Annual life cycles of two Zostera marina L. populations in the Gulf of California: contrasts in seasonality and reproductive effort

Meling-López, Alf E.; Ibarra-Obando, Silvia E.

doi:10.1016/s0304-3770(99)00031-5

Cited by 82 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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Section: Attributes Of a Mixed-annual Life Historymentioning

confidence: 83%

“…For example, perennial meadows are able to maintain their populations with clonal reproduction, but are susceptible to multiple consecutive years of large scale loss due to a lack of viable seed bank replenishment (Jarvis & Moore 2010; Table 6). Annual meadows are able to overcome stressful environmental conditions through the annual production of repro ductive shoots and a viable seed bank, but these populations are not able to fully exploit available resources through out the entire growing season due to a lack of vege tative reproduction (Keddy & Patriquin 1978, Phillips et al 1983a, Hootsmans et al 1987, Meling-López & Ibarra-Obando, 1999; Table 6). Zostera marina is a species that has evolved over millions of years in ephemeral coastal environments (Les et al 1997, Waycott et al 2006) and we hypothesize that the species has developed a variety of life history strategies that range between perennial and annual depending on environmental conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, a larger proportion of reproductive shoots (33 ± 3%) were found in the mixedannual population compared to perennial beds (<10 to 28% of total shoots; Jacobs & Pierson 1981, Silberhorn et al 1983, Thayer et al 1984, Olesen 1999. This is, however, significantly less than typical annual meadows where 100% of the shoots flower (Keddy & Patriquin 1978, Robertson & Mann 1984, Meling-López & Ibarra-Obando 1999, and more similar to average densities of reproductive shoots produced in perennial populations.The greater effort put into sexual reproduction in mixed-annual beds compared to perennial populations may come at the cost of bed maintenance and expansion through asexual reproduction. Energy necessary for vegetative expansion of Zostera marina is stored in non-structural carbohydrate reserves which are primarily found in the rhizomes (Burke et al 1996).…”

mentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At Bahia Kino, where the most extensive Z. marina meadows in the Gulf of California occur, water temperatures reach 32°C in July, resulting in 100% mortality of Z. marina shoots (Phillips & Backman 1983). In this meadow, the entire population is sustained year to year by the production of seeds from annual plants (Meling-López & Ibarra-Obando 1999).In the western Atlantic, the southern limit of Zostera marina distribution occurs in North Carolina where there is an estimated 80 937 ha of submerged aquatic vegetation including Z. marina, widgeon grass Ruppia maritima and shoal grass Halodule wrightii (Street et al 2005). With the warm climate and proximity of the Gulf Stream, temperatures in North Carolina coastal waters reach ≥ 30°C in summer and mortality of Z. marina is high during this period (Thayer et al 1984).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Characterization and ecological implication of eelgrass life history strategies near the species’ southern limit in the western North Atlantic

Jarvis¹,

Moore²,

Kenworthy³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Eelgrass Zostera marina L. populations located near the species southern limit in the western North Atlantic were assessed monthly from July 2007 through November 2008. We identified (1) dominant life history strategies and local environmental conditions in southern Z. marina populations, (2) quantified differences in reproductive phenology between populations and different local environmental conditions, and (3) compared reproductive strategies to established annual and perennial life history paradigms. Observed populations expressed both life history strategies with one Z. marina population completely losing aboveground biomass and reestablishing from seeds (annual model) while another population retained aboveground biomass throughout the year (perennial model). A third life history strategy, characterized here as a mixed-annual population, was also observed after some seedlings were found to reproduce both sexually and asexually during their first year of growth thereby not conforming to any currently established life history paradigm. Development of multiple life history strategies within this region may be in response to stressful summer water temperatures associated with the southern edge of the species' range. We suggest that neither annual nor perennial life history strategies always provide a superior mechanism for population persistence as perennial populations can be susceptible to multiple consecutive years of stress, and annual populations are unable to fully exploit available resources throughout much of the year. The mixed-annual strategy observed here represents another possible life history model which may provide the mechanism necessary for Z. marina populations to persist during times of environmental transition.KEY WORDS: Zostera marina · Life-history · Annual · Perennial · Seed bank · Biomass Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 444: [43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56] 2012 populations have also been documented to express behavior similar to the biennial life history model (Setchell, 1929). After germinating, seedling growth in biennial populations occurred via clonal expansion only and flowering stem development and fruiting were not observed until after a period of 1 to 2 yr of growth (Setchell 1929;Thayer et al. 1984). More recently an annual life history strategy has been described for Z. marina populations, where mature plants consist of reproductive (flowering) shoots only and all plants complete their life cycle (seeds germinate, flower, produce seeds) and die within 12 mo (Keddy & Patriquin, 1978, Gagnon et al. 1980, De Cock 1981, Harlin et al. 1982, Phillips et al. 1983a, Robertson & Mann 1984, Santamaría-Gallegos et al. 2000.Although they have been documented throughout the species' geographic distribution, annual forms of Zostera marina are primarily found in areas characterized by stressful environmental conditions such as ice scour (Robertson & Mann 1984), extreme temperatures (Phillips...

