Abstract
This chapter presents an introduction to the biogeography of southeastern Australian seagrasses, explaining the distribution and basic ecology of the 22 species that inhabit this 10,000 km stretch of coastline, from the northern limit of Queensland’s temperate zone through to Tasmania . The chapter draws on 25 years of new information (peer-reviewed literature, books, personal communications, etc.) that has been generated since the previous biogeography chapter of its kind was written by Larkum et al. (Biology of Seagrasses—a treatise on the biology of seagrasses with special reference to the Australian region. Elsevier, The Netherlands, 1989). The influence of local (e.g. geomorphic environment) and large-scale (e.g. temperature) factors on the distribution of species are discussed. Also, we present up-to-date information on the status (declining, increasing, or no change) of each species from a conservation point of view on a state-by-state basis. Not surprisingly, many species are reported to have declined for a variety of reasons, including: flood events, boat moorings, and coastal development (e.g. dredging). Fortunately, there are also reports of recovery. Thanks to developments in genetic sequencing we have been able to present new data on genetic connectivity , gene flow , and source-sink populations for a handful of species. In the coming years we expect and hope that improvements in remote sensing technology will allow for more accurate, more frequent, and higher resolution mapping of seagrasses along this stretch of coast.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abal EG, Dennison WC (1996) Seagrass depth range and water quality in southern Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Mar Freshw Res 47:763–771
Ball D, Blake S (2009) Submerged aquatic vegetation in estuaries of the Glenelg Hopkins catchment. Marine and freshwater systems Technical Report, Book 26. Department of Primary Industries, Queenscliff
Ball D, Parry G, Heislers S, Blake S, Werner G (2006) Analysis of Victoria’s seagrass health at a multi-regional level. Progress report, Book 1. Primary Industries Research Victoria, Queenscliff
Ball D, Soto-Berelov M, Young P (2014) Historical seagrass mapping in Port Phillip Bay, Australia. J Coast Conserv 18:257–272
Blake S, Ball D (2001a) Victorian marine habitat database: seagrass mapping of Port Phillip Bay. In: Geospatial systems Section M, freshwater resources I. Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Queenscliff
Blake S, Ball D (2001b) Victorian marine habitat database: seagrass mapping Western Port. Book 29. Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Queenscliff
Blake S, Ball D, Coots A (2012) Marine video survey of Victoria. Fisheries Victoria Technical Report, Book 155. Department of Primary Industries, Queenscliff
Bulthuis DA, Brand GW, Mobley MC (1984) Suspended sediments and nutrients in water ebbing from seagrass-covered and denuded tidal mudflats in a southern Australian embayment. Aquat Bot 20:257–266
Campagne CS, Salles J-M, Boissery P, Deter J (2015) The seagrass Posidonia oceanica: ecosystem services identification and economic evaluation of goods and benefits. Mar Pollut Bull 97:391–400
Campbell SJ, McKenzie LJ (2004) Flood related loss and recovery of intertidal seagrass meadows in southern Queensland, Australia. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 60:477–490
Carruthers TJB, Dennison WC, Longstaff BJ, Waycott M, Abal EG, McKenzie LJ, Long WJL (2002) Seagrass habitats of northeast Australia: models of key processes and controls. Bull Mar Sci 71:1153–1169
Coles R, McKenzie L, Campbell S (2003) The seagrasses of eastern Australia. In: Green EP, Frederick TS (eds) World atlas of seagrasses. UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, pp 119–133
Coles R, McKenzie L, De’ath G, Roelofs A, Lee Long W (2009) Spatial distribution of deepwater seagrass in the inter-reef lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 392:57–68
Coughanowr C, Whitehead S, Whitehead J, Einoder L, Taylor U, Weeding B (2015) State of the Derwent estuary: a review of environmental data from 2009 to 2014. Derwent Estuary Program
Creese RG, Glasby TM, West G, Gallen C (2009) Mapping the habitats of NSW estuaries. Industry & Investment NSW Fisheries Final Report Series 113, Port Stephens, NSW, Australia
Dennison WC, Abal EG (1999) Moreton Bay study: a scientific basis for the healthy waterways campaign. South East Queensland Regional Water Quality Management Strategy Team, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Edgar GJ, Samson CR, Barrett NS (2005) Species extinction in the marine environment: Tasmania as a regional example of overlooked losses in biodiversity. Conserv Biol 19:1294–1300
EHMP (2010) Ecosystem health monitoring program 2008-09. Annual Technical Report. South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Evans SM, Griffin KJ, Blick R, Poore AGB, Vergés A (in press) Seagrass on the brink: decline of threatened seagrass Posidonia australis continues following protection. PLOS ONE
Evans SM, Sinclair EA, Poore AGB, Steinberg PD, Kendrick GA, Vergés A (2014) Genetic diversity in threatened Posidonia australis seagrass meadows. Conserv Genet 15:717–728
French T, Monk J, Ierodiaconou D, Pope A, Ball D (2014) Yaringa and French Island Marine National Park Habitat Mapping. Parks Victoria Technical Series, Book 96. Parks Victoria, Melbourne
GBRMPA (2011) A vulnerability assessment for the Great Barrier Reef: seagrass. In: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority AG (ed)
Hanington P, Hunnam K, Johnstone R (2014) Widespread loss of the seagrass Syringodium isoetifolium after a major flood event in Moreton Bay, Australia: implications for benthic processes. Aquat Bot 120:244–250
Hirst AJ, Longmore AD, Ball D, Cook PLM, Jenkins GP (2017) Linking nitrogen sources utilised by seagrass in a temperate marine embayment to patterns of seagrass change during drought. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 549:79–88
Hirst AJ, Giri K, Ball D, Lee R (in press) Determination of the physical drivers of seagrass distribution in Port Phillip Bay, Australia, using a spatial autoregressive lag model. Mar Freshw Res
Hughes JM, Davis GL (1989a) Aquatic plants of Tasmania. Department of Geography, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria
Hughes JMR, Davis GL (1989b) Aquatic plants of Tasmania. Department of Geography, University of Melbourne Parkville, Victoria
Hyland SJ, Courtney A, Butler C (1989) Distribution of seagrass in the Moreton region from Coolangatta to Noosa. Information series. Fisheries Research Branch, Department of Primary Industries Queensland Government, Brisbane
Ierodiaconou DA, Laurenson LJB (2002) Estimates of Heterozostera tasmanica, Zostera muelleri and Ruppia megacarpa distribution and biomass in the Hopkins Estuary, western Victoria, by GIS. Aust J Bot 50:215–228
Ierodiaconou D, Laurenson L, Burq S, Reston M (2007) Marine benthic habitat mapping using multibeam data, georeferenced video and image classification techniques in Victoria, Australia. J Spat Sci 52:93–104
IMAS (2000–2016) SeaMap Tasmania: mapping the seabed for discovery, resource management and biodiversity assessment. Accessed 8 Mar. http://seamap.imas.utas.edu.au/about-seamap/
Jacobs SWL, Les DH, Moody ML (2006) New combinations in Australasian Zostera (Zosteraceae). Telopea 11:127–128
Jenkins G, Keough M, Ball D, Cook P, Ferguson A, Gay J, Hirst A, Lee R, Longmore A, Macreadie P, Nayar S, Sherman C, Smith T, Ross J, York P (2015a) Seagrass resilience in Port Phillip Bay
Jenkins GP, Keough MJ, Ball D, Cook PLM, Ferguson A, Gay J, Hirst AJ, Lee R, Longmore AD, Macreadie PI, Nayar S, Sherman CDH, Smith TM, York PH (2015b) Seagrass resilience in Port Phillip Bay. University of Melbourne, Melbourne
Kirkman H (1978) Decline of seagrass in northern areas of Moreton Bay, Queensland. Aquat Bot 5:63–76
Kirkman H (1997) Seagrasses of Australia. Australia: State of the Environment Technical Paper Series (Estuaries and the Sea). Department of the Environment, Canberra
Kuo J (2005) A revision of the genus Heterozostera (Zosteraceae). Aquat Bot 81:97–140
Larkum AWD (1976) Ecology of Botany Bay. 1. Growth of Posidonia australis (Brown) Hook. f. in Botany Bay and other bays of Sydney Basin. Aust J Mar Freshw Res 27:117–127
Larkum AWD (1983) Seagrass ecosystems of Australia. Bull Mar Sci 33:779–780
