Keywords
Bon Accord Lagoon
CARICOMP
productivity
biomass
Thalassia testudinum
Laguna Bon Accord
CARICOMP
productividad
biomasa
How to Cite
Abstract
The Thalassia testudinum dominated seagrass community in the Buccoo Reef/ Bon Accord Lagoon Marine Park, measures 0.5 km2 and is part of a contiguous coral reef, seagrass bed and mangrove swamp system in southwest Tobago. T. testudinum coverage, productivity and percent turnover rates were measured from February 1998 to February 1999 at four sample locations, while total T. testudinum biomass was measured at two locations in the lagoon from 1992-2002. Productivity and turnover rates varied spatially and seasonally. They were higher in the back-reef area than in the mangrove-fringed lagoon, and were lowest at locations near to a sewage outfall. T. testudinum coverage ranged from 6.6% in the lagoon to 68.5% in the back-reef area while productivity ranged from 3.9 to 4.9 g dry wt m-2 d-1. Productivity and percentage turnover rates were higher in the dry season (January–June) than in the wet season (July–December). Productivity ranged from 3.0 in the wet season to 5.0 g dry wt m-2 d-1 in the dry season while percentage turnover rates ranged from 4.2% to 5.6%. Total Thalassia biomass and productivity in Bon Accord Lagoon were compared to six similar sites in the Caribbean that also participate in the Caribbean Coastal Marine Productivity Program (CARICOMP). This seagrass community is being negatively impacted by nutrient-enriched conditions.References
Agawin, N.S.R., C.M. Duarte & M.D. Fortes. 1996. Nutrient limitation of Philippine seagrasses (Cape Bolinao, NW Philippines): in situ experimental evidence. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 138: 233-243.
Alkins, M.E. & J.S. Kenny. 1980. A Baseline Survey of Scotland Bay, Chaguaramas. Occas. Papers, Inst. Mar. Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago. 68 p.
Anonymous. 1982. Averages and Extremes of Meteorological Elements 2, Rainfall and other elements. Caribbean Meteorological Institute (CMI). No page numbers.
Anonymous. 1990. Environmental Impact Assessment of the extension of the Crown Point Airport Runway, Tobago. Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), Chaguaramas, Trinidad. 123 p.
Anonymous. 1992. Feasibility and impact studies for a resort and marina development at Lowlands Estate, Tobago. Final Rep. Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), Chaguaramas, Trinidad. 216 p.
Anonymous. 1994. CARICOMP Methods Manual- Level I. Manual of Methods for Mapping and Monitoring of Physical and Biological Parameters in the Coastal Zone of the Caribbean. CARICOMP Data Management Centre, UWI, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica. 54 p.
Anonymous. 1997. Variation in ecological parameters of Thalassia testudinum across the CARICOMP Network. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp., Panama 1: 663-668.
Batiuk, R.A., R.J. Orth, K.A. Moore, W.C. Dennison, J.C. Stevenson, L. Staver, V. Carter, N. Rybicki, R.E. Hickman, S. Kollar, S. Bieber, P. Heasly & P. Bergstrom. 1992. Submerged aquatic vegetation habitat requirements and restoration targets: A technical synthesis. CBP/TRS 83/92. Annapolis, Maryland: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 185 p.
Berridge, C.E. 1981. Climate, p. 3-8. In S.G.C. Copper & P.R Bacon (eds.). The Natural Resources of Trinidad and Tobago. Edward Arnold, London, U.K.
Costa, J.E. 1988. Eelgrass in Buzzards Bay: Distribution, production, and historical changes in abundance. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tech. Rep., EPA 503/4-88-002: 30-61.
Duarte, C.M. 1992. Nutrient concentrations of aquatic plants: patterns across species. Limnol. Oceanogr. 37: 882-889.
English, S., C. Wilkinson & B. Baker (eds.). 1994. Survey Manual for Tropical Marine Resources. Aust. Inst. Mar. Sci., Townsville. 368 p.
Goreau, T. 1967. Buccoo Reef and Bon Accord Lagoon, Tobago. Observation and recommendations concerning the preservation of the reef and its lagoon in relation to urbanization of the neighbouring coastal islands. Memorandum to Permanent Secretary (Agriculture), Economics Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Office, Government of Trinidad and Tobago. 8 p.
Hemminga, M.A. & C.M. Duarte. 2000. Seagrass Ecology. Cambridge Univ. Press, UK. 298 p.
