Landscape Monitoring and Biological Indicators for Seagrass Conservation In Texas Coastal Waters : final report

Abstract

Part I: Given the threats to coastal resources, implementation of a seagrass monitoring program in Texas is a top priority; however, to achieve maximum effectiveness, the program design should both detect changes in seagrass distribution, abundance, and condition as well as identify causative factors that drive those changes. Therefore, monitored habitat quality or stressor indicators should be strongly related to seagrass characteristics so that the seagrass condition at a site may be adequately characterized based on values of stressor indicators. We examined numerous abiotic and biotic variables at 40 sites in seagrass beds of Redfish Bay and East Flats to determine the strength of their relationship with seagrass biomass, density, cover and community composition. Strong relationships would suggest possible stressors as well as identify potential indicators of current and future seagrass condition. Both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to assess these relationships and identify candidate variables for inclusion in a monitoring program.