Net global losses of seagrasses have accelerated efforts to understand recovery from disturbances. Stressors causing disturbances (e.g., storms, heatwaves, boating) vary temporally and spatially within meadows potentially affecting recovery. To test differential recovery, we conducted a removal experiment at sites that differed in thermal stress for a temperate seagrass (Zostera marina). We also synthesized prior studies of seagrass recovery to assess general patterns. Seagrass shoots were removed from 28.3 m2 plots at edge and central sites of a meadow in South Bay, Virginia, USA. We hypothesized faster recovery for edge plots where greater oceanic exchange reduces thermal stress. Contrary to our hypothesis recovery was most rapid in the central meadow matching control site shoot density in 24 months. Recovery was incomplete at the meadow edge and estimated to require 158 months. Differences in recovery were likely due to storm‐driven sediment erosion at the edge sites. Based on data from prior recovery studies, which were primarily on monospecific meadows of Zostera, seagrasses recover across a broad range of conditions with a positive, nonlinear relationship between disturbance area and recovery time. Our experiment indicates position within a seagrass meadow affects disturbance susceptibility and length of recovery. Linking this finding to our literature synthesis suggests increased attention to spatial context will contribute to better understanding variation in recovery rates.

中文翻译：

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海草生态系统恢复：干扰研究的实验去除和综合


全球海草净损失加速了了解干扰后恢复情况的努力。引起干扰的压力源（例如风暴、热浪、划船）在草地内随时间和空间变化，可能影响恢复。为了测试差异恢复，我们在温带海草（大叶藻码头）热应力不同的地点进行了去除实验。我们还综合了之前的海草恢复研究来评估一般模式。美国弗吉尼亚州南湾草地边缘和中心的 28.3 平方米地块上的海草芽被移除。我们假设边缘地块的恢复速度更快，其中更大的海洋交换减少了热应力。与我们的假设相反，在 24 个月内，与对照地点枝条密度相匹配的中央草地恢复速度最快。草地边缘的恢复尚未完全，估计需要 158 个月。恢复的差异可能是由于边缘地点风暴驱动的沉积物侵蚀造成的。根据先前恢复研究的数据，这些研究主要针对大叶藻的单一特异性草甸，海草在广泛的条件下恢复，干扰面积和恢复时间之间存在正的非线性关系。我们的实验表明海草草甸内的位置会影响干扰敏感性和恢复时间。将这一发现与我们的文献综述联系起来表明，增加对空间背景的关注将有助于更好地理解回收率的变化。