A global assessment of the chemical recalcitrance of seagrass tissues: Implications for long-term carbon sequestration

Trevathan-Tackett, SM; Macreadie, PI; Sanderman, J; Baldock, J; Howes, JM; Ralph, PJ

A global assessment of the chemical recalcitrance of seagrass tissues: Implications for long-term carbon sequestration

Trevathan-Tackett, SM

Macreadie, PI

Sanderman, J Baldock, J Howes, JM Ralph, PJ

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Frontiers in Plant Science, 2017, 8
Issue Date:: 2017-06-13

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Trevathan-Tackett, SM https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4977-0757	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Macreadie, PI https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-0882	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Sanderman, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Baldock, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Howes, JM	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Ralph, PJ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3103-7346	en_US
dc.date.available	2017-05-17	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017-06-13	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Frontiers in Plant Science, 2017, 8	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/119800
dc.description.abstract	© 2017 Trevathan-Tackett, Macreadie, Sanderman, Baldock, Howes and Ralph. Seagrass ecosystems have recently been identified for their role in climate change mitigation due to their globally-significant carbon sinks; yet, the capacity of seagrasses to sequester carbon has been shown to vary greatly among seagrass ecosystems. The recalcitrant nature of seagrass tissues, or the resistance to degradation back into carbon dioxide, is one aspect thought to influence sediment carbon stocks. In this study, a global survey investigated how the macromolecular chemistry of seagrass leaves, sheaths/stems, rhizomes and roots varied across 23 species from 16 countries. The goal was to understand how this seagrass chemistry might influence the capacity of seagrasses to contribute to sediment carbon stocks. Three non-destructive analytical chemical analyses were used to investigate seagrass chemistry: thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and solid state13 C-NMR and infrared spectroscopy. A strong latitudinal influence on carbon quality was found, whereby temperate seagrasses contained 5% relatively more labile carbon, and tropical seagrasses contained 3% relatively more refractory carbon. Sheath/stem tissues significantly varied across taxa, with larger morphologies typically containing more refractory carbon than smaller morphologies. Rhizomes were characterized by a higher proportion of labile carbon (16%of total organic matter compared to 8–10%in other tissues); however, high rhizome biomass production and slower remineralization in anoxic sediments will likely enhance these below-ground tissues’ contributions to long-termcarbon stocks. Our study provides a standardized and global dataset on seagrass carbon quality across tissue types, taxa and geography that can be incorporated in carbon sequestration and storage models as well as ecosystem valuation and management strategies.	en_US
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE130101084
dc.relation.ispartof	Frontiers in Plant Science	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3389/fpls.2017.00925	en_US
dc.title	A global assessment of the chemical recalcitrance of seagrass tissues: Implications for long-term carbon sequestration	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	8	en_US
utslib.for	0399 Other Chemical Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	0607 Plant Biology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	8	en_US

Abstract:

© 2017 Trevathan-Tackett, Macreadie, Sanderman, Baldock, Howes and Ralph. Seagrass ecosystems have recently been identified for their role in climate change mitigation due to their globally-significant carbon sinks; yet, the capacity of seagrasses to sequester carbon has been shown to vary greatly among seagrass ecosystems. The recalcitrant nature of seagrass tissues, or the resistance to degradation back into carbon dioxide, is one aspect thought to influence sediment carbon stocks. In this study, a global survey investigated how the macromolecular chemistry of seagrass leaves, sheaths/stems, rhizomes and roots varied across 23 species from 16 countries. The goal was to understand how this seagrass chemistry might influence the capacity of seagrasses to contribute to sediment carbon stocks. Three non-destructive analytical chemical analyses were used to investigate seagrass chemistry: thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and solid state13 C-NMR and infrared spectroscopy. A strong latitudinal influence on carbon quality was found, whereby temperate seagrasses contained 5% relatively more labile carbon, and tropical seagrasses contained 3% relatively more refractory carbon. Sheath/stem tissues significantly varied across taxa, with larger morphologies typically containing more refractory carbon than smaller morphologies. Rhizomes were characterized by a higher proportion of labile carbon (16%of total organic matter compared to 8–10%in other tissues); however, high rhizome biomass production and slower remineralization in anoxic sediments will likely enhance these below-ground tissues’ contributions to long-termcarbon stocks. Our study provides a standardized and global dataset on seagrass carbon quality across tissue types, taxa and geography that can be incorporated in carbon sequestration and storage models as well as ecosystem valuation and management strategies.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/119800