Restored Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) as a Refuge for Epifaunal Biodiversity in Mid-Western Atlantic Coastal Bays

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• 作者：Jonathan S. Lefcheck ; Scott R. Marion ; Robert J. Orth
• 关键词：Seagrass ; Restoration ; Functional traits ; Grazers
• 刊名：Estuaries and Coasts
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：January 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：40
• 期：1
• 页码：200-212
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Earth and Environmental Science
• 刊物主题：Environment, general; Ecology; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Environmental Management; Coastal Sciences; Water and Health;
• 出版者：Springer US
• ISSN：1559-2731
• 卷排序：40

文摘

As nearshore ecosystems are increasingly degraded by human activities, active restoration is a critical strategy in ensuring the continued provision of goods and services by coastal habitats. After being absent for nearly six decades, over 1800 ha of the foundational species eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) has been successfully re-established in the coastal bays of the mid-western Atlantic, USA, but nothing is known about the recovery of associated animal communities in this region. Here, we determine the patterns and drivers of functional recovery in epifaunal invertebrates associated with the restored eelgrass habitat from 2001 to 2013. After less than a decade, the invertebrate community in the restored bed was richer, more even, and exhibited greater variation in functional traits than a nearby reference bed. Analysis of a suite of environmental and physical variables using random forests revealed these differences were primarily due to the increasing area and density of eelgrass, a direct consequence of ongoing restoration efforts. Based on analysis of functional traits, we propose that the rapid life histories of constituent organisms may have played a key role in their successful recovery. We also speculate that diverse epifaunal communities may have contributed to the restoration success through a well-described mutualism with eelgrass. Given that restored eelgrass now make up 32 % of total seagrass cover in the mid-Atlantic coastal bays, this restoration may conserve regional biodiversity by providing new and pristine habitat, particularly given the general decline of existing eelgrass in this region.