Project

Unraveling Seagrass Meadow Diversity’s Impact on Sediment Carbon Storage

Full Title: Uncovering the small-scale drivers of seagrass blue carbon: Do meadow diversity and stability enhance sediment carbon storage?
Through field surveys and experiments in Cedar Key, Florida, this research explores the impact of meadow history, stability, and biodiversity on carbon storage and emissions. The Florida Sea Grant fellowship funding will be used to support the student’s final stages of dissertation through publication, extension, and outreach.
Lead Investigator: Alexandra Bijak abijak@ufl.edu, Laura Reynolds Assistant Professor Coastal Ecology LKReynolds@ufl.edu, Ashley Smyth Assistant Professor Biogeochemistry Tropical Research and Education Center ashley.smyth@ufl.edu
Collaborator: FDEP
Award Amount: $25,000
Year Funded: 2023
Award Period: 2/1/23-1/31/24
Project Abstract:

In the past two decades, seagrass meadows have garnered recognition for their ability to store significant amounts of carbon in sediment, potentially for millennia. However, incorporating seagrass carbon storage into nature-based climate change solutions remains challenging due to limited understanding of small-scale spatial variability in carbon storage and the impact of meadow greenhouse gas emissions. This dissertation research addresses these gaps by examining the effects of meadow history, stability, and biodiversity on carbon storage and emissions, utilizing existing datasets, field surveys, and laboratory experiments in Cedar Key, Florida. Findings indicate that species richness promotes meadow stability, leading to enhanced carbon stocks, while greenhouse gas emissions correlate with seagrass leaf area, albeit varying by species. Although data collection for the research projects is complete, the Florida Sea Grant fellowship will further the individual’s professional development and communication skills in the dissertation’s final stages through publication, extension activities, and outreach efforts.

A no cost extension was received through 7/31/24. This extension is deemed necessary due to the project’s objective of disseminating research findings through publication, which relies partially on the peer review process. Progress has been made towards publishing three journal articles and two extension documents, with one journal article published in Landscape Ecology, another under review at Functional Ecology, and one extension document accepted for publication in the UF/IFAS Extension EDIS Journal. Extending the project period will provide additional time for peer review of the remaining two manuscripts currently in preparation, aiming for publication by July 2024.

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