Chapter 26 A Landscape Perspective
641
directed at describing spatial patterns, more emphasis needs to be aimed at understanding how landscape patterns affect flows of materials (energy,
materials, organisms, information) across the landscapes. Likewise, for landscape ecology to improve,
a better ecological understanding of the relationships
between the metrics used to quantify spatial structure
and ecological processes must evolve. The above recommendations are certainly also true for seagrass
systems. Currently, deciphering which metrics
allow the best characterization of seagrass landscapes remains a relatively unexplored and important challenge.
IX. Summary
In summary, although only recently applied to seagrass landscapes, the principles of landscape ecology have already yielded much new information
about the growth patterns of seagrasses and their
ability to recover from disturbance (natural and anthropogenic), as well as providing a new, ecologically relevant framework from which to examine the
dynamics of faunal populations within the seagrass
habitat (e.g. Fig. 4). Landscape studies of seagrasses
have advanced from initial efforts at describing patch
dynamics to the beginnings of predictive modeling.
Examining faunal communities in the context of
the seagrass landscape has revealed the complexity
of interactions between organism and habitat. Both
plant and animal studies applying a landscape approach in seagrass settings have revealed noteworthy
departures from terrestrial paradigms. Future studies
will likely result in new and interesting discoveries
and a better understanding of subtidal marine landscapes as a whole.
Acknowledgments
Three anonymous reviewers and the editors made
very helpful comments to clarify and expand on an
earlier version of this chapter. This work was supported in part by a grant from the NSF Biological
Oceanography Program (OCE 0337052) and NOAA
CICEET Program to S.S. Bell, Principal Investigator, and a USF Foundation Graduate Fellowship to
N. Stafford. The findings, opinions and recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect those of USF, NOS-NOAA
or CICEET-NOAA.
References
Alcoverro T and Mariani S (2002) Effects of sea urchin grazing on seagrass (Thalassodendron ciliatum) beds of a Kenyan
lagoon. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 226: 255–263
Allen TFH (1998) The landscape level is dead: Persuading the
family to take it off the respirator. In: Peterson DL and Parker
VT (eds) Ecological Scale: Theory and Applications, pp 35–
54. Columbia University Press, New York
Attrill MJ, Strong JA and Rowden AA (2000) Are macroinvertebrate communities influenced by seagrass structural complexity? Ecography 23: 114–121
Baker WL (1992) The landscape ecology of large disturbances
in the design and management of nature reserves. Landscape
Ecology 7: 181–194
Balestri E, Cinelli F and Lardicci C (2003) Spatial variation
in Posidonia oceanica structural, morphological and dynamic
features in a northwestern Mediterranean coastal area: a multiscale analysis. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 250: 51–60
Barbera-Cebri´ an C, Sanchez-Jerez P and Ramos-Espla AA
(2002) Fragmented seagrass habitats on the Mediterranean
coast, and distribution and abundance of mysid assemblages.
Mar Biol 141: 405–413
Bell JD, Steffe AS and Westoby M (1988) Location of seagrass
beds in estuaries. Effects on associated fish and decapods. J
Exp Mar Biol Ecol 122: 127–146
Bell SS and Hicks GRF (1991) Marine landscapes and faunal
recruitment: A field test with seagrasses and copepods. Mar
Ecol Prog Ser 73: 61–68
Bell SS, Hall MO and Robbins BD (1995) Toward a landscape
approach in seagrass beds: Using macroalgal accumulation to
address questions of scale. Oecologia 104: 163–168
Bell SS and Hall MO (1997) Drift macroalgal abundance in
seagrass beds: Investigating large scale associations with
physical and biotic attributes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 147: 277–
283
Bell SS, Fonseca MS and Motten LB (1997) Linking restoration
and landscape ecology. Restor Ecol 5: 318–323
Bell SS, Robbins BD and Jensen SL (1999) Gap dynamics in a
seagrass landscape. Ecosystems 2: 493–504
Bell SS, Brooks RA, Robbins BD, Fonseca MS and Hall MO
(2001) Faunal response to fragmentation in seagrass habitats: Implications for seagrass conservation. Biol Conserv 100:
115–123
Bell SS, Hall MO, Soffian S and Madley KM (2002) Assessing
the impact of boat propeller scars on fish and shrimp utilizing
seagrass beds. Ecol Appl 12: 206–217
Bologna PAX and Heck KL (1999) Differential predation and
growth rates of bay scallops within a seagrass habitat. J Exp
Mar Biol Ecol 239: 299–314
Bologna PAX and Heck KL (2002) Impact of habitat edges
on density and secondary production of seagrass-associated
fauna. Estuaries 25: 1033–1044
Boudouresque CF (1997) Population dynamics of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean including the mechanisms of interspecific compeition. Tech Doc 145–162
641
directed at describing spatial patterns, more emphasis needs to be aimed at understanding how landscape patterns affect flows of materials (energy,
materials, organisms, information) across the landscapes. Likewise, for landscape ecology to improve,
a better ecological understanding of the relationships
between the metrics used to quantify spatial structure
and ecological processes must evolve. The above recommendations are certainly also true for seagrass
systems. Currently, deciphering which metrics
allow the best characterization of seagrass landscapes remains a relatively unexplored and important challenge.
