TITLE: Fingerprinting marine macrophytes in blue carbon habitats

ADVISOR: Prof. Carlos Duarte

DATE: Thursday, October 24, 2019

TIME: 11 am – 12 pm

LOCATION: Auditorium between buildings 4 & 5 - Level 0 - Room 0215

Abstract: Marine macrophytes offer a promising nature-based solution to climate change mitigation, as they sequester carbon in their living biomass and in their coastal sediments. Estimation of the macrophyte organic carbon contribution to coastal sediments is key for understanding the sources of blue carbon sequestration, and for establishing adequate conservation strategies. Nevertheless, identification of marine macrophytes has been challenging and current estimations are uncertain. In this dissertation, eDNA-based methods were used to fingerprint marine macrophytes and estimate their contribution to the organic pool accumulated in blue carbon habitats; these estimations were similar to traditional estimations of organic carbon based on stable isotopes. Thus, eDNA offers an unprecedent taxonomic discrimination, and resolve the contribution of marine macrophytes to the organic pools in blue carbon sediments.