Effects of Seagrass Wasting Disease on Eelgrass Growth and Belowground Sugar in Natural Meadows

Seagrass meadows provide valuable ecosystem benefits but are at risk from disease. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a temperate species threatened by seagrass wasting disease (SWD), caused by the protist Labyrinthula zosterae. The pathogen is sensitive to warming ocean temperatures, prompting a need for...

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Autores principales:	Olivia J. Graham, Lillian R. Aoki, Tiffany Stephens, Joshua Stokes, Sukanya Dayal, Brendan Rappazzo, Carla P. Gomes, C. Drew Harvell
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:	Zostera marina Labyrinthula zosterae specific productivity non-structural carbon climate change Science Q General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution QH1-199.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/3604bcf28a2f45d1b1fff78ff1b1976e
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:3604bcf28a2f45d1b1fff78ff1b1976e2021-11-10T06:07:44ZEffects of Seagrass Wasting Disease on Eelgrass Growth and Belowground Sugar in Natural Meadows2296-774510.3389/fmars.2021.768668https://doaj.org/article/3604bcf28a2f45d1b1fff78ff1b1976e2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.768668/fullhttps://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745Seagrass meadows provide valuable ecosystem benefits but are at risk from disease. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a temperate species threatened by seagrass wasting disease (SWD), caused by the protist Labyrinthula zosterae. The pathogen is sensitive to warming ocean temperatures, prompting a need for greater understanding of the impacts on host health under climate change. Previous work demonstrates pathogen cultures grow faster under warmer laboratory conditions and documents positive correlations between warmer ocean temperatures and disease levels in nature. However, the consequences of disease outbreaks on eelgrass growth remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the effect of disease on eelgrass productivity in the field. We coupled in situ shoot marking with high-resolution imagery of eelgrass blades and used an artificial intelligence application to determine disease prevalence and severity from digital images. Comparisons of eelgrass growth and disease metrics showed that SWD impaired eelgrass growth and accumulation of non-structural carbon in the field. Blades with more severe disease had reduced growth rates, indicating that disease severity can limit plant growth. Disease severity and rhizome sugar content were also inversely related, suggesting that disease reduced belowground carbon accumulation. Finally, repeated measurements of diseased blades indicated that lesions can grow faster than healthy tissue in situ. This is the first study to demonstrate the negative impact of wasting disease on eelgrass health in a natural meadow. These results emphasize the importance of considering disease alongside other stressors to better predict the health and functioning of seagrass meadows in the Anthropocene.Olivia J. GrahamLillian R. AokiTiffany StephensJoshua StokesSukanya DayalBrendan RappazzoCarla P. GomesC. Drew HarvellFrontiers Media S.A.articleZostera marinaLabyrinthula zosteraespecific productivitynon-structural carbonclimate changeScienceQGeneral. Including nature conservation, geographical distributionQH1-199.5ENFrontiers in Marine Science, Vol 8 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Zostera marina Labyrinthula zosterae specific productivity non-structural carbon climate change Science Q General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution QH1-199.5
spellingShingle	Zostera marina Labyrinthula zosterae specific productivity non-structural carbon climate change Science Q General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution QH1-199.5 Olivia J. Graham Lillian R. Aoki Tiffany Stephens Joshua Stokes Sukanya Dayal Brendan Rappazzo Carla P. Gomes C. Drew Harvell Effects of Seagrass Wasting Disease on Eelgrass Growth and Belowground Sugar in Natural Meadows
description	Seagrass meadows provide valuable ecosystem benefits but are at risk from disease. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a temperate species threatened by seagrass wasting disease (SWD), caused by the protist Labyrinthula zosterae. The pathogen is sensitive to warming ocean temperatures, prompting a need for greater understanding of the impacts on host health under climate change. Previous work demonstrates pathogen cultures grow faster under warmer laboratory conditions and documents positive correlations between warmer ocean temperatures and disease levels in nature. However, the consequences of disease outbreaks on eelgrass growth remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the effect of disease on eelgrass productivity in the field. We coupled in situ shoot marking with high-resolution imagery of eelgrass blades and used an artificial intelligence application to determine disease prevalence and severity from digital images. Comparisons of eelgrass growth and disease metrics showed that SWD impaired eelgrass growth and accumulation of non-structural carbon in the field. Blades with more severe disease had reduced growth rates, indicating that disease severity can limit plant growth. Disease severity and rhizome sugar content were also inversely related, suggesting that disease reduced belowground carbon accumulation. Finally, repeated measurements of diseased blades indicated that lesions can grow faster than healthy tissue in situ. This is the first study to demonstrate the negative impact of wasting disease on eelgrass health in a natural meadow. These results emphasize the importance of considering disease alongside other stressors to better predict the health and functioning of seagrass meadows in the Anthropocene.
format	article
author	Olivia J. Graham Lillian R. Aoki Tiffany Stephens Joshua Stokes Sukanya Dayal Brendan Rappazzo Carla P. Gomes C. Drew Harvell
author_facet	Olivia J. Graham Lillian R. Aoki Tiffany Stephens Joshua Stokes Sukanya Dayal Brendan Rappazzo Carla P. Gomes C. Drew Harvell
author_sort	Olivia J. Graham
title	Effects of Seagrass Wasting Disease on Eelgrass Growth and Belowground Sugar in Natural Meadows
title_short	Effects of Seagrass Wasting Disease on Eelgrass Growth and Belowground Sugar in Natural Meadows
title_full	Effects of Seagrass Wasting Disease on Eelgrass Growth and Belowground Sugar in Natural Meadows
title_fullStr	Effects of Seagrass Wasting Disease on Eelgrass Growth and Belowground Sugar in Natural Meadows
title_full_unstemmed	Effects of Seagrass Wasting Disease on Eelgrass Growth and Belowground Sugar in Natural Meadows
title_sort	effects of seagrass wasting disease on eelgrass growth and belowground sugar in natural meadows
publisher	Frontiers Media S.A.
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/3604bcf28a2f45d1b1fff78ff1b1976e
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Effects of Seagrass Wasting Disease on Eelgrass Growth and Belowground Sugar in Natural Meadows

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