Oil spill effects on seagrass ecosystems: a systematic review

Oil spills have recognized impacts on seagrass ecosystems worldwide, with the extent of damage influenced by factors, such as duration of exposure, oil characteristics, response time, and cleanup methods. Nevertheless, whenever a major accident occurs, a rapid response presents a challenge for researchers and managers. In this systematic review we focused on identifying patterns on the response of seagrass ecosystems to oil spills and gaps in the existing literature. Our results indicate that petrochemical contamination indirectly affects seagrasses in subtidal meadows, while intertidal meadows suffer direct and indirect effects. In addition, oil spills disrupt ecosystem functioning, causing organism mortality and adverse cascading effects, but dedicated studies on these effects are still needed. On the other hand, seagrasses can also be considered as an alternative for the bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Baseline data on the distribution and general health condition of the meadows prior to oil spills is often lacking, hampering an accurate assessment of the impacts and the recovery process post-cleaning. Nevertheless, the mapping of affected seagrass meadows should be started immediately after oil spills, also, any lingering long-term effects as this will allow the rate of recovery of seagrass and associated communities to be assessed.