Co-Convenors: Ik-Kyo Chung (Korea) and Jun Shoji (Japan)

Invited Speakers:
Masakazu Hori (National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea, Japan)
Katsumasa Yamada (National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan)

Diverse communities of marine and estuarine macrophyte vegetation including kelp beds, seaweeds, macrobenthic algae, seagrasses, and salt marshes occur along the coastlines of the PICES member countries. In addition to the direct primary production of organic material into marine ecosystems, these macrophytic communities are also considered as ecological engineers that can have important indirect supporting roles in the lives of heterotrophic organisms such as fishes, shellfish, seabirds, and other marine organisms. Seasonal growth and breakdown of macrophytic vegetation has important implications for the biochemistry of essential nutrients in the nearshore zones, and for the interactions among vertebrate and invertebrate members of marine and estuarine communities. Fluctuations in physical and chemical parameters such as sea water temperature, salinity, nutrient availability, incident light levels, water flow, and sediment conditions contribute as complex regulating factors toward the establishment and persistence of macrophyte communities. In contrast, the physical structure of the macrophytes themselves can modify the local environment, affect the composition and abundance of their associated organisms, and provide essential ecological roles as recruitment sites, nursery areas, foraging habitats, and sinks for marine carbon. These interactions among ambient environmental parameters, macrophytes, and their associated organisms are collectively known as ecosystem functions and services, which are influenced not only by natural forces but also by anthropogenic stressors. The topic session will focus on the ecological functions and services provided by diverse communities of macrophytes throughout the North Pacific coastal zone. In particular, presentations are encouraged that explore the diversity and dynamics of ecosystem functions and services provided by macrophytes that may be regarded as biotic indicators of natural shifts and human-induced stressors in nearshore ecosystems.