Seagrass and Mangrove community interaction research initiatives

Mangrove and seagrass communities co-occurringSeagrass and mangrove communities often grow in close proximity. IAN staff have recently been involved in two efforts to help understand the linkages and interactions between these communities. Bill Dennison and Candy Feller chaired a special session at the recent Estuarine Research Federation (ERF) conference in Norfolk entitled “Interdisciplinary Approach to Research in Tropical Seagrass and Mangrove Ecosystems”. Mangrove and seagrass presentations were alternated to encourage engagement between the two fields. With funding from the Smithsonian Marine Science Network Colloquium, Tim Carruthers and Candy Feller organized a field workshop at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Bocas del Toro, Panama, following ERF. Bill Dennison as well as Giuseppe DiCarlo, Terry Jordan, and Ben Longstaff joined a total of 20 seagrass and mangrove scientists for the week long workshop. The workshop aims to produce a series of publications focused on linkages between seagrass and mangrove communities. From the ERF session as well as the Panama workshop, a synthesis paper on the current state of knowledge of these interactions in Caribbean habitats has been invited for publication in Estuaries.