Since 2011, recurring Sargassum Brown Tides (SBTs), caused by periodic massive influxes of holopelagic Sargassum spp., have impacted seagrass meadows in the 50–200 m wide nearshore fringes of Mexican Caribbean reef lagoons. The present study aimed to assess the cumulative effects of SBTs in 2015 and 2018–2019 through a spatial–temporal analysis of seagrass meadows in the Puerto Morelos reef lagoon. We hypothesized that the impacts of the SBTs likely extended beyond the near-shore fringe and were detectable across the seagrass landscape throughout the entire reef lagoon. Through time, the spatial configuration of the seagrass meadows presented a new self-organized configuration linked to spatial fragmentation, an increase in the number of patches but a decrease in size, and changes in vegetation communities, indicating a shift in ecosystem state. This shift may serve as an early warning signal of reef system deterioration. Monitoring seagrass meadow status using this approach provides a deeper understanding of their dynamics, shifts and resilience, and will facilitate the development of timely management strategies.

The bloom of pelagic Sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean has become increasingly problematic, especially when the algae have beached. A build-up of decaying beached material has damaging effects on coastal ecosystems and tourism industries. While remote sensing offers an effective tool to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of Sargassum over large spatial extents, its use so far has been limited to a broad discrimination of Sargassum species from other macroalgae and floating vegetation. Knowledge on the spatial distribution of decayed material will help to support management strategies and inform targeted removal. In this study, we aim to characterise the spectral response of fresh and decayed Sargassum and identify regions of the spectra that offer the greatest separability for the detection and classification of decayed material. We assessed the spectral response of fresh and decayed Sargassum (1) in situ on the beach and (2) in mesocosm experiments where Sargassum samples were allowed to decay over time. We found a decrease in the magnitude of reflectance, noticeably in the visible region (400–700 nm), for decayed, in contrast to fresh, Sargassum. Separability analyses also showed that most spectral bands with a wavelength > ~540 nm will be capable of discriminating between fresh and decayed material, although the near-infrared region offers the greatest degree of separability. We demonstrate, for the first time, that there are clear differences in the spectral reflectance of fresh and decayed Sargassum with potential application for remote sensing approaches.

Throughout the Caribbean region, coastal areas are of vital importance for national incomes from the tourism industry. However, accelerated coastal development has impacted the coastal ecosystems, including the beaches, and deterioration of the shore results from cumulative impacts on both marine and coastal ecosystems. It is essential to identify the areas that need special attention for targeted management plans and actions, especially in areas with high anthropogenic pressure. This research proposes an integrated assessment of the conservation state of shore and coastal ecosystems in the Puerto Morelos National Reef Park (PNAPM) in the Mexican Caribbean, through the spatial monitoring of key parameters. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed to analyze the land use on the shore, foredune condition, morphological characteristics of the beaches, shoreline evolution, and the condition of coral reefs and seagrass meadows. The analysis identified the most critical areas in relation to shore deterioration and priority areas for the preservation of ecosystems. The spatial data obtained for the PNAPM can serve as a basis for ongoing shore monitoring, and targeted management actions through the designation of areas that require either preservation or ecosystem restoration practices. This methodology can be applied to other reef systems in the Caribbean.

Interactions such as mutualism and facilitation are common in ecosystems established by foundation species; however, their outcomes vary and show conditionality. In a Mexican Caribbean Bay, a seagrass-coralline algae (rhodoliths) mutualism protects the seagrass Thalassia testudinum from green turtle overgrazing. We postulate that the state of the seagrass meadow in this bay depends on the strengths of the interactions among seagrasses, green turtles, and coralline algae. Spatio-temporal changes through satellite imagery showed rhodolith bed developed rapidly from 2009 (undetected) to 2016 (bed of 6934 m²). Typically, such rapid expansion of the rhodoliths does not occur in seagrass meadows. An in situ growth experiment of coralline algae showed that a combination of reduction in light and wave movement (usual in dense seagrass meadows) significantly reduced their growth rates. In the rhodolith beds, the growth rates of the coralline algae Neogoniolithon sp. and Amphiroa sp. were high at 9.5 mm and 15.5 mm per growth tip y⁻¹, respectively. In a second experiment, we found lower mortality in coralline algae within a rhodolith bed compared to algae placed outside the bed, likely explained by the reduced resuspension that we found in a third experiment, and this positive feedback may explain the high population increase in the rhodoliths, once established when the turtles grazed down the seagrass canopy. Therefore, the grazing-protection mutualism between seagrasses and coralline algae is thus conditional and came into existence under a co-occurrence of intensive grazing pressure and rapid population growth of coralline algae facilitated by positive feedback from increased growth and reduced sediment resuspension by the dense rhodolith bed.