| one publication added to basket [74944] | Natural recolonisation of seagrasses at a disused sewage sludge outfall
In: Aquatic Botany. Elsevier Science: Tokyo; Oxford; New York; London; Amsterdam. ISSN 0304-3770; e-ISSN 1879-1522, more
|  |
| Keywords |
Flora > Weeds > Marine organisms > Seaweeds > Sea grass
Posidonia König, 1805 [WoRMS]
ISW, Australia, South Australia, Adelaide [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
seagrasses; sewage outfall; recolonisation; Posidonia |
| Authors | | Top |
- Bryars, S.
- Neverauskas, V.
|
|
|
| Abstract |
Digested sludge from a sewage outfall that operated for 15 years adjacent to Adelaide in South Australia caused total seagrass loss in a 365 ha area around the outfall. Eight years after its closure, an underwater survey was conducted to determine the extent of seagrass recovery in a 2 ha area immediately adjacent to the disused outfall. Total seagrass cover was estimated to be 28% comprising 23% Halophila australis, 3% Posidonia angustifolia, 1% Posidonia sinuosa, and less than 1% each for Zostera tasmanica and Amphibolis antarctica. The recovery of seagrasses at the outfall site is probably due to recolonisation by propagules from a distant source. While results from this study suggest that seagrasses can return to a severely polluted site if the pollution source is removed and that Posidonia can be a primary coloniser of disturbed sites, they also suggest that it will take many decades for the seagrass community to recover to its former state. |
|
