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Predators help protect carbon stocks in blue carbon ecosystems
journal contribution
posted on 2015-01-01, 00:00 authored by T Atwood, R Connolly, Euan RitchieEuan Ritchie, C Lovelock, M Heithaus, Graeme HaysGraeme Hays, J Fourqurean, Peter MacreadiePeter MacreadiePredators continue to be harvested unsustainably throughout most of the Earth's ecosystems. Recent research demonstrates that the functional loss of predators could have far-reaching consequences on carbon cycling and, by implication, our ability to ameliorate climate change impacts. Yet the influence of predators on carbon accumulation and preservation in vegetated coastal habitats (that is, salt marshes, seagrass meadows and mangroves) is poorly understood, despite these being some of the Earth's most vulnerable and carbon-rich ecosystems. Here we discuss potential pathways by which trophic downgrading affects carbon capture, accumulation and preservation in vegetated coastal habitats. We identify an urgent need for further research on the influence of predators on carbon cycling in vegetated coastal habitats, and ultimately the role that these systems play in climate change mitigation. There is, however, sufficient evidence to suggest that intact predator populations are critical to maintaining or growing reserves of 'blue carbon' (carbon stored in coastal or marine ecosystems), and policy and management need to be improved to reflect these realities.
History
Journal
Nature climate changeVolume
5Issue
12Pagination
1038 - 1045Publisher
Nature Publishing GroupLocation
London, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1758-678XeISSN
1758-6798Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal articleCopyright notice
2015, Nature Publishing GroupUsage metrics
Keywords
Science & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicinePhysical SciencesEnvironmental SciencesEnvironmental StudiesMeteorology & Atmospheric SciencesEnvironmental Sciences & EcologySEAGRASS POSIDONIA-OCEANICAMANGROVE FORESTSSEDIMENT RETENTIONORGANIC-MATTERSEED PREDATIONSEA OTTERSFOODGROWTHCONSEQUENCESHERBIVORYAtmospheric Sciences
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