New paper: How does metabolism change as restored seagrass meadows mature?

We are very pleased to share a paper led by Theodor Kindeberg, published in Biogeosciences, exploring how ecosystem metabolism and biodiversity develop following the restoration of eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows.

Working with collaborators from Lund University, SDU and the University of Gothenburg, we studied a remarkable restoration chronosequence at Gåsö on the Swedish west coast: bare sediment, meadows restored 3 and 7 years previously, and an established natural meadow.

The study combined aquatic eddy covariance with benthic chambers to measure oxygen and dissolved inorganic carbon exchange, alongside detailed measurements of macrophytes, benthic fauna and sediment carbon. This allowed us to follow not only how much the developing meadows produced and respired, but also how those metabolic processes related to changes in community structure and biodiversity.

Both gross primary production and community respiration increased strongly as the meadows matured. Interestingly, this increase was not explained simply by greater plant biomass: macrophyte diversity increased with meadow age, pointing towards an important role for the increasingly complex community developing within restored habitats. During the summer measurements, respiration nevertheless exceeded production across the meadows, resulting in net heterotrophic metabolism.

The results show that successful seagrass restoration involves much more than replacing vegetation. As restored meadows mature, they develop increasingly complex biological communities and increasingly active carbon cycling, highlighting important links—and potential trade-offs—between biodiversity restoration and coastal carbon cycling.

Reference

Kindeberg T, Attard KM, Hüller J, Müller J, Quintana CO, Infantes E (2024). Structural complexity and benthic metabolism: resolving the links between carbon cycling and biodiversity in restored seagrass meadows. Biogeosciences 21: 1685–1705. doi: 10.5194/bg-21-1685-2024. Article