ABSTRACT
Detailed mechanistic understanding of how nutrient enrichment leads to losses of seagrasses and related submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is still lacking, despite extensive research on the topic. In this study, we compare results from a series of three mesocosm experiments to address how physical and biotic scales influence responses of SAV communities to nutrient enrichment. These experiments, which involved the SAV species (
Potamogeton
perfoliatus
) formerly abundant in Chesapeake Bay, considered the following specific ecosystem scales: (1) frequency and timing of nutrient additions; (2) residence time of water within mesocosms; and (3) trophic complexity (food-chain length). Ecosystem model simulations were used to help guide experimental designs and interpretations.
