Chapter 26
Seagrass Ecology: New Contributions
from a Landscape Perspective
Susan S. Bell
∗
Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5200, USA
Mark S. Fonseca
Applied Spatial Ecology Team, Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, NOS, NOAA,
Beaufort, NC 28516, USA; e-mail: mark.fonseca@noaa.gov
Nathaniel B. Stafford
Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5200, USA;
nstaffor@helios.acomp.usf.edu
I. Introduction
Landscape ecology is the study of processes occurring across spatially heterogeneous mosaics and
the biotic responses to the resulting pattern. Spatial
mosaics are made up of structural elements, biotic,
and/or abiotic, which produce a set of patches set
in a homogeneous matrix. Quantitative analyses of
spatial and temporal patterns resulting from patch
dynamics form the basis of landscape ecology. A
landscape is larger than an individual’s immediately
observable area (Allen, 1998) and landscape studies
typically address heterogeneity at very large spatial
scales relative to the organism or process of interest.
While terrestrial ecology has been studied at the
landscape level for several decades, only more recently has the explicit examination of patch dynamics and spatial arrangement been applied to the study
of seagrasses in the marine environment. Studies
of marine landscapes are not limited to seagrasses:
application of this approach to soft sediment systems (Zajac et al., 2000) and salt marshes (Costanza
et al., 1990) has also been documented. Given that
seagrasses represent a group of over 60 species
worldwide (den Hartog, 1970; den Hartog and Kuo,
*Author for correspondence, email: sbell@cas.usf.edu
Chapter 1) and cover extensive areas of coastal
sub-tidal habitats (e.g. Fig. 1), they are appropriate
for study using a landscape approach. Additionally
reader will find reference to this subject in several
other chapters in this book, e.g. Valentine and Duffy,
Chapter 20; Kenworthy et al., Chapter 25.
The idea of applying landscape analysis to seagrasses was formally presented by Robbins and Bell
(1994). Although an intervening layer of seawater
makes the most common sources of data in terrestrial landscape studies (aerial photography and
remote sensing) more complicated to analyze for
seagrass systems (see Dekker et al., Chapter 15),
Robbins and Bell (1994) argued that a landscape approach could nevertheless be quite valuable. Landscape studies can address questions of scale and
fragmentation in seagrass beds, and once established, the approach could potentially be applied
to other marine and aquatic systems (Robbins and
Bell, 1994) and even restoration efforts (Fonseca
et al., 1998; Bell et al., 1999). Virnstein (1995) also
recommended the application of landscape ecology
(e.g. a large scale approach) to improve management of seagrass habitat diversity in the Indian River
Lagoon (Florida).
In this chapter, we provide first a brief review of
concepts and techniques associated with a landscape
625–645.
A. W. D. Larkum et al. (eds.), Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology and Conservation, pp.
c
2006 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands.
Seagrass Ecology: New Contributions
from a Landscape Perspective
Susan S. Bell
∗
Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5200, USA
Mark S. Fonseca
Applied Spatial Ecology Team, Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, NOS, NOAA,
Beaufort, NC 28516, USA; e-mail: mark.fonseca@noaa.gov
Nathaniel B. Stafford
Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-5200, USA;
nstaffor@helios.acomp.usf.edu
I. Introduction
Landscape ecology is the study of processes occurring across spatially heterogeneous mosaics and
the biotic responses to the resulting pattern. Spatial
mosaics are made up of structural elements, biotic,
and/or abiotic, which produce a set of patches set
in a homogeneous matrix. Quantitative analyses of
spatial and temporal patterns resulting from patch
dynamics form the basis of landscape ecology. A
landscape is larger than an individual’s immediately
observable area (Allen, 1998) and landscape studies
typically address heterogeneity at very large spatial
scales relative to the organism or process of interest.
While terrestrial ecology has been studied at the
landscape level for several decades, only more recently has the explicit examination of patch dynamics and spatial arrangement been applied to the study
of seagrasses in the marine environment. Studies
of marine landscapes are not limited to seagrasses:
application of this approach to soft sediment systems (Zajac et al., 2000) and salt marshes (Costanza
et al., 1990) has also been documented. Given that
seagrasses represent a group of over 60 species
worldwide (den Hartog, 1970; den Hartog and Kuo,
*Author for correspondence, email: sbell@cas.usf.edu
Chapter 1) and cover extensive areas of coastal
sub-tidal habitats (e.g. Fig. 1), they are appropriate
for study using a landscape approach. Additionally
reader will find reference to this subject in several
other chapters in this book, e.g. Valentine and Duffy,
Chapter 20; Kenworthy et al., Chapter 25.
The idea of applying landscape analysis to seagrasses was formally presented by Robbins and Bell
(1994). Although an intervening layer of seawater
makes the most common sources of data in terrestrial landscape studies (aerial photography and
remote sensing) more complicated to analyze for
seagrass systems (see Dekker et al., Chapter 15),
Robbins and Bell (1994) argued that a landscape approach could nevertheless be quite valuable. Landscape studies can address questions of scale and
fragmentation in seagrass beds, and once established, the approach could potentially be applied
to other marine and aquatic systems (Robbins and
Bell, 1994) and even restoration efforts (Fonseca
et al., 1998; Bell et al., 1999). Virnstein (1995) also
recommended the application of landscape ecology
(e.g. a large scale approach) to improve management of seagrass habitat diversity in the Indian River
Lagoon (Florida).
In this chapter, we provide first a brief review of
concepts and techniques associated with a landscape
625–645.
A. W. D. Larkum et al. (eds.), Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology and Conservation, pp.
c
2006 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands.