Pigment-Based Chemotaxonomy of Seagrass Epiphyte Communities; Variables to Consider and uses in Ecosystem Assessment and Monitoring

Abstract

This paper presents pigment-based chemotaxonomy as a rapid method for the analysis of seagrass epiphyte communities and how that data may be applied to the assessment of the full seagrass ecosystem. Pigments-based chemotaxonomy uses diagnostic pigments to determine the biomass, using chlorophyll-a as a proxy, of microalgal taxa within phytoplankton or epiphyte communities. Seagrass samples were taken from Florida Bay, USA and around the southern tip of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas.Data is presented which reveals. A. The need for care during sampling in order to avoid losing epiphytes due to sloughing, B. Consideration of the exact site of sampling with a given area, C. Variations in epiphyte production and community makeup with respect to time of year, D. Epiphyte loading variations along the length of a seagrass blade, E. Potential effects of light (top-down) and grazing (bottom-up) on epiphyte communities, F. The importance of diatoms on the seagrasses and macro-algae of Florida Bay, G. The use of epiphytometers to monitor epiphyte production versus time, and H. The strong variation in epiphyte communities around the southern tip of Eleuthera Island.All of these results and discussion are presented in order to reveal the application of pigment-based chemotaxonomy and epiphytometers (aka fake seagrass) in the assessment of seagrass epiphyte communities