Jones, J.A. 1968. Primary productivity by the tropical marine turtle grass, Thalassia testudinum, Konig, and its epiphytes. Ph.D. dissertation, Univ. Miami, Miami Florida. 196 p.
Juman, R.A. 2004. The characterisation and ecology of the Bon Accord Lagoon, Tobago, West Indies. Ph.D. Dissertation, Univ. West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad. 261 p.
Kenworthy, W.J. & M.S. Fonseca. 1996. Light requirements of seagrasses Halodule wrightii and Syringodium filiforme derived from the relationship between diffuse light attenuation and maximum depth distribution. Estuaries 19: 740-750.
Klumpp, D.W., R.K. Howard & D.A. Pollard. 1989. Trophodynamics and nutritional ecology of seagrass communities, p. 394-457. In A.W.D. Larkum, A.J. McComb & S.A. Shepherd (eds.). Biology of Seagrasses: A Treatise on the Biology of Seagrasses with Special Reference to the Australian Region. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Lapointe, B.E., D.A. Tomasko & W.R. Matzie. 1994. Eutrophication and trophic state classification of seagrass communities in the Florida Keys. Bull. Mar. Sci. 54: 696-717.
Massiah, J.A. 1976. West Indian Thalassia communities with special reference to Trinidad communities. Zoology Department, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. 69 p.
Mateo, M.A. & J. Romero. 1997. Detritus dynamics in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica: elements for an ecosystem carbon and nutrient budget. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 151: 43-53.
Muehlstein, L.K. & J. Beets. 1989. Seagrass declines and their impacts on fisheries. Proc. 42nd Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst., Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Pp. 55-65.
Nagelkerken, I., S. Kleijnen, T. Klop, R.A.C.J. Van Den Brand, E. Cocheret De La Morinière & G. van Der Velde. 2001. Dependence of Caribbean reef fishes on mangroves and seagrass beds as nursery habitats: a comparison of fish faunas between bays with and without mangroves/seagrass beds. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 214: 225-235.
Orth, R.J. & K.A. Moore. 1983. Chesapeake Bay: An unprecedented decline in submerged aquatic vegetation. Science 22: 51-52.
Reyes, E. & M. Merino. 1991. Diel dissolved oxygen dynamics and eutrophication in a shallow well-mixed tropical lagoon (Cancun, Mexico). Estuaries 14: 372-381.
Short, F.T. & D.M. Burdick. 1996. Quantifying eelgrass loss in relation to housing development and nitrogen loading in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Estuaries 19: 17-27.
Short, F.T. & S. Wyllie-Echeverria. 1996. Natural and human-induced disturbances of seagrass. Environ. Conser. 23: 17-27.
Stapel, J., R. Manuntun & M.A. Hemminga. 1997. Biomass loss and nutrient redistribution in an Indonesian Thalassia hemprichii seagrass bed following seasonal low tide exposure during daylight. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 148: 251-262.
Taylor, D.I., S.W. Nixon, S.L. Granger, B.A. Buckely, J.P. McMahon & H.J. Lin. 1995. Responses of coastal lagoon plant communities to different form of nutrient enrichment – a mesocosm experiment. Aquat. Bot. 52: 19-34.
Thorhaug, A. & M.A. Roesler. 1977. Seagrass community dynamics in a subtropical estuarine lagoon. Aquaculture 12: 253-277.
Valiela, I., K. Foreman & M. La Montagne. 1992. Coupling of watersheds and coastal waters: Sources and consequences of nutrient enrichment in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Estuaries 15: 443-457.
van Tussenbroek, B.I. 1995. Thalassia testudinum leaf dynamics in a Mexican Caribbean coral reef lagoon. Mar. Biol. 122: 33-40.
Walker, D.I. 1989. Regional studies-Seagrass in Shark Bay, the foundation of an ecosystem, p. 182-210. In A.W.D. Larkum, A.J. McComb & S.A. Shepherd (eds.). Biology of Seagrass. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Zieman, J.C. 1974. Methods for the study of growth and production of turtle grass, Thalassia testudinum Konig. Aquaculture 4: 139-142.
Zieman, J.C. 1975. Quantitative and dynamic aspects of the ecology of turtle grass, Thalassia testudinum Konig, p. 554-562. In L.E. Cronin (ed.). Estuarine Research, Vol. 1. Academic Press, New York.
Comments
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2005 Revista de Biología Tropical