Effects of burial and erosion on the seagrass Zostera noltii

Cabaço, Susana; Santos, Rui

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2006.09.003

Cited by 76 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Marbà & Duarte (1994) demonstrated that Cymodocea nodosa seedlings tolerated burial of < 7 cm, while moderate burial stimulated the growth of surviving seedlings. In the case of the small-sized seagrass Z. noltii, both erosion (−2 cm) and burial (2 cm) decreased shoot density in natural meadows, while the burial threshold for the shoot dying out was found to be between 4 and 8 cm (Cabaço & Santos 2007). Moreover, under laboratory experimental conditions, individual shoots of Z. noltii did not survive > 2 wk under complete burial (Cabaço & Santos 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…However, compared to sediment burial, few studies have directly assessed the effects of erosion on seagrass performance, even when erosion has been demonstrated to promote seagrass loss (Marbà & Duarte 1994, Short & Neckles 1999, Cruz-Palacios & van Tussenbroek 2005, Cabaço & Santos 2007. Among the studied species, Thalassia testu dinum seemed to have a relatively high tolerance to erosion when compared to Cymodocea nodosa, Syringodium filiforme and Zostera noltii, as neither a response to shoot density nor to the length of the rhizome was observed (Cabaço et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Due to different resource allocation strategies and life-history characteristics, seagrass species may differ in tolerance to burial and erosion events (Preen et al 1995, Duarte et al 1997, Terrados et al 1998, Cabaço & Santos 2007. Mortality of large seagrasses such as Posidonia oceanica was significantly correlated to the burial level, and even moderate burial levels of 5 cm induced significant shoot mortality (Manzanera et al 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering the small size, the low aboveground biomass and the thin rhizomes, one may expect Z. noltii to be highly sensitive to sediment dynamics. Cabaço & Santos (2007) showed that Z. noltii attempted to relocate the leafproducing meristems closer to the sediment surface or in search of new sediment avoiding the eroded area. As a small species, Z. noltii may have a pronounced capacity of occupying empty gaps, coupled with large changes in plant morphometry and photosynthetic parameters (Peralta et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, we also measured a set of parameters to describe the plant response to disturbance, like plant survival (e.g. see Cabaço & Santos 2007), rhizome elongation rate (e.g. Olesen et al 2004), shoot number (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resilience of Zostera noltii to burial or erosion disturbances

Han¹,

Bouma²,

Brun³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Dynamic environments like seagrass habitats are characterised by continuous local erosion and burial processes, which may induce seagrass decline if disturbances become too intense or frequent. We aim to quantify for Zostera noltii the resilience of both the edge of a meadow and individual propagules to local-scale burial and erosion events. In a set of mesocosm and in situ manipulation experiments, we varied the frequency (sudden vs. continuous rate) and intensity (different levels; −6 cm erosion to 6 cm burial) of sediment dynamics. Our results showed that the intensity of the disturbance event (−6 up to 6 cm) was negatively correlated with plant survival. Burial frequency also had a significant effect on plant survival, with sudden events having a stronger negative impact than continuous ones. Both experiments, on individual propagules and attached rhizomes at meadow edges, demonstrated a rapid acclimatization of seagrass plants to sediment dynamics within certain levels of disturbance (−6 up to 6 cm). After erosion or burial, all surviving plants in the field and mesocosm experiments were able to relocate their rhizomes to the preferential depth (from 0.3 to 0.8 cm), which was the depth at which the rhizomes of undisturbed plants were most frequently found in the field. In situ manipulation experiments showed that at the edge of the meadow, Z. noltii invaded experimentally created hollows more easily than hills. Overall, our results demonstrate that Z. noltii meadows can rapidly recover by clonal growth after modest sediment disturbance, thereby contributing to the current understanding of seagrass recovery mechanisms following disturbances (e.g. sediment dynamics).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Resilience of Zostera noltii to burial or erosion disturbances

Han¹,

Bouma²,

Brun³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Environmental drivers of flowering in the genus Zostera and spatio‐temporal variability of Zostera muelleri flowering in Australasia

Lekammudiyanse,

Saunders,

Flint

et al. 2024

Aquatic Conservation

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Seed‐based seagrass restoration strategies demand precise understanding of the environmental drivers influencing flowering. Flowering varies across diverse spatial and temporal scales, yet environmental drivers' effects on these dynamics have received less attention. Lack of knowledge regarding this life‐history stage limits the advancement of seed‐based restoration efforts, especially the establishment of shore‐based seagrass nurseries to enhance seed production. A systematic literature review on the flowering of the genus Zostera was conducted to develop a conceptual model that links influential environmental drivers with flowering. Additionally, a case study using existing survey data supplemented by additional field surveys was designed to explore the spatio‐temporal variability of flowering along the latitudinal gradient in Australasia for the species Zostera muelleri. Predictive models for flowering times were developed using regional climatic variables, following hypotheses generated from long‐term mesocosm observations. The review identified the direct and/or indirect effects of temperature, light, tidal variation, nutrients, salinity and grazing pressure on flowering dynamics. Four categories of flowering variables were identified based on their implications on restoration, namely, timing, abundance, the ratio between reproductive and vegetative growth and morphological characteristics. The spathe densities varied significantly among sites along the latitudinal gradient. While first (r2 = 0.71) and peak (r2 = 0.68) flowering times showed significant correlation with latitude, first flowering was equally predicted by mean winter air temperature and mean winter solar radiation (r2 = 0.73), whereas peak flowering time was best predicted by mean winter air temperature (r2 = 0.60). Accurate predictions of flowering times can improve conservation outcomes by enabling restoration practitioners to forecast flowering times and subsequent wild seed harvesting. The strong correlation between flowering times and climatic variables suggests future shifts in flowering times under climate change are likely, which is crucial knowledge for maintaining the contribution of restoration projects to seagrass conservation.

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