Lin, Chieh, Coles, Robert G., Rasheed, Michael A., and Grech, Alana (2024) A comprehensive functional trait database of seagrasses in Tropical Queensland. Australia Journal of Botany, 72. BT24017.

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Abstract

Context. Seagrasses form an important habitat that provides diverse ecosystem services essential for both the environment and people. In tropical Queensland, Australia, these meadows hold significant economic and cultural value, serving as nurseries for marine species and sustaining dugongs and green turtles. The biomass and size of tropical seagrass meadows in Queensland varies considerably and are influenced by various factors, both biotic and abiotic. Aims. Functional trait-based approaches can improve the estimation of seagrass-meadow resilience and services provision by describing the relationship between environment and individual performance. To support these approaches, we provide a seagrass functional-trait database focusing on resilience and function provision for tropical Queensland. Methods. We employed a combination of literature reviews, database searches, botanical information, and structured expert elicitation to target 17 functional traits across 13 seagrass species in tropical Queensland. Key results. We developed a traits database to inform functional trait-based approaches to assessing seagrass-meadow resilience and dynamics. The outputs included trait information for approximately 78% of the targeted traits(of 221 unique trait–seagrass combinations). Conclusions. With current information on functional traits, we can improve the estimation of resilience and ecosystem services for tropical Queensland seagrass species. We have also highlighted trait data gaps and areas for further research. Implications. We have provided examples of applying this database within the tropical Queensland context, with the potential to facilitate regional comparative studies. Our database complements existing plant-trait databases and serves as a valuable resource for future trait-based seagrass research in tropical Queensland.

Item ID:	84560
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1444-9862
Related URLs:	Publisher
Copyright Information:	© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
Funders:	Australian Research Council (ARC)
Projects and Grants:	ARC LP 210300851
Date Deposited:	03 Feb 2025 22:29
FoR Codes:	31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3108 Plant biology > 310899 Plant biology not elsewhere classified @ 50% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4102 Ecological applications > 410203 Ecosystem function @ 50%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1805 Marine systems and management > 180599 Marine systems and management not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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