The role of inputs of marine wrack and carrion in sandy-beach ecosystems: a global review

Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2022 Aug 11. doi: 10.1111/brv.12886. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTSandy beaches are iconic interfaces that functionally link the ocean with the land via the flow of organic matter from the sea. These cross-ecosystem fluxes often comprise uprooted seagrass and dislodged macroalgae that can form substantial accumulations of detritus, termed 'wrack', on sandy beaches. In addition, the tissue of the carcasses of marine animals that regularly wash up on beaches form a rich food source ('carrion') for a diversity of scavenging animals. Here, we provide a global review of how wrack and carrion provide spatial subsidies that shape the structure and functioning of sandy-beach ecosystems (sandy beaches and adjacent surf zones), which typically have little in situ primary production. We also examine the spatial scaling of the influence of these processes across the broader land- and seascape, and identify key gaps in our knowledge to guide future research directions and priorities. Large quantities of detrital kelp and seagrass can flow into sandy-beach ecosystems, where microbial decomposers and animals process it. The rates of wrack supply and its retention are influenced by the oceanographic processes that transport it, the geomorphology and landscape context of the recipient beaches, and the condition, life history and morphological characteristics of the macrophyte taxa that are the ultimate source of wrack. When retained in beach ecosystems, wrack often ...

Source: Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society - August 11, 2022 Category: Biology Authors: Glenn A Hyndes Emma L Berdan Cristian Duarte Jenifer E Dugan Kyle A Emery Peter A Hamb äck Christopher J Henderson David M Hubbard Mariano Lastra Miguel A Mateo Andrew Olds Thomas A Schlacher Source Type: research