Temporal variability of a protected multispecific tropical seagrass meadow in response to environmental change.

ABSTRACT: In a changing environment, there is an increasing interest to monitor ecosystems to understand their responses to environmental change. Seagrass meadows are highly important ecosystems that are under constant pressure from human activities and climate impacts, with marked declines observed worldwide. Despite increasing efforts, monitoring of multispecific tropical seagrass meadows is scarce, particularly in low-income regions. Based on data from a monitoring programme in a marine protected area in Zanzibar (Tanzania), we assessed temporal changes in seagrass cover and species composition during a 10-year period in relation to local variability in environmental variables. We observed a strong, gradual decline in seagrass cover and changes in species composition, followed by a period of reco

SUBMITTER: Alonso Aller E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6879446 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature