![]() ![]() What is less clearly established is how climate change will affect seagrass ecosystems through biological interactions such as between plant and herbivores 19. Therefore, although most studies have addressed the positive effects of ocean acidification on seagrasses, these benefits could be negated under the more realistic scenario of ocean acidification combined with an increase in temperature 18. ![]() Meanwhile, ocean acidification has been suggested to benefit seagrasses and increase their productivity 14, 15, 16 because photosynthesis of most seagrasses has been shown to be undersaturated at present seawater partial pressure of CO 2 ( pCO 2) 17. However, seagrass species are known to have a thermal tolerance window 11, and temperature that exceed this window will negatively or potentially lethally affect them 12, 13. Increase of seawater temperature is generally known to increase seagrass metabolism and productivity 9, 10. Therefore, information on how global climate change including ocean warming and acidification will affect seagrass meadows is critical to enable prediction and implementation of effective conservation strategies of seagrass ecosystems 8. In addition to such local stressors, the ongoing global ocean environmental change caused by increasing atmospheric CO 2 is expected to intensely affect seagrass ecosystems worldwide 7. However, seagrass ecosystems are now threatened by a number of anthropogenic stressors, such as eutrophication, dredging and coastal development 6. Seagrass ecosystems are classified as one of the most productive ecosystems in coastal waters 1 and provide numerous ecological functions including regulation of the nutrient cycle 2, carbon sink 3, sediment stabilization 4, and habitats and food provision for a wide range of marine organisms 5. ![]()
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