Evaluating the efficacy of a seagrass Nutrient Pollution Index for native and invasive seagrasses in Puerto Rico
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Marine angiosperms, collectively known as seagrasses, are a foundation of healthy marine ecosystems and provide important ecosystem services. Seagrasses are often considered sentinel species for nutrient pollution because they are long term integrators of environmental conditions, including nutrient levels (C, N & P). Additionally, in some areas including the Caribbean, colonization by non-native seagrasses Halophila stipulacea out-competes native Caribbean seagrass species, negatively impacts fish diversity, and reduces feeding grounds for green sea turtles, an Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed species. The goals of this project are to evaluate the efficacy of a seagrass Nutrient Pollution Index (NPI) as an early indicator of nutrient impairment for tropical seagrasses and to evaluate the relationships between shoot density of three native and one invasive seagrass species and nutrients using nitrogen stable isotopes δ15N. This presentation is an outreach effort as part of an EPA Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) and Safe and Sustainable Water Resources project to evaluate how seagrasses may be used as an indicator of nutrient availability as well as how nutrient conditions may influence non-native seagrass colonization.