Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation in Seagrass Ecosystems
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 5182
Special Issue Editors
Interests: marine vegetation restoration; marine ecosystem services; biodiversity; sustainable habitat optimization
Interests: marine ecosystem services; biodiversity; marine vegetation restoration and conservation
Interests: seagrass ecology; coastal ecology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Seagrasses are a unique group of flowering plants adapted to exist fully submerged in the sea, and provide high-value ecosystem services that are critical to humans and wildlife, such as water quality improvement, sediment accumulation and stabilization, carbon storage and sequestration, enhanced biodiversity, important nursery grounds and feeding areas, and fisheries production. However, they have been disappearing rapidly worldwide because of natural and anthropogenic influences, including sediment and nutrient runoff, physical disturbance, invasive species, commercial fishing practices, aquaculture, overgrazing, algal blooms, and global warming, with rates of decline accelerating from a median of 0.9% yr−1 before 1940 to 7% after 1990. Reported seagrass losses have led to increased awareness of the need for seagrass protection, monitoring, management, and restoration. Seagrass ecosystem recovery can promote their ecological function recovery, which can aid sustainable development. However, seagrass science has grown rapidly and is disconnected from the public awareness of seagrasses, which has lagged behind the awareness of other coastal ecosystems. We aim to summarize the current achievements, measures, methods, technology and policies of seagrass ecosystems. Our hope is to find an effective solution for guiding the next stage of seagrass restoration and elucidating the ecological function (e.g., habitat, nursery, carbon sequestration) changes in response to seagrass ecosystem recovery, with important implications for sustainable development.
In this Special Issue, we invite research contributions with cutting-edge studies informing the ecology, biodiversity and conservation practice for seagrass ecosystems. We encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical research relating to the ecology, biology, and physiology of seagrasses, the restoration of seagrass beds, and the management and policies of seagrass conservation, providing new findings and views with the potential to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of seagrass habitats. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: ecological function, ecosystem services, biodiversity, ecophysiology, degradation mechanism, ecological restoration, ecosystem recovery, sustainable development and conservation.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Peidong Zhang
Prof. Dr. Yi Zhou
Prof. Dr. Guanglong Qiu
Prof. Dr. Zhijian Jiang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- ecological function
- ecosystem services
- ecophysiology
- environmental stress
- human activities
- climate change
- ecological restoration
- biological conservation
- conservation effectiveness
- sustainable development