Seagrass ecosystems as green urban infrastructure to mediate human pathogens in seafood

Phoebe D. Dawkins, Evan A. Fiorenza, Jeffrey L. Gaeckle, Jennifer A. Lanksbury, Jeroen A. J. M. Water, William E. Feeney, C. Drew Harvell and Joleah B. Lamb ()
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Phoebe D. Dawkins: University of California
Evan A. Fiorenza: University of California
Jeffrey L. Gaeckle: Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Jennifer A. Lanksbury: Toxicology and Contaminant Assessment Unit, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Jeroen A. J. M. Water: NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
William E. Feeney: Doñana Biological Station
C. Drew Harvell: Cornell University
Joleah B. Lamb: University of California

Nature Sustainability, 2024, vol. 7, issue 10, 1247-1250

Abstract: Abstract Urban greening offers an opportunity to reinforce food security and safety. Seagrass ecosystems can reduce human bacterial pathogens from coastal sources, but it remains unknown whether this service is conferred to associated food fish. We find a 65% reduction in human bacterial pathogens from marine bivalves experimentally deployed across coastal urban locations with seagrass present compared with locations with seagrass absent. Our model estimates that 1.1 billion people reside in urban areas within 50 km of a seagrass ecosystem. These results highlight the global opportunity to support human health and biodiversity sustainability targets.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01408-5

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