Limited recovery following a massive seagrass decline in subarctic eastern Canada
Abstract Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing recognition for seagrasses' contribution to the functioning of nearshore ecosystems and climate change mitigation. Nevertheless, seagrass ecosystems have been deteriorating globally at an accelerating rate during recent decades. I...
Published in: | Global Change Biology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Other Authors: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16499 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.16499 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/gcb.16499 |
id |
crwiley:10.1111/gcb.16499 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1111/gcb.16499 2024-10-13T14:07:20+00:00 Limited recovery following a massive seagrass decline in subarctic eastern Canada Leblanc, Mélanie‐Louise O'Connor, Mary I. Kuzyk, Zou Zou A. Noisette, Fanny Davis, Kaleigh E. Rabbitskin, Ernie Sam, Laura‐Lee Neumeier, Urs Costanzo, Rémi Ehn, Jens K. Babb, David Idrobo, C. Julián Gilbert, Jean‐Philippe Leblon, Brigitte Humphries, Murray M. Niskamoon Corporation 2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16499 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.16499 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/gcb.16499 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Global Change Biology volume 29, issue 2, page 432-450 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 journal-article 2022 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16499 2024-09-27T04:17:13Z Abstract Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing recognition for seagrasses' contribution to the functioning of nearshore ecosystems and climate change mitigation. Nevertheless, seagrass ecosystems have been deteriorating globally at an accelerating rate during recent decades. In 2017, research into the condition of eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) along the eastern coast of James Bay, Canada, was initiated in response to reports of eelgrass decline by the Cree First Nations of Eeyou Istchee. As part of this research, we compiled and analyzed two decades of eelgrass cover data and three decades of eelgrass monitoring data (biomass and density) to detect changes and assess possible environmental drivers. We detected a major decline in eelgrass condition between 1995 and 1999, which encompassed the entire east coast of James Bay. Surveys conducted in 2019 and 2020 indicated limited changes post‐decline, for example, low eelgrass cover (<25%), low aboveground biomass, smaller shoots than before 1995, and marginally low densities persisted at most sites. Overall, the synthesized datasets show a 40% loss of eelgrass meadows with >50% cover in eastern James Bay since 1995, representing the largest scale eelgrass decline documented in eastern Canada since the massive die‐off event that occurred in the 1930s along the North Atlantic coast. Using biomass data collected since 1982, but geographically limited to the sector of the coast near the regulated La Grande River, generalized additive modeling revealed eelgrass meadows are affected by local sea surface temperature, early ice breakup, and higher summer freshwater discharge. Our results caution against assuming subarctic seagrass ecosystems have avoided recent global declines or will benefit from ongoing climate warming. Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations La Grande River North Atlantic Subarctic James Bay Wiley Online Library Canada Global Change Biology 29 2 432 450 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing recognition for seagrasses' contribution to the functioning of nearshore ecosystems and climate change mitigation. Nevertheless, seagrass ecosystems have been deteriorating globally at an accelerating rate during recent decades. In 2017, research into the condition of eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) along the eastern coast of James Bay, Canada, was initiated in response to reports of eelgrass decline by the Cree First Nations of Eeyou Istchee. As part of this research, we compiled and analyzed two decades of eelgrass cover data and three decades of eelgrass monitoring data (biomass and density) to detect changes and assess possible environmental drivers. We detected a major decline in eelgrass condition between 1995 and 1999, which encompassed the entire east coast of James Bay. Surveys conducted in 2019 and 2020 indicated limited changes post‐decline, for example, low eelgrass cover (<25%), low aboveground biomass, smaller shoots than before 1995, and marginally low densities persisted at most sites. Overall, the synthesized datasets show a 40% loss of eelgrass meadows with >50% cover in eastern James Bay since 1995, representing the largest scale eelgrass decline documented in eastern Canada since the massive die‐off event that occurred in the 1930s along the North Atlantic coast. Using biomass data collected since 1982, but geographically limited to the sector of the coast near the regulated La Grande River, generalized additive modeling revealed eelgrass meadows are affected by local sea surface temperature, early ice breakup, and higher summer freshwater discharge. Our results caution against assuming subarctic seagrass ecosystems have avoided recent global declines or will benefit from ongoing climate warming. |
author2 |
Niskamoon Corporation |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Leblanc, Mélanie‐Louise O'Connor, Mary I. Kuzyk, Zou Zou A. Noisette, Fanny Davis, Kaleigh E. Rabbitskin, Ernie Sam, Laura‐Lee Neumeier, Urs Costanzo, Rémi Ehn, Jens K. Babb, David Idrobo, C. Julián Gilbert, Jean‐Philippe Leblon, Brigitte Humphries, Murray M. |
spellingShingle |
Leblanc, Mélanie‐Louise O'Connor, Mary I. Kuzyk, Zou Zou A. Noisette, Fanny Davis, Kaleigh E. Rabbitskin, Ernie Sam, Laura‐Lee Neumeier, Urs Costanzo, Rémi Ehn, Jens K. Babb, David Idrobo, C. Julián Gilbert, Jean‐Philippe Leblon, Brigitte Humphries, Murray M. Limited recovery following a massive seagrass decline in subarctic eastern Canada |
author_facet |
Leblanc, Mélanie‐Louise O'Connor, Mary I. Kuzyk, Zou Zou A. Noisette, Fanny Davis, Kaleigh E. Rabbitskin, Ernie Sam, Laura‐Lee Neumeier, Urs Costanzo, Rémi Ehn, Jens K. Babb, David Idrobo, C. Julián Gilbert, Jean‐Philippe Leblon, Brigitte Humphries, Murray M. |
author_sort |
Leblanc, Mélanie‐Louise |
title |
Limited recovery following a massive seagrass decline in subarctic eastern Canada |
title_short |
Limited recovery following a massive seagrass decline in subarctic eastern Canada |
title_full |
Limited recovery following a massive seagrass decline in subarctic eastern Canada |
title_fullStr |
Limited recovery following a massive seagrass decline in subarctic eastern Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Limited recovery following a massive seagrass decline in subarctic eastern Canada |
title_sort |
limited recovery following a massive seagrass decline in subarctic eastern canada |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16499 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.16499 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/gcb.16499 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
First Nations La Grande River North Atlantic Subarctic James Bay |
genre_facet |
First Nations La Grande River North Atlantic Subarctic James Bay |
op_source |
Global Change Biology volume 29, issue 2, page 432-450 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16499 |
container_title |
Global Change Biology |
container_volume |
29 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
432 |
op_container_end_page |
450 |
_version_ |
1812813593557598208 |