Journal
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
Volume 78, Issue 3, Pages 1160-1173Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsab031
Keywords
nutrient enrichment; nutrient loading; seagrass; sexual reproduction; vegetative growth; Zostera marina
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea
- National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) - Korean government [NRF-2019R1A2C1090641]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study showed that Zostera marina is more sensitive to nitrogen enrichment in sediments, resulting in positive effects on both vegetative growth and sexual reproduction. Phosphorus enrichment only slightly increased plant growth with limited influence on sexual reproduction.
Nutrient loading into coastal sediments is increasing due to anthropogenic activity and climate change. We examined the effects of sediment nutrient enrichment on the growth and reproduction of Zostera marina by adding nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers into sediments. Areal productivity and shoot density increased by ca. 60% in N and N+P enrichment plots and by ca. 20% in the P enrichment plots. Biomass and shoot height were also higher in the N and N+P enrichment plots than in the P enrichment and control plots. These results suggest that sediment N availability was more important than P availability in stimulating the vegetative growth of Z. marina. The density and morphology of reproductive shoots and seed production increased in only the N enrichment plots. The sediment N enrichment stimulated both the vegetative growth and sexual reproduction, improving the meadow resilience through both sexual and asexual mechanisms. The P enrichment slightly increased only the vegetative growth and might have limited influence on seagrass reproduction. According to these results, the alteration of the sediment nutrient regimes might shift the balance between the vegetative growth and sexual reproduction of Z. marina. These findings may have important implications for the management of seagrass meadows under fluctuations in sediment nutrients caused by anthropogenic activity and climate change.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available