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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 61(10)

Facilitating recruitment of Amphibolis as a novel approach to seagrass rehabilitation in hydrodynamically active waters

Rachel J. Wear A , Jason E. Tanner A B and Sonja L. Hoare A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A SARDI Aquatic Sciences, PO Box 120, Henley Beach, SA 5022, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: Jason.Tanner@sa.gov.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 61(10) 1123-1133 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF09314
Submitted: 23 December 2009  Accepted: 24 April 2010   Published: 14 October 2010

Abstract

Worldwide, 29% of seagrass habitats have been lost over the past century. Compared with large-scale losses, successful restoration programs are usually only small scale (a few hectares). One area of significant seagrass loss (>5200 ha) is Adelaide, South Australia. Improvements to wastewater management have raised the possibility of rehabilitation in this area. Traditional methods of seagrass restoration are expensive and have had limited success owing to high wave energy. We investigated a range of biodegradable substrates, mostly made of hessian (burlap), to enhance Amphibolis recruitment as an alternative. After 5 weeks, 16 514 seedlings, or 157 seedlings m–2, had recruited. Survival declined over the following 12 months to 31.4%, and down to 7.2% after 3 years, in part as a result of breakdown of the hessian, and the wave-exposed nature of the sites. During the initial 12 months, above- and belowground biomass increased 2.6- and 6.4-fold, respectively. The technique may represent a non-destructive, cost-effective (<AU$10 000 ha–1) method to restore Amphibolis over large spatial scales and in areas that are hydrodynamically too active for traditional techniques, thus helping ameliorate some of the large-scale losses of seagrasses that have occurred globally.

Additional keywords: Amphibolis antarctica, A. griffithii, recruitment facilitation, restoration.


Acknowledgements

The South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage, Coast and Marine Branch (CMB) provided SARDI with financial support for this project. The authors are indebted to D. Fotheringham and H. Kirkman, who provided support throughout the length of the project and S. Seddon for her early efforts in seagrass restoration in Adelaide and advice throughout early phases of the project. We also thank G. Williams, R. Cole, A. Bloomfield, A. Eaton, B. Miller-Smith, K. Rowling, M. Theil, M. Lloyd and M. Hoare for field support and M. Roberts for laboratory assistance. S. Bryars and G. Collings provided valuable technical and statistical advice and D. Turner, G. Collings, A. Irving and two anonymous reviewers provided valuable comments on the manuscript.


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