Large-scale prediction of seagrass distribution: the case of Cymodocea nodosa (Mediterranean-Atlantic)

Chefaoui, Rosa M.; Assis, J.; Duarte, C. M.; Serrão, Ester

Publication

Large-scale prediction of seagrass distribution: the case of Cymodocea nodosa (Mediterranean-Atlantic)

2015Conference object

dc.contributor.author	Chefaoui, Rosa M.
dc.contributor.author	Assis, J.
dc.contributor.author	Duarte, C. M.
dc.contributor.author	Serrão, Ester
dc.date.accessioned	2016-09-28T09:54:56Z
dc.date.available	2016-09-28T09:54:56Z
dc.date.issued	2015
dc.description.abstract	Understanding the factors that affect seagrass meadows encompassing their entire range of distribution is challenging yet important for their conservation. We model the environmental niche of Cymodocea nodosa using a combination of environmental variables and landscape metrics to examine factors defining its distribution and find suitable habitats for the species. The most relevant environmental variables defining the distribution of C. nodosa were sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity. We found suitable habitats at SST from 5.8 ºC to 26.4 ºC and salinity ranging from 17.5 to 39.3. Optimal values of mean winter wave height ranged between 1.2 m and 1.5 m, while waves higher than 2.5 m seemed to limit the presence of the species. The influence of nutrients and pH, despite having weight on the models, was not so clear in terms of ranges that confine the distribution of the species. Landscape metrics able to capture variation in the coastline enhanced significantly the accuracy of the models, despite the limitations caused by the scale of the study. By contrasting predictive approaches, we defined the variables affecting the distributional areas that seem unsuitable for C. nodosa as well as those suitable habitats not occupied by the species. These findings are encouraging for its use in future studies on climate-related marine range shifts and meadow restoration projects of these fragile ecosystems.	pt_PT
dc.identifier.doi	10.7818/4IberianEcologicalCongress.2015	pt_PT
dc.identifier.other	AUT: ESE00527;
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/8708
dc.language.iso	eng	pt_PT
dc.peerreviewed	no	pt_PT
dc.publisher	Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre (AEET)	pt_PT
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/	pt_PT
dc.title	Large-scale prediction of seagrass distribution: the case of Cymodocea nodosa (Mediterranean-Atlantic)	pt_PT
dc.type	conference object
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.awardURI	info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/3599-PPCDT/EXPL%2FBIA-BIC%2F2311%2F2013/PT
oaire.citation.conferencePlace	Coimbra, Portugal	pt_PT
oaire.citation.endPage	127	pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPage	127	pt_PT
oaire.citation.title	4º Encontro Ibérico de Ecologia: A ecologia e os desafios societais	pt_PT
oaire.fundingStream	3599-PPCDT
person.familyName	Assis
person.familyName	Serrao
person.givenName	Jorge
person.givenName	Ester A.
person.identifier	C-6686-2012
person.identifier.ciencia-id	5C1D-05B6-29F7
person.identifier.ciencia-id	5B13-B26E-B1EC
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0002-6624-4820
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0003-1316-658X
person.identifier.rid	G-9688-2012
person.identifier.scopus-author-id	53463298700
person.identifier.scopus-author-id	7004093604
project.funder.identifier	http://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.name	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
rcaap.rights	openAccess	pt_PT
rcaap.type	conferenceObject	pt_PT
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	c794f76b-9001-4ac1-913a-bb0f3aab6ef5
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	45ccfe90-155c-4d6f-9e86-8f0fd064005f
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	45ccfe90-155c-4d6f-9e86-8f0fd064005f
relation.isProjectOfPublication	1f43999f-19fe-4b63-ad8c-cbd626daff57
relation.isProjectOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	1f43999f-19fe-4b63-ad8c-cbd626daff57