Abstract
There is growing interest in carbon stocks and flows in seagrass ecosystems, but recent global reviews suggest a paucity of studies from Africa. This paper reviews work on seagrass productivity, biomass and sediment carbon in Africa. Most work was conducted in East Africa with a major geographical gap in West Africa. The mean above-ground, below-ground and total biomasses from all studies were 174.4, 474.6 and 514 g DW m-2, respectively with a global range of 461–738 g DW m-2. Mean annual production rate was 913 g DW m-2 year-1 (global range 816–1012 g DW m-2 year-1). No studies were found giving sediment organic carbon, demonstrating a major gap in seagrass blue carbon work. Given the small numbers of relevant papers and the large geographical areas left undescribed in Africa, any conclusions remain tentative and much remains to be done on seagrass studies in Africa.
About the authors
Michael N. Githaiga is a final year PhD student at Edinburgh Napier University. His PhD thesis is titled “Role of seagrass as carbon sinks, Gazi Bay, Kenya”. He graduated with a Bachelor of Education Science degree from Kenyatta University and later on a Master of Science degree (Plant Ecology) from the same University. His MSc research was titled “Structure and biomass accumulation of natural mangroves Forest of Gazi Bay, Kenya”. He has a great interest in marine ecology with a strong focus on carbon accounting in marine ecosystems.
Linda Gilpin is a lecturer in Aquatic Biology at Edinburgh Napier University. She was awarded a PhD in Biogeochemistry by Queen’s University Belfast, focusing on nitrogen metabolism and went on to study primary productivity and nutrient dynamics in a range of oceanic and coastal systems including the response of the microbial community to changes associated with eutrophication. More recent collaborations have involved the assessment of change in plankton communities.
James G. Kairo earned his PhD in Marine Sciences from the Free University of Brussels (VUB) in Belgium. He currently works as Principal Scientist with the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, and is a member of both the International Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group and the newly launched Science for Blue Carbon (SBC) working group. Kairo has vast experiences in the conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable utilization of mangrove resources; which has earned him local and international awards. In 2010, Dr Kairo was awarded the Kenya’s Presidential Award of the Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) for his exemplary work on marine resources management. He was the lead author in the development of the 2013 supplement of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
Mark Huxham is Professor of Teaching and Research in Environmental Biology at Edinburgh Napier University. Mark’s main research interests are in the ecology and management of coastal ecosystems particularly mangroves and seagrasses. He is Director of the Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services, a charity that helps to administer the world’s first community-based mangrove conservation project funded by the sale of carbon credits.
Acknowledgements
This article is based on research undertaken for Coastal Ecosystem Services in East Africa (CESEA) NE/L001535/1 research project and was funded with support from the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme. The ESPA programme is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Additional support was made through Edinburgh Napier University and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) to which we are grateful. Finally, we thank the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments which improved the quality of the manuscript.
References
Adams, J.B. and M.M.B. Talbot. 1992. The influence of river impoundment on the estuarine seagrass Zostera capensis Setchell. Bot. Mar.35: 69–76.10.1515/botm.1992.35.1.69Search in Google Scholar
Aleem, A.A. 1984. Distribution and ecology of seagrass communities. Deep Sea Res.31: 919–933.10.1016/0198-0149(84)90048-7Search in Google Scholar
Bandeira, S.O. 1997. Dynamics, biomass and total rhizome length of the seagrass Thalassodendron ciliatum at Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Plant Ecol.130: 133–141.10.1023/A:1009724308545Search in Google Scholar
Bandeira, S.O. 2000. High production rates of the seagrass Thalassodendron ciliatum from the rocky and sandy habitats in Southern Mozambique: a comparative study In: (Diversity and Ecology of Seagrasses in Mozambique): emphasis on Thalassodendron ciliatum. structure, dynamics, nutrients and genetic variability. Ph.D. thesis. Göteborg. University, Sweden. pp. 18.Search in Google Scholar
Bandeira, S.O. 2002. Leaf production rates of Thalassodendron ciliatum from rocky and sandy habitats. Aquat. Bot.72: 13–24.10.1016/S0304-3770(01)00192-9Search in Google Scholar
Bououarour, O., R. El Kamcha, L. Boutahar, A. Tnoumi, Z. Bendahhou, A. Benhoussa and B. Hocein. 2015. In:(Mediterranean Seagrass Workshop). Spatial patterns of the Zostera noltii meadows across the Atlantic coast of Morocco: is there a latitudinal gradient?-Sardinia, Italy. pp. 81.Search in Google Scholar
Boutahar, L., Y.S. Ramzi, O. Atef, R. El Kamcha, A. Benhoussa, E. Ostale and H. Bazairi. 2015. In: (Mediterranean Seagrass Workshop). First data on biomass and abundance of two eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows south to the strait of Gilbraltar Jbel Moussa, Morocco. Sardinia, Italy. pp. 109.Search in Google Scholar
Campbell, J.E., E.A. Lacey, R.A. Decker, S. Crooks and J.W. Fourqurean. 2014. Carbon storage in Seagrass Beds of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Estuar. Coast. 38: 242–251.10.1007/s12237-014-9802-9Search in Google Scholar
Christie, N.D. 1981. Primary production in the Langebaan Lagoon. In: (J.H. Day. ed.). Estuarine ecology with particular reference to Southern Africa. Cape Town, Balkema. pp. 101–115.Search in Google Scholar
Daby, D. 2003. Effects of seagrass bed removal for tourism purposes in a Mauritian Bay. Environ. Pollut. 125: 313–324.10.1016/S0269-7491(03)00125-8Search in Google Scholar
de Boer, W.F. 2000. Biomass dynamics of seagrasses and the role of mangrove and seagrass vegetation as different nutrient sources for an intertidal ecosystem. Aquat. Bot.66: 225–239.10.1016/S0304-3770(99)00072-8Search in Google Scholar
Duarte, C.M. M.A. Hemminga, N. Marba. 1996. Growth and population dynamics of Thalassodendron ciliatum in a Kenyan back-reef lagoon. Aquat. Bot.55: 1–11.10.1016/0304-3770(96)01066-2Search in Google Scholar
Duarte, C.M. and J. Cebrián. 1996. The fate of marine autotrophic production. Limnol. Oceanogr.41: 1758–1766.10.4319/lo.1996.41.8.1758Search in Google Scholar
Duarte, C. and C. Chiscano. 1999. Seagrass biomass and production: a reassessment. Aquat. Bot.65: 159–174.10.1016/S0304-3770(99)00038-8Search in Google Scholar
Duarte, C., M.M. Merino, N.S.R. Agawin, J. Uri, M.D. Fortes, M.E. Gallegos, N.Marba and M.A Hemminga. 1998. Root production and below-ground seagrass biomass. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.171: 97–108.10.3354/meps171097Search in Google Scholar
Eklöf, J.S., M. de la Torre Castro, L. Adelsköld, N.S. Jiddawi and N. Kautsky. 2005. Differences in macrofaunal and seagrass assemblages in seagrass beds with and without seaweed farms. Estuar. Coast. Shelf S.63: 385–396.10.1016/j.ecss.2004.11.014Search in Google Scholar
Fourqurean, J.W., C.M. Duarte, H. Kennedy, N. Marbà, M. Holmer, M.A. Mateo and D. Krause-jensen. 2012. Seagrass ecosystems as a globally significant carbon store. Nat. Geo.5: 1–5.10.1038/ngeo1477Search in Google Scholar
Gab-Alla, A. 2001. Ecological Status of the Seagrass Community in Sharm El-Moyia Bay (Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea) after Oil Pollution in 1999. Mar. Sci.12: 231–239.10.4197/mar.12-1.17Search in Google Scholar
Grindley, J.R. 1976. Report on ecology of Knysna Estuary and proposed Braamekraal Marina. (Internal Report). School of Environmental Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa. pp. 133.Search in Google Scholar
Gullström, M., B. Lundén, M. Bodin, J. Kangwe, M.C. Öhman, M.S.P. Mtolera and M. Björk. 2006. Assessment of changes in the seagrass-dominated submerged vegetation of tropical Chwaka Bay (Zanzibar) using satellite remote sensing. Estuar. Coast. Shelf S. 67: 399–408.10.1016/j.ecss.2005.11.020Search in Google Scholar
Gullström, M., M. Bodin, P.G. Nilsson and M.C. Öhman. 2008. Seagrass structural complexity and landscape configuration as determinants of tropical fish assemblage composition. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 363: 241–255.10.3354/meps07427Search in Google Scholar
Gwada, P. 2004. An assessment of seagrass survival and functioning in response to manipulations in sediment redox at Nyali Lagoon, Mombasa, Kenya. WIOMSA report. MARG-1. GRANTEE 2001/2002.Search in Google Scholar
Hanekom, N. and D. Baird. 1988. Distribution and variations in seasonal biomass of eelgrass. Zostera capensis in the Kromme estuary, St Francis Bay South Africa. S. Afr. J. Mar. Sci. 7: 51–59.10.2989/025776188784379099Search in Google Scholar
Hemminga, M.A., P. Gwada, F.J. Slim, P. de Koeyer and J. Kazungu. 1995. Leaf production and nutrient contents of the seagrass Thalassodendron ciliatum in the proximity of a mangrove forest (Gazi Bay, Kenya). Aquat. Bot.50: 159–170.10.1016/0304-3770(95)00450-ESearch in Google Scholar
Howard, J., S. Hoyt, K. Isensee, M. Telszewski and E. Pidgeon (eds.). 2014. Coastal Blue Carbon Methods for assessing carbon stocks and emmission factors in mangroves, tidal salt marshes and seagrasses. Conservation International, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Arlington, Virginia, USA.Search in Google Scholar
Imen, B.S. and S Abdessalem. 2015. In: (Mediterranean Seagrass Workshop). Distribution, biomass and phenology of Zostera noltii meadows in the Northern lagoon of Tunis in the summer of 2014. Sardinia, Italy. pp. 80.Search in Google Scholar
Kamermans, P., M.A. Hemminga, J.F.Tack, M.A. Mateo, N. Marbà, M. Mtolera and Daele, T. Van. 2002. Groundwater effects on diversity and abundance of lagoonal seagrasses in Kenya and on Zanzibar Island (East Africa). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.231: 75–83.10.3354/meps231075Search in Google Scholar
Larsson, S. 2009. The Production of the Seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in relation to epiphytic biomass. M.Sc. thesis (unpublished). Göteborg. University, Sweden. pp. 12.Search in Google Scholar
Lugendo, B.R., Y. Mgaya and A. Semesi. 2001. The seagrass and associated macroalgae at selected beaches along Dar es Salaam coast. In: (M.D. Richmond and J. Francis, eds.) Marine science development in Tanzania and East Africa. WIOMSA Books Series. pp. 359–374.Search in Google Scholar
Lyimo, T.J., E.F. Mvungi, C. Lugomela and M. Björk. 2006. Seagrass biomass and productivity in Seaweed and Non-Seaweed Farming areas in the East Coast of Zanzibar. WIO J. Mar. Sci., 5: 141–152.10.4314/wiojms.v5i2.28506Search in Google Scholar
Lyimo, T., E. Mvungi and Y. Mgaya. 2008. Abundance and diversity of seagrass and macrofauna in the intertidal areas with and without seaweed farming activities in the east coast of Zanzibar. Tanz. J. Sci.34: 41–52.10.4314/tjs.v34i1.44287Search in Google Scholar
Martins, A. and S. Bandeira. 2001. Biomass distribution and leaf nutrient concentrations and resorption of Thalassia hemprichii at Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Afr. J. Bot.67: 439–442.10.1016/S0254-6299(15)31161-3Search in Google Scholar
Mateo M.A., J. Cebrian, K. Dunton and T. Mutchler. 2006. Carbon flux in seagrass ecosystem. In: (A. Larkum, R. Orth and C. Duarte. eds). Seagrass biology, ecology and conservation. Springer-Verlag, Netherlands. pp. 159–192.Search in Google Scholar
Mostafa, H.M. 1996. Preliminary observations of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson in the Mediterranean waters of Alexandria, Egypt. Bull. Natl Inst. Ocea. Fish. 22: 19–28.Search in Google Scholar
Mvungi, E.F. 2011. Seagrasses and eutrophication Interactions between seagrass photosynthesis. Ph.D thesis (unpublished). Stockholm University, Sweden. pp. 44.Search in Google Scholar
Nellemann, C., E. Corcoran, C.M. Duarte, L. Valdes, C. De Young, L. Fonseca and G. Grimsditch. (eds). 2009. Blue carbon. A rapid response assessment. GRID-Arendal. United Nations Environmental Programme. ISBN: 978-82-7701-060-1.Search in Google Scholar
