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A Simple Mooring Modification Reduces Impacts on Seagrass Meadows by Luff, Anna L.; Sheehan, Emma V.; Parry, Mark; Higgs, Nicholas D. is a Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology article available to read on EtoBox.

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## Abstract Moorings can have a detrimental impact on seagrass, fragmenting the meadows, resulting in the habitat degradation. To reduce contact of the moorings with the seabed we attached small floats along the chain of a traditional swing mooring and monitored the ecological impacts of this modified mooring, with reference to a standard swing mooring, in a seagrass meadow under high tidal influence. After three years, seagrass density surrounding the modified mooring was over twice as high as that of the standard mooring, with blade length surrounding the modified mooring also found to exceed that of the standard mooring. Seagrass-associated epifaunal species richness was twice as high surrounding the modified mooring compared to the standard mooring. Sediment composition was considerably finer at the modified mooring, indicative of increased disturbance surrounding the standard mooring. A simple modification to existing swing moorings can mitigate some of the impacts of moorings on seagrass meadows, whilst accommodating for tidal fluctuations. The scale of the differences observed between the mooring types demonstrates the susceptibility of seagrass meadows to damage from swing

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Author

Luff, Anna L.; Sheehan, Emma V.; Parry, Mark; Higgs, Nicholas D.

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC; London: Nature Publishing Group; [London]: Springer Nature; Nature Publishing Group; Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Inc.; Research Square; Springer Nature; Island Press (ISSN 2045-2322)

Published

2019

Language

EN

Field

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)