Temperature Drives Seagrass Recovery Across the Western North Atlantic
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.
Authors
- Laura K. Reynolds (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4498-4641)
- Kenneth L. Heck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7115-095X)
- Fee O. H. Smulders (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4124-8355)
- Yvonne Sawall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3472-3819)
- J.E. Thompson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0048-7886)
- S. Tatiana Becker
- Andrew H. Altieri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7439-8742)
- Valerie Jean Paul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4691-1569)
- Justin E. Campbell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2941-7451)
- O. Kennedy Rhoades (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1456-1581)
- Charles W. Martin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9240-3824)
- Ashley M. McDonald (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0569-4334)
- Anna R. Armitage (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1563-8026)
- Janelle A. Goeke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8056-4540)
- Elisabeth S. Bakker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5900-9136)
- Ingrid A. van de Leemput (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0155-370X)
- Isis Gabriela Martínez López (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8442-1343)
- William L. Wied
- Jimmy de Fouw (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0922-1331)
- Olivier A. A. Kramer
- James G. Douglass
- Lucia M. Rodriguez Bravo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2945-9208)
- Enrique Bethel
- Brigitta I. van Tussenbroek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6447-7479)
- Sarah A. Manuel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6382-8039)
- Marjolijn J. A. Christianen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5839-2981)
- Savanna C. Barry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8743-4383)
- Rachael Glazner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1766-8990)
- Owen R. O’Shea (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2052-5018)
- Gerrit Gort (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0626-2813)
- Calvin J. Munson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6533-2356)
- K. D. Smith
- Hannah J. van Duijnhoven
- Amanda Sang
- Thomas K. Frazer
Institutions
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (PA)
- Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BM)
- Cape Eleuthera Institute (BS)
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Texas A&M University at Galveston (US)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
- Florida International University (US)
- University of South Florida (US)
- Bermuda College (BM)
- Florida Gulf Coast University (US)
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- Smithsonian Marine Station (US)
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NL)
- Centre for Ocean Research and Education (BS)
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA)
- University of Southern Maine (US)
- College of Marin (US)
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
- Wageningen University & Research (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Global Change Biology
- Published
- 2025-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70172
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.79
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek