Premium
Seagrass community metabolism: Assessing the carbon sink capacity of seagrass meadows
Author(s) -
Duarte Carlos M.,
Marbà Núria,
Gacia Esperança,
Fourqurean James W.,
Beggins Jeff,
Barrón Cristina,
Apostolaki Eugenia T.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
global biogeochemical cycles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.512
H-Index - 187
eISSN - 1944-9224
pISSN - 0886-6236
DOI - 10.1029/2010gb003793
Subject(s) - seagrass , primary production , environmental science , carbon sink , autotroph , temperate climate , blue carbon , thalassia testudinum , ecosystem , zoology , sink (geography) , ecology , atmospheric sciences , biology , geography , geology , cartography , genetics , bacteria
The metabolic rates of seagrass communities were synthesized on the basis of a data set on seagrass community metabolism containing 403 individual estimates derived from a total of 155 different sites. Gross primary production (GPP) rates (mean ± SE = 224.9 ± 11.1 mmol O 2 m −2 d −1 ) tended to be significantly higher than the corresponding respiration (R) rates (mean ± SE = 187.6 ± 10.1 mmol O 2 m −2 d −1 ), indicating that seagrass meadows tend to be autotrophic ecosystems, reflected in a positive mean net community production (NCP 27.2 ± 5.8 mmol O 2 m −2 d −1 ) and a mean P/R ratio above 1 (1.55 ± 0.13). Tropical seagrass meadows tended to support higher metabolic rates and somewhat lower NCP than temperate ones. The P/R ratio tended to increase with increasing GPP, exceeding, on average, the value of 1 indicative of metabolic balance for communities supporting a GPP greater than 186 mmol O 2 m −2 d −1 , on average. The global NCP of seagrass meadows ranged (95% confidence limits of mean values) from 20.73 to 50.69 Tg C yr −1 considering a low global seagrass area of 300,000 km 2 and 41.47 to 101.39 Tg C yr −1 when a high estimate of global seagrass area of 600,000 km 2 was considered. The global loss of 29% of the seagrass area represents, therefore, a major loss of intense natural carbon sinks in the biosphere.