A life stage resolved habitat model for guiding seagrass restoration in coastal lagoons
Coastal lagoons are productive ecosystems supporting diverse biota but are susceptible to altered flow regimes and nutrient enrichment. The Coorong Lagoon in South Australia faces significant threats from reduced freshwater inputs and eutrophication, with the keystone macrophyte species, Ruppia tube...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2500024X |
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| author | Sherry Y. Zhai Michelle Waycott Ryan Lewis Emma O’Loughlin Paul L.A. Erftemeijer Peisheng Huang Justin D. Brookes Claire Sims Zhenming Zhang Matthew R. Hipsey |
| author_facet | Sherry Y. Zhai Michelle Waycott Ryan Lewis Emma O’Loughlin Paul L.A. Erftemeijer Peisheng Huang Justin D. Brookes Claire Sims Zhenming Zhang Matthew R. Hipsey |
| author_sort | Sherry Y. Zhai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Coastal lagoons are productive ecosystems supporting diverse biota but are susceptible to altered flow regimes and nutrient enrichment. The Coorong Lagoon in South Australia faces significant threats from reduced freshwater inputs and eutrophication, with the keystone macrophyte species, Ruppia tuberosa, generally in a state of decline. Identifying management strategies to guide their recovery has proven complicated due to the complex environmental requirements across life stages. This study aimed to develop a novel phenology-based habitat suitability model for quantifying the overall probability of reproductive success, based on salinity, water depth, light availability, temperature and filamentous algae presence. High-resolution predictions from a coupled hydrodynamic-habitat suitability model were validated against individual life stage data and reproductive outcomes (sexual and asexual) under both typical and atypical (La Niña) climatic conditions, achieving statistically significant (P < 0.05) correlation coefficients for all life stages under typical conditions. Results revealed considerable inter-annual variability in total areas suitable for reproduction between 2018 and 2022, primarily influenced by salinity and light availability during early stages (germination and sprouting) and reproductive stage. 2018 had the largest suitable areas for reproduction, while 2021 had the smallest. Under typical conditions, the central part of the lagoon was identified as a high conservation value area for R. tuberosa, offering optimal conditions for both sexual and asexual reproduction. This study highlights the importance of incorporating phenology into habitat models and demonstrates how such models can guide management decisions aiming at restoring not just the adult plant phase but also ensuring reproductive success and long-term resilience of the R. tuberosa community. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0c609adeb8f540629efcfe0552775421 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-0c609adeb8f540629efcfe05527754212025-01-31T05:10:51ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-01-01170113095A life stage resolved habitat model for guiding seagrass restoration in coastal lagoonsSherry Y. Zhai0Michelle Waycott1Ryan Lewis2Emma O’Loughlin3Paul L.A. Erftemeijer4Peisheng Huang5Justin D. Brookes6Claire Sims7Zhenming Zhang8Matthew R. Hipsey9Aquatic Ecodynamics, Centre for Water and Spatial Science, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; Corresponding author.School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia; Department for Environment and Water, Government of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaSchool of Biological Sciences and Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, AustraliaAquatic Ecodynamics, Centre for Water and Spatial Science, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, AustraliaSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaDepartment for Environment and Water, Government of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaSchool of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaAquatic Ecodynamics, Centre for Water and Spatial Science, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, AustraliaCoastal lagoons are productive ecosystems supporting diverse biota but are susceptible to altered flow regimes and nutrient enrichment. The Coorong Lagoon in South Australia faces significant threats from reduced freshwater inputs and eutrophication, with the keystone macrophyte species, Ruppia tuberosa, generally in a state of decline. Identifying management strategies to guide their recovery has proven complicated due to the complex environmental requirements across life stages. This study aimed to develop a novel phenology-based habitat suitability model for quantifying the overall probability of reproductive success, based on salinity, water depth, light availability, temperature and filamentous algae presence. High-resolution predictions from a coupled hydrodynamic-habitat suitability model were validated against individual life stage data and reproductive outcomes (sexual and asexual) under both typical and atypical (La Niña) climatic conditions, achieving statistically significant (P < 0.05) correlation coefficients for all life stages under typical conditions. Results revealed considerable inter-annual variability in total areas suitable for reproduction between 2018 and 2022, primarily influenced by salinity and light availability during early stages (germination and sprouting) and reproductive stage. 2018 had the largest suitable areas for reproduction, while 2021 had the smallest. Under typical conditions, the central part of the lagoon was identified as a high conservation value area for R. tuberosa, offering optimal conditions for both sexual and asexual reproduction. This study highlights the importance of incorporating phenology into habitat models and demonstrates how such models can guide management decisions aiming at restoring not just the adult plant phase but also ensuring reproductive success and long-term resilience of the R. tuberosa community.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2500024XHabitat modelSeagrass restorationRuppia tuberosaLife stageHypersaline lagoonEnvironmental flows |
| spellingShingle | Sherry Y. Zhai Michelle Waycott Ryan Lewis Emma O’Loughlin Paul L.A. Erftemeijer Peisheng Huang Justin D. Brookes Claire Sims Zhenming Zhang Matthew R. Hipsey A life stage resolved habitat model for guiding seagrass restoration in coastal lagoons Ecological Indicators Habitat model Seagrass restoration Ruppia tuberosa Life stage Hypersaline lagoon Environmental flows |
| title | A life stage resolved habitat model for guiding seagrass restoration in coastal lagoons |
| title_full | A life stage resolved habitat model for guiding seagrass restoration in coastal lagoons |
| title_fullStr | A life stage resolved habitat model for guiding seagrass restoration in coastal lagoons |
| title_full_unstemmed | A life stage resolved habitat model for guiding seagrass restoration in coastal lagoons |
| title_short | A life stage resolved habitat model for guiding seagrass restoration in coastal lagoons |
| title_sort | life stage resolved habitat model for guiding seagrass restoration in coastal lagoons |
| topic | Habitat model Seagrass restoration Ruppia tuberosa Life stage Hypersaline lagoon Environmental flows |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2500024X |
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