Larkum AWD, West RJ (1983) Stability, depletion and restoration of seagrass beds. Proc Linn Soc NSW 106:201–212
Larkum AWD, West RJ (1990) Long-term changes of seagrass meadows in Botany Bay, Australia. Aquat Bot 37:55–70
Larkum AWD, McComb AJ, Sheperd SA (1989) Biology of Seagrasses—a treatise on the biology of seagrasses with special reference to the Australian region. Elsevier, The Netherlands
Lavery PS, Mateo MA, Serrano O, Rozaimi M (2013) Variability in the carbon storage of seagrass habitats and its implications for global estimates of blue carbon ecosystem service. PLoS ONE 8:e73748
Les DH, Moody ML, Jacobs SWL, Bayer RJ (2002) Systematics of seagrasses (Zosteraceae) in Australia and New Zealand. Syst Bot 27:468–484
Lord D, Paling E, Gordon D (1999) Review of Australian rehabilitation and restoration programmes. In: Butler A, Jernakoff P (eds) Seagrass in Australia: strategic review and development of an R&D plan. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia, pp 65–115
Lucieer V, Lawler M, Morffew M, Pender A (2007) Estuaries habitat mapping in the Derwent-2007 A resurvey of marine habitats by SeaMap Tasmania
Macreadie PI, Baird ME, Trevathan-Tackett SM, Larkum AWD, Ralph PJ (2014a) Quantifying and modelling the carbon sequestration capacity of seagrass meadows—a critical assessment. Mar Pollut Bull 83:430–439
Macreadie PI, York PH, Sherman CDH, Keough MJ, Ross DJ, Ricart AM, Smith TM (2014b) No detectable impact of small-scale disturbances on ‘blue carbon’ within seagrass beds. Mar Biol 161:2939–2944
Macreadie PI, Rolph TC, Boyd R, Schröder-Adams CJ, Skilbeck CG (2015a) Do ENSO and coastal development enhance coastal burial of terrestrial carbon? PLoS ONE 10:e0145136
Macreadie PI, Rolph TC, Schröder-Adams C, Boyd R, Skilbeck CG (2015b) Holocene record of Tuggerah Lake estuary development on the Australian east coast: sedimentary responses to sea-level fluctuations and climate variability. GeoResJ 5:57–73
Macreadie PI, Trevathan-Tackett SM, Skilbeck CG, Sanderman J, Curlevski N, Jacobsen G, Seymour JR (2015c) Losses and recovery of organic carbon from a seagrass ecosystem following disturbance. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci (in press)
Maxwell P, Pitt KA, Olds AD, Rissik D, Connolly RM (2015) Identifying habitats at risk: simple models can reveal complex ecosystem dynamics. Ecol Appl 25:573–587
McCormack C, Rasheed M, Davies J, Carter A, Sankey T, Tol S (2013) Long term seagrass monitoring in the Port Curtis western basin: quarterly seagrass assessments & permanent transect monitoring progress report November 2009 to November 2012. Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER) Publication, James Cook University, Cairns
McKenzie LJ, LeeLong WJ, Coles RG, Roder CA (2000) Seagrass-watch: community based monitoring of seagrass resources. Biologia Marina Mediterranea 7:393–396
McKenzie L, Yoshida R, A. G, Coles R (2010) Queensland seagrasses. Status 2010—Torres Straight and East Coast. Fisheries Queensland (DEEDI), Cairns
Meehan AJ, West RJ (2000) Recovery times for a damaged Posidonia australis bed in south eastern Australia. Aquat Bot 67:161–167
Monk J, Pope A, Ierodiaconou D, Otera K, Mount R (2011) Corner Inlet and Nooramunga habitat mapping project. Deakin University, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia
Moss A (1998) Impacts of the May 1996 flood on water quality in Moreton Bay. In: Tibbetts IR, Hall NJ, Dennison WC (eds) Moreton Bay and catchment. School of Marine Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Parry G (2010) Feasibility of restoration of seagrass beds using seeds. Marine and Freshwater Systems report, Book 21. Department of Primary Industries, Queenscillf, Victoria
Potter IC, Chuwen BM, Hoeksema SD, Elliott M (2010) The concept of an estuary: a definition that incorporates systems which can become closed to the ocean and hypersaline. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 87:497–500
Preen A, Lee Long W, Coles RG (1993) Widespread loss of seagrasses in Hervey Bay. Interim report to Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage, May 1993
Pritchard DW (1967) What is an estuary: physical viewpoint. Estuaries 83:3–5
Rees CG (1993) Tasmanian seagrass communities. Master of Environmental Studies Thesis, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia
