Biodiversity and food webs supported by BC eelgrass meadows
Presentation Abstract
Eelgrass meadows throughout the Salish Sea support rich food webs of invertebrates, fish, mammals and seabirds. In addition to supplying food and protection for smaller animals, eelgrass meadows attract larger consumers to feed on the smaller animals. Animal biodiversity in seagrass meadows is therefore jointly shaped by top-down forces (predation) as well as bottom up influences on food availability and species tolerances of abiotic conditions. I will review recent advances in understanding how seasonal convergence of foraging by great blue herons and small fish such as shiner perch exert top down control on invertebrate communities in an intertidal Salish Sea eelgrass meadow. In addition to top-down control, animal biodiversity in and among eelgrass meadows reveals substantial spatial structure. Beta-diversity is a major component of regional biodiversity, such that species turnover among meadows is substantial. As British Columbia enhances spatial protection of marine habitats to meet Aichi targets of 10% protection by 2020, decisions about prioritizing marine habitats should reflect the importance of consumer-resource interactions and dispersal that integrate ecological processes across multiple spatial scales. This spatial integration leads to connections among habitats and habitat types that are likely central to the sustainability and resilience of marine ecosystems in the future, though our understanding of them for eelgrass habitats remains limited. Fortunately, interest and efforts to understand eelgrass-associated ecology and biodiversity in British Columbia continues to grow, and achieving effective conservation targets is within reach.
Session Title
The Role of Eelgrass Ecosystems in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Habitat
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Eelgrass--Habitat--British Columbia; Eelgrass--Ecology--British Columbia; Coastal biodiversity--British Columbia; Coastal ecology--British Columbia
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); British Columbia
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Biodiversity and food webs supported by BC eelgrass meadows
2016SSEC
Eelgrass meadows throughout the Salish Sea support rich food webs of invertebrates, fish, mammals and seabirds. In addition to supplying food and protection for smaller animals, eelgrass meadows attract larger consumers to feed on the smaller animals. Animal biodiversity in seagrass meadows is therefore jointly shaped by top-down forces (predation) as well as bottom up influences on food availability and species tolerances of abiotic conditions. I will review recent advances in understanding how seasonal convergence of foraging by great blue herons and small fish such as shiner perch exert top down control on invertebrate communities in an intertidal Salish Sea eelgrass meadow. In addition to top-down control, animal biodiversity in and among eelgrass meadows reveals substantial spatial structure. Beta-diversity is a major component of regional biodiversity, such that species turnover among meadows is substantial. As British Columbia enhances spatial protection of marine habitats to meet Aichi targets of 10% protection by 2020, decisions about prioritizing marine habitats should reflect the importance of consumer-resource interactions and dispersal that integrate ecological processes across multiple spatial scales. This spatial integration leads to connections among habitats and habitat types that are likely central to the sustainability and resilience of marine ecosystems in the future, though our understanding of them for eelgrass habitats remains limited. Fortunately, interest and efforts to understand eelgrass-associated ecology and biodiversity in British Columbia continues to grow, and achieving effective conservation targets is within reach.
