Presentation Abstract
Ocean warming threatens vital coastal ecosystems, including eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows. At meadows along the Pacific coast of North America, outbreaks of seagrass wasting disease are correlated with warm water anomalies. The San Juan Islands in the Salish Sea are a hotspot for seagrass wasting disease; outbreaks have increased since 2013 and can infect 90% of plants in individual meadows. From 2019-2021, we assessed the interactive stressors of warming temperatures and disease outbreaks in intertidal meadows in the San Juan Islands, and we compared disease outbreaks along a latitudinal gradient, including meadows on the Central Coast of British Columbia and the Oregon coast, where wasting disease is less prevalent. Our surveys captured complex site-specific dynamics, with extreme regression of the upper intertidal area and/or decreased density of the meadow coinciding with high incidence of wasting disease at some sites. Outbreaks of wasting disease may serve as an early warning for subsequent loss of portions of intertidal meadows. In June 2021, we documented extreme temperatures during the heat dome, exceeding 35ºC during low tides at some intertidal meadows in Washington. However, shoot densities remained similar to prior summers at some locations over the short term (days to weeks following the heating event). These results highlight the complexity of seagrass response to warming events, with both duration and intensity of exposure contributing factors to ecosystem impacts. Sustained warming that facilitates wasting disease infection may be particularly damaging for seagrass meadows under climate change.
Session Title
Eelgrass and Nearshore Management Plans
Conference Track
SSE9: Nearshore
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-68
Start Date
27-4-2022 11:30 AM
End Date
27-4-2022 1:00 PM
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)
Zostera marina--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Climatic changes--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Zostera marina--Effect of temperature on; Water temperature--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Intertidal eelgrass decline under combined effects of wasting disease and warming
Ocean warming threatens vital coastal ecosystems, including eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows. At meadows along the Pacific coast of North America, outbreaks of seagrass wasting disease are correlated with warm water anomalies. The San Juan Islands in the Salish Sea are a hotspot for seagrass wasting disease; outbreaks have increased since 2013 and can infect 90% of plants in individual meadows. From 2019-2021, we assessed the interactive stressors of warming temperatures and disease outbreaks in intertidal meadows in the San Juan Islands, and we compared disease outbreaks along a latitudinal gradient, including meadows on the Central Coast of British Columbia and the Oregon coast, where wasting disease is less prevalent. Our surveys captured complex site-specific dynamics, with extreme regression of the upper intertidal area and/or decreased density of the meadow coinciding with high incidence of wasting disease at some sites. Outbreaks of wasting disease may serve as an early warning for subsequent loss of portions of intertidal meadows. In June 2021, we documented extreme temperatures during the heat dome, exceeding 35ºC during low tides at some intertidal meadows in Washington. However, shoot densities remained similar to prior summers at some locations over the short term (days to weeks following the heating event). These results highlight the complexity of seagrass response to warming events, with both duration and intensity of exposure contributing factors to ecosystem impacts. Sustained warming that facilitates wasting disease infection may be particularly damaging for seagrass meadows under climate change.