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Section: Attributes Of a Mixed-annual Life Historymentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characterization and ecological implication of eelgrass life history strategies near the species’ southern limit in the western North Atlantic

Jarvis¹,

Moore²,

Kenworthy³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Identifying critical foraging habitats of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) along the Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico

López‐Mendilaharsu

Gardner

Seminoff

et al. 2005

Aquatic Conservation

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ABSTRACT1. The conservation of highly mobile and migratory species remains one of the most serious challenges to resource managers.2. Intense mortality of immature green turtles has been identified at principal developmentalfeeding habitats in Baja California, and is considered a great threat to the stability of the eastern Pacific population. Thus, coastal lagoons of the Baja California peninsula, such as Bah! ı ıa Magdalena, have been identified as high priority areas for their protection.3. Conservation efforts to date have focused on creating a sea turtle refuge in the northwestern part of the bay, but this area may not be sufficient for protecting all of the critical feeding areas used by green turtles.4. The diet of green turtles was investigated through analysis of digestive tract contents from 24 green turtles that were drowned incidentally in fishing nets at feeding grounds in Bah! ı ıa Magdalena and adjacent areas along the Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico.5. Mean straight carapace length (SCL) differed significantly between localities: mean: 55:5 cm (range: 47.7-76:9 cm, n ¼ 11) in Bah! ı ıa Magdalena; mean: 67:7 cm (range: 49-87 cm, n ¼ 11) in adjacent coastal waters.6. Green turtle diet consisted largely of marine algae and seagrasses, but food items varied spatially. The red algae Gracilaria pacifica, Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis and Hypea johnstonii were the most abundant diet items inside Bah! ı ıa Magdalena, and the seagrass Phyllospadix torreyi was the most commonly ingested food in coastal areas outside of the bay.7. Results indicate that green turtles utilize spatially distinct foraging habitats within this region. Therefore, it is recommended that any design of protected areas for sea turtles in Bah! ı ıa Magdalena

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Coastal wetlands of the northern Gulf of California: inventory and conservation status

Glenn¹,

Nagler²,

Brusca

et al. 2005

Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst.

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ABSTRACT1. Above 288N, the coastline of the northern Gulf of California is indented at frequent intervals by negative or inverse estuaries that are saltier at their backs than at their mouths due to the lack of freshwater inflow. These 'esteros' total over 215 000 ha in area and encompass mangrove marshes below 298N and saltgrass (Distichlis palmeri) marshes north of 298N. An additional 6000 ha of freshwater and brackish wetlands are found in the Colorado River delta where fresh water enters the intertidal zone.2. The mangrove marshes in the Gulf of California have been afforded some degree of protected status in Mexico, but the northern saltgrass esteros do not have priority conservation status and are increasingly becoming development targets for resorts, vacation homes and aquaculture sites.3. We conducted an inventory of the marshes using aerial photography and satellite images, and evaluated the extent and type of development on each marsh. We reviewed the available literature on the marshes to document their vegetation types and ecological functions in the adjacent marine and terrestrial ecosystems.4. Over 95% of the mangrove marshes have been developed for shrimp farming. However, the farms are built adjacent to, rather than in, the marshes, and the mangrove stands are still mostly intact.5. The majority of saltgrass marshes above the mangrove line are still relatively unspoiled. However, resort and vacation home development is taking place on land surrounding them.6. We recommend a system of protected reserves incorporating the pristine wetlands, along with water quality management and buffer zones for the more developed esteros. The saltgrass marshes should be considered for conservation protection, similar to the protection given to the southern mangrove marshes whose value has already been recognized.

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Annual life cycles of two Zostera marina L. populations in the Gulf of California: contrasts in seasonality and reproductive effort

Cited by 82 publications

References 18 publications

Characterization and ecological implication of eelgrass life history strategies near the species’ southern limit in the western North Atlantic

Characterization and ecological implication of eelgrass life history strategies near the species’ southern limit in the western North Atlantic

Identifying critical foraging habitats of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) along the Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico

Coastal wetlands of the northern Gulf of California: inventory and conservation status

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