Stories of science from the Australian Rivers Institute
"Seagrasses are marvellous coastal ecosystems that provide a range of critical ecosystem functions and services, including climate regulation and fisheries production, however they are under threat."
“With fisheries for example, seagrasses provide nursery habitat for juvenile fish and foraging grounds for about 25% of the world’s biggest fisheries. "We identified associations between pressures and measured changes in seagrass extent and found that seagrasses are especially under threat from poor water quality and destructive fisheries like trawling."
"Seagrasses are flowering plants that live submerged in salty water and perform vital ecosystem services that help us and the food-webs that rely on them. For example, seagrasses capture and store more atmospheric carbon (per unit area) than many terrestrial plants, they act as nursery areas for important fishery species, and provide coastal protection against things like erosion and storm surges," Dr Ryan Pearson.
Author: PhD Alyssa Giffin Read Time: 872 words, about 6 minutes. Welcome to part one of the five-part Transition article series, the sequel to the Emergent series, that follows ARI’s Post-Doc Research Fellows as they navigate the next stage of their academic journey post-PhD. Take a journey with them and hear about some of the [...]
Dr Ryan Pearson Read Time: 503 words about 3 minutes. The effects of COVID-19 on the world has been profound. We're now re-evaluating intergovernmental, trade and personal relationships, and rethinking our consumer needs. Environmental groups have been encouraging people to 'eat more fish' in response to this pandemic. Consumer surveys during the pandemic have also highlighted [...]
By Dr Michael Sievers Reading Time: 485 words about 3 minutes. Habitat degradation is a global crisis. Quantifying and evaluating habitat change and its impacts on ecosystem function is needed to inform management and conservation that ultimately safeguards biodiversity and human benefits. Many of these benefits in coastal ecosystems depend not only on habitat status, [...]
Michael Sievers, Griffith University; Rod Connolly, Griffith University, and Tom Rayner, Griffith University When we think of mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and saltmarshes, we don’t immediately think of shark habitats. But the first global review of links between large marine animals (megafauna) and coastal wetlands is challenging this view – and how we might respond [...]
Author: Kristin Jinks “I had no idea whether I was going to live up to the expectations of my collaborators, but it was too good an opportunity to let my doubts stop me,” explains Kristin Jinks. - Working in the environmental sciences has its perks. Including the opportunities to visit and work at [...]
Catchment to Coast 