Critical evaluation of the nursery role hypothesis for seagrass meadows

By K. Heck, G. Hays, R. Orth. 2003

982 citations recorded by the source corpus.

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6233235ee07f768607ad4e7876ebaedc8f3fa611

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Ecology

In Oceanography

Citations in the corpus

Quantitative estimate of commercial fish enhancement by seagrass habitat in southern Australia (2014, background): “Seagrass habitats arewidely recognized to be important nursery grounds for fish, with juvenile fish routinely being found at higher densities in seagrass beds than in nearby unvegetated substrates (Heck et al., 2003).”
Progression of invasive lionfish in seagrass, mangrove and reef habitats. (2012, background): “There is more support for the hypothesis that smaller size classes are afforded greater refuge from predators in shallow habitats (see reviews in Heck et al. 2003, Sheridan & Hays 2003) and that choice of these habitats reflects a trade-off between growth and survival, favouring survival at the…”
AN EVALUATION OF THE EVIDENCE FOR LINKAGES BETWEEN MANGROVES AND FISHERIES: A SYNTHESIS OF THE LITERATURE AND IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH DIRECTIONS (2005, background): “Growth will also potentially be increased because less time is spent hiding from predators and more time can be spent on foraging and feeding (Sih 1992, Heck et al. 2003).”
Shift in fish assemblage structure due to loss of seagrass Zostera marina habitats in Sweden (2006, background): “In a review of the extensive literature testing the importance of seagrass meadows as nursery areas for juvenile fish and invertebrates, Heck et al. (2003) found that their abundance, growth and survival were generally higher in seagrass compared to unstructured habitats, but similar to other…”
The ecological role of bivalve shellfish aquaculture in the estuarine environment: A review with application to oyster and clam culture in West Coast (USA) estuaries (2009, background): “Indeed, higher densities of estuarine fish and invertebrates have been widely found in association with structured habitats like seagrass (Orth et al., 1984; Jackson et al., 2001; Heck et al., 2003) and oyster reefs (Breitberg, 1999; Coen et al.”
Biodiversity and the functioning of seagrass ecosystems (2006, background): “…among the most productive ecosystems on earth (Duarte & Cebrián 1996), and their provision of nursery areas for juvenile stages of commercially important species (Heck et al. 2003) contributes significantly to the economic importance of estuarine fisheries (Anderson 1989, Costanza et al. 1997).”
Effect of habitat complexity on predation success: re-evaluating the current paradigm in seagrass beds (2009, background): “The meta-analysis performed by Heck et al. (2003) found no significant difference between the protection provided by seagrass (and other structurally complex habitats such as salt marshes and oyster reefs) for invertebrates and for juvenile fish.”
Are coastal habitats important nurseries? A meta‐analysis (2019, methodology): “McDevittIrwin, Iacarella, and Baum (2016) analyzed 51 papers focusing only on seagrasses and showed that—like Heck et al. (2003) before—seagrass habitat supported higher densities and increased growth of juveniles relative to bare sediment or other structured habitats.”
Density, abundance and survival of the blue crab in seagrass and unstructured salt marsh nurseries of Chesapeake Bay (2005, background): “Consequently, there is currently a paradigm that the critical nurseries for marine and estuarine species such as the blue crab are structurally complex habitats such as seagrass beds and salt marshes (Heck et al., 2003; Minello et al., 2003).”
The effects of seafloor habitat complexity on survival of juvenile fishes : Species-specific interactions with structural refuge (2006, positive): “Laboratory findings are supported by field studies that have documented a significant reduction in predation vulnerability for fishes using complex habitats (Tupper and Boutilier, 1995, 1997; Beukers and Jones, 1997; Heck et al., 2003).”