An unintended ecological benefit from human intervention: The enhancement of carbon storage in seagrass meadows

Human interventions have had unintended consequences for the diverse functions of various ecosystems. Hydrological interventions have the potential to alter vegetated habitats in coastal nearshore ecosystems, but little is known about the impacts on organic carbon (Corg ) sequestration, which plays an important role in climate change mitigation.

We examined the effects of past human interventions through artificial inlet opening in a lagoonal seagrass meadow. The sediment profiles of geological and biogeochemical characteristics were measured to obtain the historical changes in the lagoon environment and Corg accumulation rates.

Isotopic and elemental signatures and diatom assemblages showed that the interventions increased the duration of seawater exchanges and the extent of the seagrass meadow. Corg accumulation rates increased more than 1.9-fold after the intervention, resulting in additional Corg storage in the seagrass meadow during last 64 years.

Synthesis and application...

人类干预活动已对各类生态系统的多样功能产生了非预期后果。水文干预可能改变海岸近岸生态系统中的植被生境，但目前对其影响有机碳（organic carbon, Corg）固存的效应仍知之甚少——而有机碳固存对于减缓气候变化具有重要作用。

本研究以一处潟湖海草床为研究对象，探究了历史上通过人工开闸实施的人类干预活动所产生的影响。通过测定沉积物的地质与生物地球化学特征剖面，以解析该潟湖环境与有机碳堆积速率的历史变化。

同位素与元素指纹特征及硅藻群落组成分析结果显示，此次人工干预延长了海水交换时长，同时扩大了海草床的分布范围。干预后，有机碳堆积速率提升了1.9倍以上，使得该海草床在过去64年间额外存储了更多有机碳。

综合与应用……