The ecology of eelgrass meadows in the Pacific Northwest: A ...

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PREFACE Nearly half the population of the United States lives adjacent to coastal waters or to the shores of the Great Lakes. The recreational and economic pressures that accompany this residential pattern are invariably exerted on the nearshore coastal environment and its estuaries. Until recently, we have been accustomed to viewing the oceanic province as being immune to adverse impacts resulting from mild human activity. However, since the large-scale decline of eelgrass (zostera marina L.) in the North Atlantic in the 1930'~~ caused by a natural rise in water temperature, we are aware that dramatic and important changes can and do occur in marine ecosystems. Human activity now is increasing so that we may no longer be passive observers of such changes. This community profile has been developed to synthesize information on the structure and function of eelgrass meadows in the Pacific Northwest and their interrelationships with adjacent communities in the estuarine environment. Cowardin et al. (1979) classified this habitat as occurring in the Columbian province, estuarine system, intertidal and subtidal subsystems, aquatic bed class, and rooted vascular subclass. Water regimes vary from irregularly exposed (intertidal) to subtidal. Water chemistry is mesohaline (mixohaline: 5.0 ppt-18.0 ppt; polyhaline: 18.0 ppt-30.0 ppt) and euhaline (30.0 ppt-40.0 ppt). The text is organized on a taxonomic and functional basis. In Chapter 1 the physiographic setting of the Pacific Northwest eelgrass habitats is presented. Chapter 2 describes the biology of eelgrass in the province. In the next chapters the functional roles (Chapter 3) and components of the eelgrass community (Chapter 4) are described. Chapter 5 describes the interactions of the eelgrass community with adjacent communities. The report concludes with management considerations (Chapter 6). As with research on specific communities in any area, there are certain gaps in the data on eelgrass of the Pacific Northwest. Research in this region has emphasized the biology, biotic components, trophic relationships, and productivity of the plants. Thus, information on energy flow, nutrient cycling, decomposition, and sediment stabilization roles of eelgrass learned in Alaska and along the Atlantic coast of North America will be applied to the Pacific Northwest for the purpose of filling in the gaps in the research. This report is not an exhaustive survey of the literature on the eelgrass meadows of the Pacific Northwest. It is intended to characterize the major components and processes that occur and drive the eelgrass community and to form a basis for placing value on this munity. Comments on or requests for this publication should be directed to the following address. Infomtion Transfer Specialist National Ca3stal Ecosystems Team U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service NASA-Slidell CaTlputer Canplex 1010 Gause Blvd. Slidell, LA 7k3.458 (504) 255-6511
CONVERSION TABLES Metric to U.S. Customary Mu1 tiply mill imeters (mm) centimeters (an) meters (m) ki 1 ometers ( km) 2 square meters (m ) 10.76 square ki 1 ometers ( km ) 0.3861 hectares (ha) 2.471 inches inches feet miles To Obtain square feet square miles acres liters (1) cubic meters (m ) cubic meters 0.2642 gal 1 ons 35.31 cubic feet 0.00081 10 acre-feet mil 1 igrams (mg) 0.00003527 ounces grams (g) 0.03527 ounces kil ograms (kg) 2.205 pounds metric tons (t) 2205.0 pounds metric tons 1.102 short tons ki 1 ocal ories ( kcal ) 3.968 ~ t u Cel sius degrees 1.8(C0) + 32 Fahrenheit degrees U.S. Customary to Metric inches 25.40 inches 2.54 feet (ft) 0.3048 fa thorns 1.829 miles (mi) 1.609 nautical miles (nmi) 1.852 2 square feet (ft ) acres 2 square miles (mi ) gallons (gal) cubic feet (ft ) acre- feet ounces (oz) 28.35 pounds (lb) 0.4536 short tons (ton) 0.9072 British thermal units (Btu) 0.2520 mil 1 imeters centimeters meters meters kil ometers ki 1 meters square meters hectares square kilometers 1 i ters cubic meters cubic meters grams ki 1 og rams metric tons ki 1 ocal ories Fahrenheit degrees 0.5556(F0 - 32) Celsius degrees
Page 2 and 3: ~~~/0~-84/24 September 1984 THE ECO
Page 6 and 7: CONTENTS PREFACE ..................
Page 8 and 9: FIGURES Number 1 2 ................
Page 10 and 11: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to acknowled
Page 12 and 13: Because eelgrass is a rooted plant,
Page 14 and 15: CHAPTER 1 THE PHYSIOGRAPHIC SETTING
Page 16 and 17: Table 1. Precipitation, temperature
Page 18 and 19: Table 2. Distribution and extent of
Page 20 and 21: Table 2. (Concluded) Extent of mat
Page 22 and 23: CHAPTER 2 THE BIOLOGY OF EELGRASS 2
Page 24 and 25: Table 4. Field observations on eelg
Page 26 and 27: leaves overtopped them and created
Page 28 and 29: 1.0- influence the redox potential
Page 30 and 31: Oxygen There are Little data to ind
Page 32 and 33: enough, increased erosion of bottom
Page 34 and 35: The terms used to describe biomass
Page 36 and 37: estimates are reported on work done
Page 38 and 39: Figure 10. Eelgrass at Blakely Isla
Page 40 and 41: increase in p~), and the sediments
Page 42 and 43: particulate matter and DOM were hig
Page 44 and 45: Table 9. Nutrient content of eelgra
Page 46 and 47: ecause it is dominated by a single
Page 48 and 49: epibenthos, and other components al
Page 50 and 51: shorebirds). From a recent thorough
Page 52 and 53: pink shrimp, and bottom fish (Proct
Page 54 and 55:
Table 13 a. (Continued) Phyltnn, cl
Page 56 and 57:
Phylum, class, and Resident or Livi
Page 58 and 59:
Table 13b. (concluded) Resident or
Page 60 and 61:
Table 13c. (Concluded) Living Feedi
Page 62 and 63:
eelgrass) , while 29 species were f
Page 64 and 65:
(239,d9~,9(ii9 kg) (outram and Huln
Page 66 and 67:
Washington State Game Dept., pers.
Page 68 and 69:
Table 15. Energy in various ccmpart
Page 70 and 71:
Export of whole by waterfowl Figure
Page 72 and 73:
storms erode and dislodge some eelg
Page 74 and 75:
CHAPTER 6 HUMAN IMPACTS-MANAGEMENT
Page 76 and 77:
apparent darnazje. IUllzomes and ro
Page 78 and 79:
great annual range of water tempera
Page 80 and 81:
1978, for all assumptions, formulat
Page 82 and 83:
Table 16. ( CDncluded) Spec ies yea
Page 84 and 85:
REFERENCES Rdarns, S.M. 197va. The
Page 86 and 87:
seagrass community. Pages 153-162 i
Page 88 and 89:
on current flow. Estuarine Coastal
Page 90 and 91:
Inst. Agric. Res., Tohoku Univ.: 13
Page 92 and 93:
In flvt. seayrasses, l'halassia McR
Page 94 and 95:
eelgrass (~ostera marina L. ) Phill
Page 96 and 97:
along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. N
Page 98 and 99:
diatom assemblages in Netarts Bay,
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