Nutrient status of seagrasses cannot be inferred from system-scale distribution of phosphorus in Shark Bay, Western Australia

Researchers found that phosphorus (P) availability for seagrasses in Shark Bay, Western Australia, cannot be predicted from large-scale sedimentary P distributions. Despite a known north-to-south gradient of P concentrations across the embayment, local-scale nutrient content in seagrass leaves (Amphibolis antarctica and Halodule uninervis) showed high variability and no strong correlation with sediment P levels. Mean nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) ratios (<33.5) also suggested that P limitation was unlikely, contrary to prior assumptions. The study concluded that P availability is likely a localized, complex interplay of nutrient inputs, delivery rates, and cycling dynamics, rather than a system-wide trend.

Fraser, M. W., Kendrick, G. A., Grierson, P. F., Fourqurean, J. W., Vanderklift, M. A., & Walker, D. I. (2012). Nutrient status of seagrasses cannot be inferred from system-scale distribution of phosphorus in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research, 63(11), 1015. https://doi.org/10.1071/mf12026