Capita Selecta - Seagrass Ecosystem Services

In February 2020, I was lucky enough to assist Marjolijn Christianen and Fee Smulders with their seagrass research. Those two lovely ladies are so passionate about seagrass and are doing inspirational work in the Dutch Caribbean and beyond to preserve and better understand seagrass ecosystems.

During my Capita Selecta (internship), I quantified decomposition rates, fish biodiversity and fish nursery function as important ecosystem services in Caribbean turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) meadows. Comprehending the gains and benefits to human well-being provided by seagrass ecosystems is crucial to improve management decisions and draw attention to the importance of its preservation and restoration.

During this month-long internship, I learned how to analyse the decomposition rate in seagrass sediments of 11 locations across the Caribbean Sea using the Tea Bag Index protocol (Keuskamp et al., 2013; see picture below). Furthermore, I identified tropical fish and invertebrate species from video footage, assessed abundances and calculated the Simpson’s Diversity Index of the different sample sites.