Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development, The University of the South Pacific, Lower Laucala Campus, Laucala Bay Road, Suva, Fiji; College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Fiji National University, Koronivia, Nausori, Fiji.
Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research and School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland 4558, Australia; Discipline of Marine Studies, School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences, University of the South Pacific, Lower Laucala Campus, Laucala Bay Road, Suva, Fiji.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Mar;176:113432. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113432. Epub 2022 Feb 24.
Seagrasses provide vital ecosystem services which include the accumulation and storage of carbon and nutrients in sediments and biomass. Despite their importance in climate change mitigation and adaptation, seagrass ecosystems have been poorly studied, particularly in the Pacific. Therefore, the present study assessed variability in sedimentary and vegetative C, N and P storage in three monospecific seagrass meadows (Halophila ovalis, Halodule pinifolia and Halodule uninervis), reporting baseline data for the first time. Sediment C stocks ranged from 31 to 47 Mg C ha and varied (p < 0.001) between seagrass meadows, unvegetated areas and locations. Comparison of N and P storage between vegetated meadows and unvegetated areas revealed differences (p < 0.05); implying seagrass meadows function as C, N and P sinks. Differences in species composition and environmental conditions, may play a key role in estimating C, N and P stocks, which are valuable data for conservation and monitoring of seagrass ecosystems.
海草提供了重要的生态系统服务，包括在沉积物和生物量中积累和储存碳和养分。尽管它们在气候变化缓解和适应方面具有重要意义，但海草生态系统的研究却很少，特别是在太平洋地区。因此，本研究评估了三种单种海草草地（卵叶喜盐草、滨刺麦和无脉海桑）中沉积和植被 C、N 和 P 储存的变异性，首次报告了基线数据。沉积物 C 储量范围为 31 至 47 Mg C ha，在海草草地、无植被区和不同地点之间存在差异（p < 0.001）。对植被草地和无植被区之间的 N 和 P 储存的比较表明存在差异（p < 0.05）；这意味着海草草地是 C、N 和 P 的汇。物种组成和环境条件的差异可能在估计 C、N 和 P 储量方面起着关键作用，这些数据对于海草生态系统的保护和监测具有重要价值。
