WCMC since 2000, although studies on seagrasses have been undertaken intensively in each region. Here we analyze the recent distribution of tropical seagrass beds, their temporal changes, causes of decline and conservation status in Southeast Asia (plus southern mainland China, Taiwan and Ryukyu Island of Japan) using data collected after 2000. Based on the 195 literature published since 2000, we identified 1,259 point data and 1,461 polygon data showing the distribution of seagrass beds. A large discrepancy was found in the seagrass bed distribution between our updated data and the UNEP-WCMC database, mostly due to inaccurate and low resolution location information in the latter. Temporal changes in seagrass bed area analyzed for 68 sites in nine countries/regions demonstrated that more than 60% of seagrass beds declined at an average rate of 10.9% year–1, whereas 20% of beds increased at an average rate of 8.1% year–1, leading to an overall average decline of 4.7% year–1. Various types of human-induced threats were reported as causes for the decline, including coastal development, fisheries/aquaculture, and natural factors such as typhoons and tsunamis. The percentage of seagrass beds covered with existing marine protected areas (MPAs) varied greatly among countries/regions, from less than 1% in Brunei Darussalam and Singapore to 100% in southern Japan. However, the degree of conservation regulation was not sufficient even in regions with higher MPA coverage. The percentage of seagrass beds within EBSAs (Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area determined by the Convention of Biological Diversity) was higher than that within MPAs because EBSAs cover a greater area than MPAs. Therefore, designating EBSAs as legally effective MPAs can greatly improve the conservation status of seagrass beds in Southeast Asia

Recurrent disturbances and the degradation of hard coral communities in Taiwan

Recurrent disturbances can have a critical effect on the structure and function of coral reef communities. In this study, long-term changes were examined in the hard coral community at Wanlitung, in southern Taiwan, between 1985 and 2010. In this 26 year interval, the reef has experienced repeated disturbances that include six typhoons and two coral-bleaching events. The frequency of disturbance has meant that species susceptible to disturbance, such as those in the genus Acropora and Montipora have almost disappeared from the reef. Indeed, almost all hard coral species have declined in abundance, with the result that total hard coral cover in 2010 (17.7%) was less than half what it was in 1985 (47.5%). In addition, macro-algal cover has increased from 11.3% in 2003 to 28.5% in 2010. The frequency of disturbance combined with possible chronic influence of a growing human population mean that a diverse reef assemblage is unlikely to persist on this reef into the future

Public perceptions of mangrove forests matter for their conservation

Abstract not available

High-Resolution Mapping of Seagrass Biomass Dynamics Suggests Differential Response of Seagrasses to Fluctuating Environments

Seagrass beds are major blue carbon ecosystems. Climate change-associated factors may change the seagrass community and affect the capacity of carbon sequestration. To explore the possible effects of warming, higher precipitation levels and/or sea level rise on seagrasses, the spatial and seasonal dynamics in shallow seagrass beds comprising the late-successional seagrass Thalassia hemprichii and the early-successional seagrass Halodule uninervis were tracked. The high-resolution mapping of seagrass biomass dynamics showed that T. hemprichii was the dominant species in the study sites year round, as the space occupation by the larger seagrass T. hemprichii was more efficient than that by the smaller seagrass H. uninervis. The space occupation by both species in the low-elevation site was more efficient than in the high-elevation site. In the low-elevation site, while the dominance of the faster growing seagrass H. uninervis was increasing, the dominance of T. hemprichii was decreasing. This suggested that the carbon sequestration capacity of the seagrass beds will decrease, as T. hemprichii was capable of storing more carbon in the sediments. In the high-elevation site, however, the distribution of both species was distinct and showed a clear seasonal succession. The dominance of H. uninervis moved to shallower water in the wet season and then moved back to deeper water in the dry season. Our observations suggested that four possible mechanisms might be involved in the dominance shift in the shallow seagrass beds: (1) the deeper water in the low-elevation site or the higher precipitation levels in the wet season might reduce the drought stress of H. uninervis at low tide and enhance the competition of H. uninervis over T. hemprichii; (2) the growth of H. uninervis might be stimulated more by the flushing of land-based nutrients caused by the higher precipitation rates in the wet season; (3) in the high-elevation site, the faster flow velocity and frequently disturbed sediments in the dry season might constrain the further expansion of H. uninervis to shallower water; (4) the faster flow velocity in the high-elevation site might reduce the impacts of periphyton overgrowth on T. hemprichii and maintain the dominance of T. hemprichii in the community. Our results suggest seagrasses will not necessarily respond to fluctuating environments in the same way in the coming decades