Roelfsema C, Phinn S, Udy N, Maxwell P (2009) An integrated field and remote sensing approach for mapping seagrass cover, Moreton Bay, Australia. J Spat Sci 54:45–62
Roelfsema C, Kovacs EM, Saunders MI, Phinn S, Lyons M, Maxwell PS (2013) Challenges of remote sensing for quantifying changes in large complex seagrass environments. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 133:161–171
Roob R, Ball D (1997) Victorian marine habitat mapping database: Gippsland Lakes seagrass mapping. Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Queenscliff
Roob R, Morris P, Werner G (1998) Victorian marine habitat database: Corner Inlet and Nooramunga seagrass mapping. Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Queenscliff
Roper T, Creese B, Scanes P, Stephens K, Williams R, Dela-Cruz J, Coade G, Coates B, Fraser M (2011) Assessing the condition of estuaries and coastal lake ecosystems in NSW. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting program, Technical report series. Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney
Sankey TL, Rasheed MA (2011) Gladstone permanent transects seagrass monitoring sites – February and March 2011 update. Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Northern Fisheries Centre, Cairns
Short FT, Coles R, Waycott M, Bujang JS, Fortes M, Prathep A, Kamal AHM, Jagtap TG, Bandeira S, Freeman A, Erftemeijer P, La Nafie YA, Vergara S, Calumpong HP, Makm I (2010). Syringodium isoetifolium. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010:e.T173332A6992969. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T173332A6992969.en. Downloaded on 10 March 2016
SMEC (2003) Towra beach nourishment. Environmental impact statement, vol 1. Prepared for the Waterways Authority and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Aug 2003
Tasmanian Planning Commission (2009) State of the environment report: Tasmania 2009. Tasmanian Planning Commission: Tasmania
Thomas R, Unsworth RKF, Rasheed MA (2010) Seagrasses of Port Curtis and Rodds Bay and long term seagrass monitoring, November 2009. Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Northern Fisheries Centre, Cairns
Turner L, Tracey D, Tilden J, Dennison WC (2004) Where river meets sea: exploring Australia’s estuaries. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood
Tuya F, Haroun R, Espino F (2014) Economic assessment of ecosystem services: Monetary value of seagrass meadows for coastal fisheries. Ocean Coast Manag 96:181–187
Walker DI, McComb AJ (1992) Seagrass degradation in Australian coastal waters. Mar Pollut Bull 25:191–195
Waycott M, Duarte CM, Carruthers TJB, Orth RJ, Dennison WC, Olyarnik S, Calladine A, Fourqurean JW, Heck KL, Hughes AR, Kendrick GA, Kenworthy WJ, Short FT, Williams SL (2009) Accelerating loss of seagrasses across the globe threatens coastal ecosystems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:12377–12381
Waycott M, McMahon K, Lavery P (2014) A guide to Southern temperate seagrasses. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood
West RJ (1983) The seagrasses of New South Wales estuaries and embayments. Wetlands (Australia) 3:34–44
West RJ (2012) Impacts of recreational boating activities on the seagrass Posidonia in SE Australia. Wetlands 26:3–13
Williams RJ, Scanes PR, Udy J (2013) Seagrasses of southeastern Australia. In: Paul S (ed) Workbook for managing urban wetlands in Australia. Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Sydney, pp 276–292
Young PC, Kirkman H (1975) The seagrass communities of Moreton Bay, Queensland. Aquat Bot 1:191–202
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Macreadie, P.I., Sullivan, B., Evans, S.M., Smith, T.M. (2018). Biogeography of Australian Seagrasses: NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and Temperate Queensland. In: Larkum, A., Kendrick, G., Ralph, P. (eds) Seagrasses of Australia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71354-0_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71354-0_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71352-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71354-0
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)