Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P. O. Box 3005, Morogoro, Tanzania.
Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P. O. Box 3005, Morogoro, Tanzania.
Mar Environ Res. 2023 Jan;183:105836. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105836. Epub 2022 Nov 28.
Seagrass meadows are considered crucial natural carbon stocks. However, in Tanzania, few species have been assessed for their potential carbon stocks and variability in percentage organic carbon (%Corg) stocks. The study reports the contributions of seagrasses Halodule uninervis and Syringodium isoetifolium in carbon storage in WIO region. Findings revealed a significantly higher %Corg in seagrass meadows compared to unvegetated, confirming that seagrass heightens organic carbon storage. The seagrass carbon storage varied significantly among sites ranging from 4.05 ± 0.7% in Kaole to 0.62 ± 0.05% in Kunduchi. Syringodium isoetifolium meadows had higher organic carbon (p = 0.002) than H. uninervis. The partial least square analysis showed that below- and aboveground biomass and canopy height were positively correlated to %Corg. Sediment density and porosity were the vital predictor but negatively correlated with %Corg. The study showed a higher %Corg in the marine protected area, which could be linked to seagrass structural complexities and sediment porosity.
海草甸被认为是至关重要的自然碳储存库。然而，在坦桑尼亚，只有少数几种海草的潜在碳储量及其有机碳（%Corg）储量的变异性得到了评估。本研究报告了印度洋西部区域海草 Halodule uninervis 和 Syringodium isoetifolium 在碳储存方面的贡献。研究结果表明，海草甸中的 %Corg 明显高于无植被的区域，这证实了海草可以增加有机碳的储存。海草的碳储存量在不同地点之间存在显著差异，从 Kaole 的 4.05 ± 0.7%到 Kunduchi 的 0.62 ± 0.05%不等。Syringodium isoetifolium 海草场的有机碳含量高于 H. uninervis（p = 0.002）。偏最小二乘分析表明，地下和地上生物量以及冠层高度与 %Corg 呈正相关。沉积物密度和孔隙率是重要的预测因子，但与 %Corg 呈负相关。研究表明，海洋保护区的 %Corg 更高，这可能与海草的结构复杂性和沉积物孔隙率有关。
