Cota Lucero Tania C, Herrera-Silveira Jorge A
Departamento Recursos del Mar, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV) del Instituto Politécnico Nacional Unidad Mérida, Mérida, Yucatán, México.
Laboratorio Nacional de Resiliencia Costera (LANRESC), Sisal, Yucatán, México.
PeerJ. 2021 Sep 10;9:e12109. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12109. eCollection 2021.
Seagrass meadows provide multiple ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration. However, seagrass meadows are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. Determining the magnitude of the carbon stocks in seagrass meadows at the regional scale allows for the estimation of their global magnitude and identification of their importance in regional environmental mitigation strategies. The objective of the present study was to determine the structure of seagrass meadows in the Los Petenes Biosfera Reserve (LPBR) and evaluate their contributions to sinks of carbon in this system, located in Yucatan, which is considered the region with the largest seagrass extension in Mexico. Analyses of the seagrass meadows were executed following standardized protocols (spectral analysis, and isotope and carbon stock analyses). The LPBR stores an average of 2.2 ± 1.7 Mg C ha in living biomass and 318 ± 215 Mg C ha in sediment (top 1 m), and this carbon stock decreases with water depth. The seagrass community extends 149,613 ha, which represents the largest organic carbon stock (47 Tg C) documented in seagrass meadows in Mexico. Macroalgae and seagrass represent 76% of the organic carbon stored in sediment. If LPBR seagrass meadows are lost due to natural or anthropogenic impacts, 173 Tg COemissions could be released, which corresponds to the emissions generated by fossil fuel combustion of 27% of the current Mexican population. This information emphasizes the importance of seagrass meadows as a carbon sink in the region and their contribution to climate change mitigation, thus allowing for the implementation of necessary conservation strategies.
海草草甸提供多种生态系统服务，包括碳固存。然而，海草草甸是全球受威胁最严重的生态系统之一。确定区域尺度上海草草甸的碳储量规模，有助于估算其全球规模，并确定其在区域环境缓解战略中的重要性。本研究的目的是确定洛斯佩滕斯生物圈保护区（LPBR）海草草甸的结构，并评估其对该位于尤卡坦半岛系统中碳汇的贡献，尤卡坦半岛被认为是墨西哥海草分布最广的地区。按照标准化方案（光谱分析、同位素分析和碳储量分析）对海草草甸进行了分析。LPBR在活生物量中平均储存2.2±1.7 Mg C/公顷，在沉积物（顶部1米）中储存318±215 Mg C/公顷，且这种碳储量随水深而减少。海草群落面积达149,613公顷，这是墨西哥海草草甸记录中最大的有机碳储量（47 Tg C）。大型藻类和海草占沉积物中储存的有机碳的76%。如果LPBR海草草甸因自然或人为影响而消失，可能会释放173 Tg二氧化碳排放，这相当于墨西哥目前27%人口的化石燃料燃烧产生的排放量。这些信息强调了海草草甸作为该地区碳汇的重要性及其对缓解气候变化的贡献，从而有助于实施必要的保护战略。