IX. Summary
In summary, although only recently applied to seagrass landscapes, the principles of landscape ecology have already yielded much new information
about the growth patterns of seagrasses and their
ability to recover from disturbance (natural and anthropogenic), as well as providing a new, ecologically relevant framework from which to examine the
dynamics of faunal populations within the seagrass
habitat (e.g. Fig. 4). Landscape studies of seagrasses
have advanced from initial efforts at describing patch
dynamics to the beginnings of predictive modeling.
Examining faunal communities in the context of
the seagrass landscape has revealed the complexity
of interactions between organism and habitat. Both
plant and animal studies applying a landscape approach in seagrass settings have revealed noteworthy
departures from terrestrial paradigms. Future studies
will likely result in new and interesting discoveries
and a better understanding of subtidal marine landscapes as a whole.
Acknowledgments
Three anonymous reviewers and the editors made
very helpful comments to clarify and expand on an
earlier version of this chapter. This work was supported in part by a grant from the NSF Biological
Oceanography Program (OCE 0337052) and NOAA
CICEET Program to S.S. Bell, Principal Investigator, and a USF Foundation Graduate Fellowship to
N. Stafford. The findings, opinions and recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect those of USF, NOS-NOAA
or CICEET-NOAA.
References
Alcoverro T and Mariani S (2002) Effects of sea urchin grazing on seagrass (Thalassodendron ciliatum) beds of a Kenyan
lagoon. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 226: 255–263
Allen TFH (1998) The landscape level is dead: Persuading the
family to take it off the respirator. In: Peterson DL and Parker
VT (eds) Ecological Scale: Theory and Applications, pp 35–
54. Columbia University Press, New York
Attrill MJ, Strong JA and Rowden AA (2000) Are macroinvertebrate communities influenced by seagrass structural complexity? Ecography 23: 114–121
Baker WL (1992) The landscape ecology of large disturbances
in the design and management of nature reserves. Landscape
Ecology 7: 181–194
Balestri E, Cinelli F and Lardicci C (2003) Spatial variation
in Posidonia oceanica structural, morphological and dynamic
features in a northwestern Mediterranean coastal area: a multiscale analysis. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 250: 51–60
Barbera-Cebri´ an C, Sanchez-Jerez P and Ramos-Espla AA
(2002) Fragmented seagrass habitats on the Mediterranean
coast, and distribution and abundance of mysid assemblages.
Mar Biol 141: 405–413
Bell JD, Steffe AS and Westoby M (1988) Location of seagrass
beds in estuaries. Effects on associated fish and decapods. J
Exp Mar Biol Ecol 122: 127–146
Bell SS and Hicks GRF (1991) Marine landscapes and faunal
recruitment: A field test with seagrasses and copepods. Mar
Ecol Prog Ser 73: 61–68
Bell SS, Hall MO and Robbins BD (1995) Toward a landscape
approach in seagrass beds: Using macroalgal accumulation to
address questions of scale. Oecologia 104: 163–168
Bell SS and Hall MO (1997) Drift macroalgal abundance in
seagrass beds: Investigating large scale associations with
physical and biotic attributes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 147: 277–
283
Bell SS, Fonseca MS and Motten LB (1997) Linking restoration
and landscape ecology. Restor Ecol 5: 318–323
Bell SS, Robbins BD and Jensen SL (1999) Gap dynamics in a
seagrass landscape. Ecosystems 2: 493–504
Bell SS, Brooks RA, Robbins BD, Fonseca MS and Hall MO
(2001) Faunal response to fragmentation in seagrass habitats: Implications for seagrass conservation. Biol Conserv 100:
115–123
Bell SS, Hall MO, Soffian S and Madley KM (2002) Assessing
the impact of boat propeller scars on fish and shrimp utilizing
seagrass beds. Ecol Appl 12: 206–217
Bologna PAX and Heck KL (1999) Differential predation and
growth rates of bay scallops within a seagrass habitat. J Exp
Mar Biol Ecol 239: 299–314
Bologna PAX and Heck KL (2002) Impact of habitat edges
on density and secondary production of seagrass-associated
fauna. Estuaries 25: 1033–1044
Boudouresque CF (1997) Population dynamics of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean including the mechanisms of interspecific compeition. Tech Doc 145–162