RT journal article
T1 Nutrient enrichment and herbivory alter carbon balance in temperate seagrass communities
A1 Jiménez Ramos, Rocío
A1 Brun Murillo, Fernando Guillermo
A1 Vergara Oñate, Juan José
A1 Hernández Carrero, Ignacio
A1 Pérez Lloréns, José Lucas
A1 Egea Tinoco, Luis Gonzalo
A2 Biología
K1 Blue carbon
K1 Dissolved organic carbon
K1 Faunal assemblage
K1 Grazing
K1 Net community production
K1 Plant–herbivore interactions
AB Large nutrient levels and herbivory stress, particularly when acting together, drive a variety of responses in seagrass communities that ultimately may weaken their carbon balance. An in situ three-months experiment was carried out in two contrasting seasons to address the effects of two levels of nutrient load and three levels of artificial clipping on Cymodocea nodosa plants. Nutrient enrichment shifted the community from autotrophic to heterotrophic and reduced DOC fluxes in winter, whereas enhanced community carbon metabolism and DOC fluxes in summer. Herbivory stress decreased the net primary production in both seasons, whereas net DOC release increased in winter but decreased in summer. A reduction of seagrass food-web structure was observed under both disturbances evidencing impacts on the seagrass ecosystems services by altering the carbon transfer process and the loss of superficial OC, which may finally weaken the blue carbon storage capacity of these communities.
PB Elsevier Ltd
SN 1879-3363
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35957
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35957
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 06-nov-2026