Temperature Drives Seagrass Recovery Across the Western North Atlantic

TY - JOUR

T1 - Temperature Drives Seagrass Recovery Across the Western North Atlantic

AU - Smulders, Fee O.H.

AU - Campbell, Justin E.

AU - Altieri, Andrew H.

AU - Armitage, Anna R.

AU - Bakker, Elisabeth S.

AU - Barry, Savanna C.

AU - Becker, S. Tatiana

AU - Bethel, Enrique

AU - Douglass, James G.

AU - van Duijnhoven, Hannah J.

AU - de Fouw, Jimmy

AU - Frazer, Thomas K.

AU - Glazner, Rachael

AU - Goeke, Janelle A.

AU - Gort, Gerrit

AU - Heck, Kenneth L.

AU - Kramer, Olivier A.A.

AU - van de Leemput, Ingrid A.

AU - Manuel, Sarah A.

AU - Martin, Charles W.

AU - Martinez López, Isis G.

AU - McDonald, Ashley M.

AU - Munson, Calvin J.

AU - O'Shea, Owen R.

AU - Paul, Valerie J.

AU - Reynolds, Laura K.

AU - Rhoades, O. Kennedy

AU - Rodriguez Bravo, Lucia M.

AU - Sang, Amanda

AU - Sawall, Yvonne

AU - Smith, Khalil

AU - Thompson, Jamie E.

AU - van Tussenbroek, Brigitta

AU - Wied, William L.

AU - Christianen, Marjolijn J.A.

N1 - Data archiving: no NIOO data

PY - 2025/4

Y1 - 2025/4

N2 - Climate-driven shifts in herbivores, temperature, and nutrient runoff threaten coastal ecosystem resilience. However, ecological resilience, particularly for foundation species, remains poorly understood due to the scarcity of field experiments conducted across appropriate spatial and temporal scales that investigate multiple stressors. This study evaluates the resilience of a widespread tropical marine plant (turtlegrass) to disturbances across its geographic range and examines how environmental gradients in (a)biotic factors influence recovery. We assessed turtlegrass resilience by following recovery rates for a year after a simulated pulse disturbance (complete above- and belowground biomass removal). Contrary to studies in temperate areas, higher temperature generally enhanced seagrass recovery. While nutrients had minimal individual effects, they reduced aboveground recovery when combined with high levels of herbivore grazing (meso and megaherbivore). Belowground recovery was also affected by combined high levels of nutrients and grazing (megaherbivores only). Light availability had minimal effects. Our results suggest that the resilience of some tropical species, particularly in cooler subtropical waters, may initially benefit from warming. However, continuing shifts in nutrient supply and changes in grazing pressure may ultimately serve to compromise seagrass recovery.

AB - Climate-driven shifts in herbivores, temperature, and nutrient runoff threaten coastal ecosystem resilience. However, ecological resilience, particularly for foundation species, remains poorly understood due to the scarcity of field experiments conducted across appropriate spatial and temporal scales that investigate multiple stressors. This study evaluates the resilience of a widespread tropical marine plant (turtlegrass) to disturbances across its geographic range and examines how environmental gradients in (a)biotic factors influence recovery. We assessed turtlegrass resilience by following recovery rates for a year after a simulated pulse disturbance (complete above- and belowground biomass removal). Contrary to studies in temperate areas, higher temperature generally enhanced seagrass recovery. While nutrients had minimal individual effects, they reduced aboveground recovery when combined with high levels of herbivore grazing (meso and megaherbivore). Belowground recovery was also affected by combined high levels of nutrients and grazing (megaherbivores only). Light availability had minimal effects. Our results suggest that the resilience of some tropical species, particularly in cooler subtropical waters, may initially benefit from warming. However, continuing shifts in nutrient supply and changes in grazing pressure may ultimately serve to compromise seagrass recovery.

KW - disturbance

KW - eutrophication

KW - latitudinal gradient

KW - plant-herbivore interactions

KW - recovery

KW - resilience

KW - Thalassia testudinum

U2 - 10.1111/gcb.70172

DO - 10.1111/gcb.70172

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105002597170

SN - 1354-1013

VL - 31

JO - Global Change Biology

JF - Global Change Biology

IS - 4

M1 - e70172

ER -