Ochieng, C.A. 1995. Productivity of seagrasses with respect to intersystem fluxes Gazi Bay (Kenya). In: Interlinkages between Eastern African Coastal Ecosystems. Contract No. T53-CT92-0114. Final report. pp. 82–86.Search in Google Scholar
Ochieng, C.A. and P.L. Erftemeijer. 1999. Accumulation of seagrass beach cast along the Kenyan coast: a quantitative assessment. Aquat. Bot.65: 221–238.10.1016/S0304-3770(99)00042-XSearch in Google Scholar
Ochieng, C.A. and P.L. Erftemeijer. 2003. Seagrasses of Tanzania and Kenya. In: (E. Green and F. Short, eds.). World atlas of seagrasses. World Conservation Monitoring Centre. University of California Press, USA, Berkely. pp. 93–100.Search in Google Scholar
Paula, J., P.F. Ecosta, A. Martins and D. Gove. 2001. Patterns of abundance of seagrasses and associated infaunal communities at Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Estuar. Coast. Shelf S. 53: 307–318.10.1006/ecss.2001.0809Search in Google Scholar
Pergent, G., A. Djellouli, A.A. Hamza, K.S. Ettayeb, A.A. El Mansouri, F.M. Talha and F Platini. 2002. Characterization of the benthic vegetation in the Farwà Lagoon (Libya). J. Coast. Cons.8: 119–126.10.1652/1400-0350(2002)008[0119:COTBVI]2.0.CO;2Search in Google Scholar
Semroud, R., S. Mezegrane and L. Soltane. 1990. Etude lépidochronologique de Posidonia oceanica dans la régiond’Alger (Algérie): donnéspréliminaires. Rapp. P.V. Réun. Comm. Int. Explor. Sci. Médit. 31: 10.Search in Google Scholar
Sghaier, Y.R. 2012. Seasonal variation of Cymodocea nodosa in the Ghar El Melh lagoon (Tunisia), with reference to insolation, temperature and salinity effects. Bull. Inst. Natl. Sci. Tech. Mede. Salammbõ. 39: 117–125.Search in Google Scholar
Sghaier, Y.R., R. Zakhama-Sraieb and F. Charfi-Cheikhrouh. 2011. Primary production and biomass in a Cymodocea nodosa meadow in the Ghar El Melh lagoon, Tunisia. Bot. Mar. 54: 411–418.10.1515/bot.2011.045Search in Google Scholar
Sghaier, Y.R., R. Zakhama-Sraieb and F. Charfi-Cheikhrouha. 2013. Patterns of shallow seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) growth and flowering along the Tunisian coast. Aquat. Bot.104: 185–192.10.1016/j.aquabot.2011.09.006Search in Google Scholar
Short, F., T. Carruthers, W. Dennison and M. Waycott. 2007. Global seagrass distribution and diversity: A bioregional model. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol.350: 3–20.10.1016/j.jembe.2007.06.012Search in Google Scholar
Talbot, M.M.B. and G.C. Bate. 1987. The distribution and biomass of the seagrass Zostera capensis in a warm-temperate estuary. Bot. Mar.30: 91–99.10.1515/botm.1987.30.1.91Search in Google Scholar
Uku, J.N. and M. Björk. 2005. Productivity aspects of three tropical seagrass species in areas of different nutrient levels in Kenya. Estuar. Coast. Shelf S.63: 407–420.10.1016/j.ecss.2004.12.007Search in Google Scholar
Uku, J.N., E.E. Martens and K.M. Mavuti. 1996. An ecological assessment of Littoral Seagrass Communities in Diani and Galu Coastal Beaches, Kenya. M.Sc thesis (unpublished). University of Nairobi. pp. 185.Search in Google Scholar
van der Laan, B.B.P.A. and W.J. Wolff. 2006. Circular pools in the seagrass beds of the Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania, and their possible origin. Aquat. Bot.84: 93–100.10.1016/j.aquabot.2005.07.009Search in Google Scholar
Van Lent, F., P.H. Nienhuis and J.M. Verschuure. 1991. Production and biomass of the seagrasses Zostera-noltii Hornem and Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Aschers at the Banc-Darguin (Mauritania, N.W Africa). A preliminary approach. Aquat. Bot.41: 353–367.10.1016/0304-3770(91)90053-8Search in Google Scholar
Vermaat, J.E., J.J. Beijer, R. Gijlstra, M.J.M. Hootsmans, C.J.M. Philippart., N.W. van den Brink and W. van Vierssen. 1993. Leaf dynamics and standing stocks of intertidal Zostera noltii Hornem. and Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson on the Banc d’Arguin (Mauritania). Hydrobiologia. 258: 59–72.10.1007/978-94-011-1986-3_6Search in Google Scholar
©2016 by De Gruyter
