eCoast Director Dougal Greer Co-Authors Publication for the Journal Of Biogeography

eCoast is pleased to announce the publication of a paper in the Journal of Biogeography. Co-authored by eCoast scientist Dougal Greer, in collaboration with the University of Western Australia, the publication focused on understanding the connectivity of seagrass (Posidonia australi) meadows around Victoria and southern New South Wales in Australia.

This is a significant study as it helps us to understand the propagation of seagrass which is in decline worldwide. Seagrasses is a highly important link in the food chain as they provide food, habitat, and nursery areas for numerous species which depend on the plant.

Dougal’s role in the study was to use state of the art hydrodynamic and particle modelling to determine the potential for seagrass seeds to travel between different meadows. The study involved simulating sea grass seed transport over 19 years to provide spatial probability maps of seed settlement and hence the potential for connectivity between separate sea grass meadows. Results were compared with connectivity patterns established by genetic analysis of sampled sea grass shoots from across the meadows and was found to be in good agreement.