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MEPS
Marine Ecology Progress Series

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MEPS 668:215-230 (2021)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13717

REVIEW
Combined impacts of photosystem II-inhibiting herbicides and light availability on seagrass and marine microalgae

Olivia C. King1,*, Rachael A. Smith2, Michael St. J. Warne3,4,5, Jason P. van de Merwe1, Rod M. Connolly1, Christopher J. Brown6

1Australian Rivers Institute—Coast & Estuaries, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland 4222, Australia
2Office of the Great Barrier Reef, Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia
3School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4067, Australia
4Water Quality and Investigations, Queensland Department of Environment and Science, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia
5Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, West Midlands CV1 5FB, UK
6Australian Rivers Institute—Coast & Estuaries, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: The combined and interactive effects of multiple stressors threaten coastal ecosystems, yet most ecological risk assessments used to inform environmental management still treat stressors separately. For marine microalgae and seagrass—particularly those common to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia—key stressors include low light from increased turbidity and herbicide exposure that runs off agricultural land. Despite co-occurring in aquatic ecosystems, the effects of these stressors are often studied separately, meaning any combined or interactive effects are overlooked. Here, we aimed to develop a conceptual synthesis of the physiological responses of marine microalgae and seagrass when exposed to these key stressors. We reviewed marine microalgae and seagrass exposure studies to understand how herbicide and light stress is assessed and generated hypotheses for the combined effects. In particular, we predict that photo-physiological, biochemical and whole-organism responses of aquatic plants and algae will interact antagonistically, additively or synergistically depending on the level of light availability and the endpoint measured. We recommend that future multi-stressor exposure experiments study how specific physiological processes interact to impact the growth of important primary producers such as microalgae and seagrasses. This will enable management to accurately determine the ecological risk of multiple stressors to aquatic species and ecosystems.


KEY WORDS: Stressor interaction · Stressor combination · Coastal ecosystems · Seagrass · Microalgae · Photosystem II herbicides · Light availability


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Cite this article as: King OC, Smith RA, Warne MSJ, van de Merwe JP, Connolly RM, Brown CJ (2021) Combined impacts of photosystem II-inhibiting herbicides and light availability on seagrass and marine microalgae. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 668:215-230. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13717

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