Seagrass bed recovery after hydrological restoration in a coastal lagoon with groundwater discharges in the north of Yucatan (southeastern Mexico)
Herrera-Silveira, J.A.; Ramirez-Ramirez, J.; Gomez, N.; Zaldivar-Jimenez, A. (2000). Seagrass bed recovery after hydrological restoration in a coastal lagoon with groundwater discharges in the north of Yucatan (southeastern Mexico), in: Bortone, S.A. (Ed.) Seagrasses: monitoring, ecology, physiology, and management. CRC Marine Science Series, 16: pp. 219-229
In: Bortone, S.A. (Ed.) (2000). Seagrasses: monitoring, ecology, physiology, and management. CRC Marine Science Series, 16. CRC Press: Boca Raton. ISBN 0-8493-2045-3. 318 pp., more
In: Kennish, M.J.; Lutz, P.L. (Ed.) CRC Marine Science Series., more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Herrera-Silveira, J.A.
- Ramirez-Ramirez, J.
- Gomez, N.
- Zaldivar-Jimenez, A.
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| Abstract |
In the Yucatan Peninsula the lagoons are the major geomorphologica1 features of the coast. The shallow water ( <2.5 rn) of these ecosystems favors coverage of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) dominated by seagrasses. The hydrological characteristics of Chelem Lagoon were modified as a consequence of the reduction of freshwater discharge through the springs. Due to harbor and road construction and natural events such as hurricanes, seagrasses almost disappeared and the benthos was occupied by macroalgae. Mean salinity was 42‰ and the SAV coverage, reduced to 20-30‰, was dominated by Laurencia microcladia, Batophora oerstedii, Acetabularia sp. In 1994 a hydrologica1 restoration program was initiated, specifically targeting the removal of sediments in the springs thereby increasing freshwater discharges to the lagoon. After 5 years of restoration effort, the mean salinity dropped from 42‰ to 35‰, and the SAV coverage increased to 80%, dominated by Halodule wrightii with patches of Ruppia maritima and Thalassia testudinum. More recently, eutrophication and turbidity caused by urbanization and dredging have reduced SAV growth and production. |
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