4.7 Article

In situ Responses of the Eelgrass Zostera marina L. to Water Depth and Light Availability in the Context of Increasing Coastal Water Turbidity: Implications for Conservation and Restoration

Journal

FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
Volume 11, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.582557

Keywords

seagrass meadow; depth limit; light requirement; response; methodology; reproduction; restoration; Zostera marina

Categories

Funding

  1. National Key R&D Program of China [2019YFD0901300]
  2. National Science and Technology Basic Work Program [2015FY110600]
  3. Key Research Project of Frontier Sciences of CAS [QYZDB-SSW-DQC041-1]
  4. International Partners Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences [133137KYSB20180069]
  5. Taishan Scholars Program (Distinguished Taishan Scholars)

Ask authors/readers for more resources

Accelerating losses of seagrass meadows has led to efforts to restore these highly productive and beneficial ecosystems globally. Depth and light availability are critical determinants of seagrass restoration success. Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) is the dominant seagrass species in the temperate northern hemisphere, but its global distribution has reduced dramatically. The main aims of this study were to determine: (1) the depth limit for Z. marina survival in Ailian Bay, north China, and (2) how light availability affects the growth and recruitment of Z. marina as a basis for identifying a suitable depth range for successful restoration. To achieve these aims, Z. marina shoots were transplanted from a nearby donor site, Swan Lake, to an experimental site, Ailian Bay, and the temporal responses of Z. marina shoots to light availability at water depths ranging from 1 to 8 m were investigated using in situ suspended cultures. Four suspended shoot transplantation experiments were conducted in 4 years. The results showed that the transplanted Z. marina shoots could survive and branch during an annual growth cycle, permanently underwater, at a depth <= 3 m. Due to the local turbidity of the waters in Ailian Bay, a depth of 4 m led to sufficient light deprivation (reduced to 6.48-10.08% of surface irradiance) to negatively affect seagrass shoot density and clonal reproduction. In addition, reproductive shoot density also tended to decline with water depth and light deprivation. Our results indicated that Z. marina population recruitment, through sexual and asexual (clonal growth) reproduction, were negatively affected by increasing water depth and light deprivation. These findings may provide a suitable depth range for the successful restoration of Z. marina in local coastal waters. They may also be applied to the management and restoration of Z. marina globally.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available