IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i17p12937-d1226700.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Less Is More: Seagrass Restoration Success Using Less Vegetation per Area

Author

Listed:
  • Carolina V. Mourato

    (Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Scientific Diver Centre, Campus Gambelas, University of the Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal)

  • Nuno Padrão

    (Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Scientific Diver Centre, Campus Gambelas, University of the Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal)

  • Ester A. Serrão

    (Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Biogeographical Ecology and Evolution, Campus Gambelas, University of the Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal)

  • Diogo Paulo

    (Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Scientific Diver Centre, Campus Gambelas, University of the Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal)

Abstract

Seagrass restoration in open coast environments presents unique challenges. Traditional sod transplant designs, though relatively successful in these environments, are impractical for large-scale restoration due to high biomass requirements. Here, we develop the checkers design, which aims to optimise the usage of biomass by transplanting fewer sods in a checkerboard pattern. We established six plots (9 m 2 each) for each species ( Zostera marina and Zostera noltei ), with 25 sods in each plot. The area, percent cover, density, and leaf length were measured at 1, 6, and 12 months. The plots located on the seaward end of the transplant design vanished over the winter, suggesting location-dependent survival influenced by winter storms. Nevertheless, both species exhibited increased percentages of cover, density, and vegetated area after one year, with variations between species. Z. noltei showed a slower expansion but greater resilience to winter, while Z. marina displayed a higher density and cover over the first 6 months but experienced area loss during the winter. Despite these differences, both species survived and increased vegetated areas after one year, indicating the viability and promise of the checkers method for large-scale restoration. However, careful consideration of location or storm-mitigating measures is essential for the successful implementation of this method.

