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    Zostera marina meadows from the Gulf of California: conservation status

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    Date
    2016-02-01
    Authors
    Basurto, Xavier
    Lopez-Calderon, JM
    Riosmena-Rodríguez, R
    Torre, J
    Meling, A
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    Abstract
    © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) population estimates show a decreasing trend worldwide in the second half of the twentieth century. Mexico lacks long-term time series to determine trends for major eelgrass populations and has made no conservation efforts. Therefore, we present the first report on the historic presence of this annual coastal ecosystem in two wetlands of the Gulf of California (GC), the Infiernillo Channel (CIF, largest Z. marina population inside GC) and Concepcion Bay (BCP, the only eelgrass population along GC’s west coast), combining field surveys (1999–2010), aerial photography (2000–2010), satellite imagery (1972–2005), and published reports (1994–2007). Three parameters were used as indicators of conservation status: shoot density, seed banks, and aerial coverage. Average shoot density in the CIF (741 shoots m−2) was 3.8 times higher than in BCP (194 shoots m−2), and average seed bank density was similar in both wetlands (17,442 seeds m−2 vs. 17,000 seeds m−2). Opportunistic seagrass Ruppia maritima was observed in both wetlands, with higher abundance in summer when Z. marina disappears due to high water temperatures. Eelgrass coverage was three orders of magnitude greater in the CIF (9725 ha) than in BCP (3 ha). The striking difference between these wetlands is the lack of environmental protection for BCP and the protection of the CIF by the Seri indigenous community, which increases human pressure in the former, putting it at high risk of disappearing. Conservation of eelgrass meadows is not only necessary to preserve their ecosystem services but to insure the survival of migratory populations (Pacific brant goose, Branta bernicla), endangered species (Black turtle, Chelonia mydas), and fisheries-related species.
    Type
    Journal article
    Subject
    Science & Technology
    Life Sciences & Biomedicine
    Biodiversity Conservation
    Ecology
    Environmental Sciences
    Biodiversity & Conservation
    Environmental Sciences & Ecology
    Seagrass meadows
    Northwest Mexico
    Thematic classification
    Landsat images
    Ecosystem services
    COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS
    EELGRASS
    BRANT
    TEMPERATURE
    POPULATIONS
    ABUNDANCE
    SALINITY
    CLIMATE
    MEXICO
    MODEL
    Permalink
    https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18617
    Published Version (Please cite this version)
    10.1007/s10531-016-1045-6
    Publication Info
    Basurto, Xavier; Lopez-Calderon, JM; Riosmena-Rodríguez, R; Torre, J; & Meling, A (2016). Zostera marina meadows from the Gulf of California: conservation status. Biodiversity and Conservation, 25(2). pp. 261-273. 10.1007/s10531-016-1045-6. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18617.
    This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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    Scholars@Duke

    Basurto

    Xavier Basurto

    Associate Professor of Sustainability Science
    I am interested in the fundamental question of how groups (human and non-human) can find ways to self-organize, cooperate, and engage in successful collective action for the benefit of the common good. To do this I strive to understand how the institutions (formal and informal rules and norms) that govern social behavior, interplay with biophysical variables to shape social-ecological systems. What kind of institutions are better able to govern complex-adaptive systems? and how can societies (la
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    Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy

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