A grazing crab drives saltmarsh carbon storage and recovery.

Autor: Wittyngham SS; Coastal and Ocean Processes, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, USA., Johnson DS; Ecosystem Health, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, USA., Chen Y; Coastal and Ocean Processes, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, USA., Kirwan ML; Coastal and Ocean Processes, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology [Ecology] 2024 Sep; Vol. 105 (9), pp. e4385. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 19.
DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4385
Abstrakt: Consumers can directly (e.g., consumption) and indirectly (e.g., trophic cascades) influence carbon cycling in blue carbon ecosystems. Previous work found that large grazers have nuanced effects on carbon stocks, yet, small, bioturbating-grazers, which remove plant biomass and alter sediment properties, remain an understudied driver of carbon cycling. We used field-derived and remote sensing data to quantify how the purple marsh crab, Sesarma reticulatum, influenced carbon stocks, flux, and recovery in salt marshes. Sesarma caused a 40%-70% loss in carbon stocks as fronts propagated inland (i.e., ungrazed to recovered transition), with front migration rates accelerating over time. Despite latitudinal differences, front migration rate had no effect on carbon stocks, flux, or time to replacement. When we included Sesarma disturbance in carbon flux calculations, we found it may take 5-100 years for marshes to replace lost carbon, if at all. Combined, we show that small grazers cause a net loss in carbon stocks as they move through the landscape, and irrespective of migration rate, these grazer-driven impacts persist for decades. This work showcases the significant role of consumers in carbon storage and flux, challenging the classic paradigm of plant-sediment feedbacks as the primary ecogeomorphic driver of carbon cycling in blue carbon ecosystems.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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