New paper from our group about Overgrazing of Seagrass by Sea Urchins!

A new paper leaded by our group member Dr. Paul Carnell is just published in the Journal of Ecosystems. The paper is entitled: "Overgrazing of Seagrass by Sea Urchins Diminishes Blue Carbon Stocks".

Image courtesy: Dr. Peter Macreadie

Seagrasses are among the Earth’s most efficient ecosystems for sequestering carbon, but are also in global decline, risking carbon they have accumulated over geological timescales. One contributor to this global decline is seagrass overgrazing by sea urchins; however, it is unknown how this may affect stocks of “blue carbon” by damaging the seagrass root systems that stabilise the carbon-rich sediments of seagrass meadows.

To fill this knowledge gap, Carnell et al. used aerial and sonar mapping plus soil carbon measures to investigate a seagrass urchin overgrazing event in Southeast Australia and quantified the concomitant impacts on blue carbon stocks. They found that seagrass loss significantly diminished local organic carbon stocks.

The authors of the paper also include the group members Daniel Ierodiaconou. Congrats to all!

To read the full publication, click here.