Samantha Laird Garrard

Plymouth Marine Laboratory | PML

Research into the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on marine organisms has greatly increased during the past decade, as realization of the potential dramatic impacts has grown. Studies have revealed the multifarious respon-ses of organisms to OA conditions, indicating a high level of intra-and interspecific variation in species' ability to accom...

Ocean acidification has been shown to have highly variable effects, with many negative and some positive responses from individual species, while community level effects are largely unknown. Although an overall loss of biodiversity is expected, predicting the effects of ocean acidification on whole assemblages can be problematic as both direct and...

Indo-Pacific mangrove swamps and seagrass beds are commonly located in close proximity to each other, often creating complex ecosystems linked by biological and physical processes. Although they are thought to provide important nursery habitats for fish, only limited information exists about their usage by fish outside of estuaries. The present stu...

Tyre wear particles may be the largest source of microplastic to the natural environment, yet information on their biological impacts is inadequate. Two key estuarine invertebrates; the clam Scrobicularia plana and the ragworm Hediste diversicolor were exposed to 10% tyre particles in sediment for three days. Both species consumed the particles, al...

The Canyons Marine Protected Area (MPA) is located in the south-west corner of the UK’s continental shelf and contains two large canyons that indent the shelf break, adding to the topographic complexity of the seafloor. The MPA includes protection for four deep-sea habitats: cold-water coral reefs, coral gardens, sea-pen and burrowing megafauna com...

Rising atmospheric CO2 causes ocean acidification that represents one of the major ecological threats for marine biota. We tested the hypothesis that long-term exposure to increased CO2 level and acidification in a natural CO2 vent system alters carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) metabolism in Posidonia oceanica L. (Delile), affecting its resilience, or c...

A mixed-method approach was used to assess and value the ecosystem services derived from the Dogger Bank, an extensive shallow sandbank in the southern North Sea. Three parallel studies were undertaken that 1) identified and quantified, where possible, how indicators for ecosystem service provision may change according to two future scenarios, 2) a...

Polychaetes represent one of the most diversified and abundant taxa associated with seagrass meadows. These organisms show various feeding habits at different levels of the complex seagrass food web, representing suitable bioindicators of meadow structure and environmental status and disturbances. Ocean acidification (OA) is today considered one of...

Polychaetes represent one of the most diversified and abundant taxa associated with seagrass meadows. These organisms show various feeding habits at different levels of the complex seagrass food web, representing suitable bioindicators of meadow structure and environmental status and disturbances. Ocean acidification (OA) is today considered one of...

Ecosystem services provided by the marine environment are fundamental to human health and well-being. Despite this, many marine systems are being degraded to an extent that may reduce their capacity to provide these ecosystem services. The ecosystem approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promot...

Marine algae exhibit different responses to ocean acidification, suggesting that a decrease in pH does not always favour marine photosynthetic organisms. In order to understand the effect of acidification on algal community development, early colonization stages were investigated using carbon dioxide vents around the Castello Aragonese (Ischia, Ita...

Seagrasses employ a wide variety of traits to reduce plant quality as food for herbivores, such as nutrient content, structural and chemical defenses. In particular, the presence of tannin cells, specialized in the production of phenolic compounds, is well documented in Posidonia oceanica. According to the optimal defense theory, in this marine pla...

Age dependent habitat usage of the abundant Indo-Pacific Thumbprint Emporer Lethrinus harak was assessed using field visual observations throughout the mangrove, seagrass, coral reef continuum. Juveniles were most abundant within seagrass habitats, whilst large adults only utilised the reef environment, indicating a movement towards the reef with i...

Marine ecosystems throughout the Indo-Pacific region are highly threatened by anthropogenic stressors, yet the faunal interaction between different component habitats remains poorly understood. This information is vital as stress on one inter-connected habitat may have cascade effects on other habitats. The present study focused on the impact of in...