Suggested Citation

  • Carolina V. Mourato & Nuno Padrão & Ester A. Serrão & Diogo Paulo, 2023. "Less Is More: Seagrass Restoration Success Using Less Vegetation per Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-13, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:17:p:12937-:d:1226700
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/17/12937/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/17/12937/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carlos M. Duarte & Iñigo J. Losada & Iris E. Hendriks & Inés Mazarrasa & Núria Marbà, 2013. "The role of coastal plant communities for climate change mitigation and adaptation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(11), pages 961-968, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alexandru-Ionuţ Petrişor & Walid Hamma & Huu Duy Nguyen & Giovanni Randazzo & Anselme Muzirafuti & Mari-Isabella Stan & Van Truong Tran & Roxana Aştefănoaiei & Quang-Thanh Bui & Dragoş-Florian Vintilă, 2020. "Degradation of Coastlines under the Pressure of Urbanization and Tourism: Evidence on the Change of Land Systems from Europe, Asia and Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-43, August.
    2. Chi, Yuan & Liu, Dahai & Wang, Jing & Wang, Enkang, 2020. "Human negative, positive, and net influences on an estuarine area with intensive human activity based on land covers and ecological indices: An empirical study in Chongming Island, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    3. Aaron Sneep & Rodolphe Devillers & Katleen Robert & Arnault Le Bris & Evan Edinger, 2024. "Mapping and Characterizing Eelgrass Meadows Using UAV Imagery in Placentia Bay and Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-18, April.
    4. Martin Søndergaard Jørgensen & Rodrigo Labouriau & Birgit Olesen, 2019. "Seed size and burial depth influence Zostera marina L. (eelgrass) seed survival, seedling emergence and initial seedling biomass development," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, April.
    5. Ruiz-Frau, A. & Krause, T. & Marbà, N., 2018. "The use of sociocultural valuation in sustainable environmental management," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 29(PA), pages 158-167.
    6. Federica Manca & Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi & Corey J. A. Bradshaw & Mar Cabeza & Camilla Gustafsson & Alf M. Norkko & Tomas V. Roslin & David N. Thomas & Lydia White & Giovanni Strona, 2024. "Projected loss of brown macroalgae and seagrasses with global environmental change," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Rebekah Grieger & Samantha J. Capon & Wade L. Hadwen & Brendan Mackey, 2020. "Between a bog and a hard place: a global review of climate change effects on coastal freshwater wetlands," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 161-179, November.
    8. Changping Zhao & Xiaojiang Xu & Yu Gong & Houming Fan & Haojia Chen, 2019. "Blue Carbon Cooperation in the Maritime Silk Road with Network Game Model and Simulation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-27, May.
    9. Tianlin Zhai & Linke Wu & Yuanmeng Chen & Mian Faisal Nazir & Mingyuan Chang & Yuanbo Ma & Enxiang Cai & Guanyu Ding & Chenchen Zhao & Ling Li & Longyang Huang, 2022. "Ecological Compensation in the Context of Carbon Neutrality: A Case Involving Service Production-Transmission and Distribution-Service Consumption," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, December.
    10. Bregje K. van Wesenbeeck & Wiebe de Boer & Siddharth Narayan & Wouter R. L. van der Star & Mindert B. de Vries, 2017. "Coastal and riverine ecosystems as adaptive flood defenses under a changing climate," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 22(7), pages 1087-1094, October.
    11. Jay Mar D. Quevedo & Yuta Uchiyama & Kevin Muhamad Lukman & Ryo Kohsaka, 2020. "How Blue Carbon Ecosystems Are Perceived by Local Communities in the Coral Triangle: Comparative and Empirical Examinations in the Philippines and Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-20, December.
    12. Sara García-Poza & Adriana Leandro & Carla Cotas & João Cotas & João C. Marques & Leonel Pereira & Ana M. M. Gonçalves, 2020. "The Evolution Road of Seaweed Aquaculture: Cultivation Technologies and the Industry 4.0," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-42, September.
    13. Hagger, Valerie & Waltham, Nathan J. & Lovelock, Catherine E., 2022. "Opportunities for coastal wetland restoration for blue carbon with co-benefits for biodiversity, coastal fisheries, and water quality," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    14. González-García, Alberto & Arias, Marina & García-Tiscar, Susana & Alcorlo, Paloma & Santos-Martín, Fernando, 2022. "National blue carbon assessment in Spain using InVEST: Current state and future perspectives," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    15. Siddharth Narayan & Michael W Beck & Borja G Reguero & Iñigo J Losada & Bregje van Wesenbeeck & Nigel Pontee & James N Sanchirico & Jane Carter Ingram & Glenn-Marie Lange & Kelly A Burks-Copes, 2016. "The Effectiveness, Costs and Coastal Protection Benefits of Natural and Nature-Based Defences," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, May.
    16. Rosa Molina & Giorgio Anfuso & Belén González-Aguilar & Giorgio Manno & J. Andrew G. Cooper, 2024. "Evolution of the Beach–Dune Systems in Mediterranean Andalusia (Spain) Using Two Different Proxies," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-21, August.
    17. Zezheng Liu & Sergio Fagherazzi & Qiang He & Olivier Gourgue & Junhong Bai & Xinhui Liu & Chiyuan Miao & Zhan Hu & Baoshan Cui, 2024. "A global meta-analysis on the drivers of salt marsh planting success and implications for ecosystem services," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    18. D. P. Costa, Micheli & Wartman, Melissa & Macreadie, Peter I. & Ferns, Lawrance W. & Holden, Rhiannon L. & Ierodiaconou, Daniel & MacDonald, Kimberley J. & Mazor, Tessa K. & Morris, Rebecca & Nicholso, 2024. "Spatially explicit ecosystem accounts for coastal wetland restoration," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    19. Jacob, Céline & Bernatchez, Pascal & Dupras, Jérôme & Cusson, Mathieu, 2021. "Not just an engineering problem: The role of knowledge and understanding of ecosystem services for adaptive management of coastal erosion," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    20. Paulina Martinetto & Juan Alberti & María Eugenia Becherucci & Just Cebrian & Oscar Iribarne & Núria Marbà & Diana Montemayor & Eric Sparks & Raymond Ward, 2023. "The blue carbon of southern southwest Atlantic salt marshes and their biotic and abiotic drivers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:17:p:12937-:d:1226700. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.