The functioning of an iconic Mediterranean ecosystem, the Posidonia oceanica meadow: The keys to a success story

The functioning of an iconic Mediterranean ecosystem, the Posidonia oceanica meadow: The keys to a success story

Charles-François Boudouresque, Patrick Astruch, Thomas Changeux, Michèle Perret-Boudouresque, Sandrine Ruitton

ORCID IDs: C.F.B. 0000-0001-82067169; P.A. 0000-0002-6299-9484; T.C. 0000-0002-0418-3321; S.R. 0000-0003-4485-9979

Aix-Marseille University and University of Toulon, MIO (Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography), IRD, CNRS, campus of Luminy, 13288 Marseille cedex 9, FRANCE
Aix-Marseille University, OSU Pytheas, GIS Posidonie, campus of Luminy, 13288 Marseille cedex 9, FRANCE

Abstract

Posidonia oceanica is a seagrass endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, where it is widespread and forms vast meadows down to 25-45 m depth. On the basis of its life history traits and the functioning of the key ecosystem of which it is the ecosystem engineer, the authors attempt to explore the reasons for the overwhelming success of this ecosystem and the ecosystem services it provides in a highly oligotrophic sea. The thickness of the matte, the structure formed by weakly degradable rhizomes and roots and by the sediment that fills the interstices, increases over time, so that the matte sequesters large amounts of carbon. Certain characteristics of the ecosystem make it similar to terrestrial forests, such as the very high plant biomass, the importance of the necromass, the preeminence of the detritivore pathway over the herbivore pathway, and the association of roots with fungi. A sophisticated strategy of collecting, trapping, storing, preserving, and even producing (thanks to association with N₂-fixing bacteria) inorganic nitrogen likely emerged as a response to the extreme oligotrophy of Mediterranean waters. The juxtaposition of two sets of primary producers, the seagrass itself that features weakly palatable and slowly degradable material, and leaf epiphytes that feature highly palatable material, constitute a further key to the success of the ecosystem. Like coral reefs, but through a very different strategy, the P. oceanica ecosystem thus supports lush life in nutrient-poor waters. Finally, The P. oceanica ecosystem provides humans with a variety of goods and ecosystem services of paramount importance; the most outstanding are (i) carbon sequestration partially mitigating human CO₂ emissions, (ii) the production of organogenic sand derived from the calcareous remains of organisms that lived in the meadow, part of which feeds the beaches, (iii) a significant direct and indirect contribution to fisheries landings, and (iv) a major role in protecting beaches against erosion, directly through the reduction of wave and swell strength, and indirectly through the deposition of dead leaves on the beach. Overall, by interacting with all other coastal ecosystems, e.g., via the exportation of huge amounts of dead leaves, the P. oceanica ecosystem constitutes a sort of Mediterranean hub.

Keywords: Carbon sequestration, ecosystem functioning, ecosystem services, Mediterranean Sea, nitrogen, Posidonia oceanica

Pages: 273-308

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