High-Resolution Mapping of Seagrass Biomass Dynamics Suggests Differential Response of Seagrasses to Fluctuating Environments

Seagrass beds are major blue carbon ecosystems. Climate change-associated factors may change the seagrass community and affect the capacity of carbon sequestration. To explore the possible effects of warming, higher precipitation levels and/or sea level rise on seagrasses, the spatial and seasonal dynamics in shallow seagrass beds comprising the late-successional seagrass Thalassia hemprichii and the early-successional seagrass Halodule uninervis were tracked. The high-resolution mapping of seagrass biomass dynamics showed that T. hemprichii was the dominant species in the study sites year round, as the space occupation by the larger seagrass T. hemprichii was more efficient than that by the smaller seagrass H. uninervis. The space occupation by both species in the low-elevation site was more efficient than in the high-elevation site. In the low-elevation site, while the dominance of the faster growing seagrass H. uninervis was increasing, the dominance of T. hemprichii was decreasing. This suggested that the carbon sequestration capacity of the seagrass beds will decrease, as T. hemprichii was capable of storing more carbon in the sediments. In the high-elevation site, however, the distribution of both species was distinct and showed a clear seasonal succession. The dominance of H. uninervis moved to shallower water in the wet season and then moved back to deeper water in the dry season. Our observations suggested that four possible mechanisms might be involved in the dominance shift in the shallow seagrass beds: (1) the deeper water in the low-elevation site or the higher precipitation levels in the wet season might reduce the drought stress of H. uninervis at low tide and enhance the competition of H. uninervis over T. hemprichii; (2) the growth of H. uninervis might be stimulated more by the flushing of land-based nutrients caused by the higher precipitation rates in the wet season; (3) in the high-elevation site, the faster flow velocity and frequently disturbed sediments in the dry season might constrain the further expansion of H. uninervis to shallower water; (4) the faster flow velocity in the high-elevation site might reduce the impacts of periphyton overgrowth on T. hemprichii and maintain the dominance of T. hemprichii in the community. Our results suggest seagrasses will not necessarily respond to fluctuating environments in the same way in the coming decades

Contribution of unvegetated tidal flats to coastal carbon flux

Unvegetated flats occupy a large area in the intertidal zone. However, compared to vegetated areas, the carbon sequestration of unvegetated tidal flats is rarely quantified, even though these areas are highly threatened by human development and climate change. We determined benthic maximum gross primary production (GPPm), net primary production (NPP) and total respiration (TR) during emersion on seven tidal flats along a latitudinal gradient (from 22.48°N to 40.60°N) in winter and summer from 2012 to 2016 to assess the spatial and temporal variability of carbon dioxide flux. In winter, these processes decreased by 89%–104% towards higher latitudes. In summer, however, no clear trend was detected across the latitudinal gradient. Quadratic relationships between GPPm, NPP and TR and sediment temperature can be described along the latitudinal gradient. These curves showed maximum values of GPPm and NPP when the sediment temperatures reached 28.7 and 26.6°C respectively. TR increased almost linearly from 0 to 45°C. The maximum daily NPP across the latitudinal gradient averaged 0.24 ± 0.28 g C m−2 day−1, which was only 10%–20% of the global average of NPP of vegetated coastal habitats. Multiplying with the global area of unvegetated tidal flats, our results suggest that the contribution of NPP on unvegetated tidal flats to the coastal carbon cycle is small (11.04 ± 13.32 Tg C/year). If the land cover of vegetated habitats is continuously degraded to unvegetated tidal flats, the carbon sequestration capacity in the intertidal zone is expected to reduce by at least 13.10 Tg C/year, equivalent to 1% of global carbon emissions from land-use change