Ecology of Seagrass Seeds and Seagrass Dispersal Processes

Orth, Robert J.; Harwell, Matthew C.; Inglis, Graeme J.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-2983-7_5

Cited by 77 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 155 publications

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“…They occur in dense aggregations in shallow coastal habitats worldwide (den Hartog 1970, Phillips & Menez 1988 and provide important ecological functions in the areas in which they occur (reviewed in Larkum et al 2006). Despite their long evolutionary history, seagrass populations are now challenged with rapid environmental changes as a result of coastal human population pressures (Short & Wyllie-Echeverria 1996, Bull et al 2004, Ralph et al 2006, and understanding patterns and sources of variation in adult reproduction and seedling recruitment is critically important to ongoing conservation and management efforts (Orth et al 2000, 2006a,b, Duarte 2002.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relatively short stature, simple architecture and shallow depths characteristic of seagrasses, combined with visible flowers, fruits and seedlings, allow for tractable demographic studies on adult reproduction and seedling establishment in seagrasses (Blanchette et al 1999, Ackerman 2006, Orth et al 2006a, Shelton 2008. Nonetheless, our knowledge of seed dispersal in seagrasses, a process that can potentially decouple the link between reproductive output of a local adult population and recruitment of young, is far from complete.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Patterns and sources of variation in flowering, seed supply and seedling recruitment in surfgrass Phyllospadix torreyi

Reed

Holbrook²,

Blanchette³

et al. 2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Knowledge of patterns and sources of variation in adult reproduction and juvenile recruitment is essential for understanding the dynamics of populations and their capacity to recover from disturbances. In-depth knowledge of this kind is lacking for many species of seagrass. Here we examined the degree to which temporal and spatial variation in seedling density in the surfgrass Phyllospadix torreyi was explained by the local production and deposition of seeds. We did this by measuring floral density, seed production, seed supply and seedling recruitment at 5 sites near Santa Barbara, California, USA, over a 4 yr period. We found that the local density of dehisced female spadices explained nearly 41% of the variation in the number of seeds caught in seed traps. Large seed crops were common in the absence of nearby males and noticeable numbers of seeds were periodically caught in traps when female flowers were locally rare or absent, suggesting that pollen and seed dispersal occasionally occurred over distances greater than the scale of our study sites (i.e. > 50 m). Overall, the summer densities of female spadices at a site explained > 60% of the variation in the density of seedlings that recruited to the site the following winter. Deviations from positive associations among surfgrass flowers, seeds and seedlings appeared to reflect interannual variability in environmental conditions. Most notable was the coincidence of universally low fruit production and seedling recruitment during the 1997-1998 El Niño event. Seedling density varied independently of rates of seed deposition when all years were examined, but was highly dependent on rates of seed supply when the seedling data from the 1998 El Niño winter were omitted from the analysis. Collectively, our observations demonstrated significant coupling between adult reproduction and local recruitment in surfgrass that was interrupted by adverse growing conditions associated with the 1997-1998 El Niño.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and sources of variation in flowering, seed supply and seedling recruitment in surfgrass Phyllospadix torreyi

Reed

Holbrook²,

Blanchette³

et al. 2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Yet, the choice of planting units commonly used in revegetation projects has been heavily skewed (80%) towards transplantation of vegetative material from donor beds to denuded areas, rather than collecting and utilising seed-based propagules. The infrequent use of seed-based propagules in revegetation programs has been attributed to the temporal and spatial variability of seed availability (Orth et al 2006), as well as the perception that establishment success of seeds and seedlings is poor (Lewis III 1987;Fonseca et al 1998;Kirkman 1998;Lord et al 1999). However, this may be a result of limited skill in handling seed-based restoration of seedlings (Derrenbacker and Lewis III 1983;Kirkman 1998) or in the use of precision-seeding technological approaches as employed in terrestrial revegetation programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative assessment of approaches and outcomes for seagrass revegetation in Shark Bay and Florida Bay

Statton

Dixon

Hovey

et al. 2012

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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Abstract. Here, we review the literature to evaluate seagrass revegetation projects focussed on Posidonia australis and Amphibolis antarctica, the main affected species in Shark Bay in the World Heritage Area in Western Australia, together with projects from Florida Bay, an analogous system with a long history of seagrass revegetation. We assessed the effectiveness of anchoring planting units, plant-unit density and size on planting-unit survival. We found no positive trends in our assessment, suggesting that there is no discrete technique, approach or technology that could be used with confidence to deliver costeffective, scalable revegetation. Of concern was that revegetation success was evaluated over comparatively short time frames (1-3 years), driven by the strict time frames or deadlines of governing grant funding and commercial activities, leading to concerns that long-term revegetation outcomes may be difficult to assess with confidence. Several factors influenced revegetation outcomes which were grouped into three 'filter' categories; abiotic, biotic and socioeconomic. We recommend that future revegetation programs involving seagrass have greater emphasis on understanding how these filters act independently or collectively to drive successful revegetation as well as developing cost-effective, proven and scalable technology supported by longer-term monitoring to ensure revegetation programs do achieve the desired ecological outcomes.

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“…200 km) and low predicted dispersal capacity for 1!. tmightii pollen and seeds, which are poorly buoyant and released below the sediment surface (McMillan, 1985;Ackerman, 2002;Orth et a!., 2006). However, differentiation was also fairly high between NB and the much closer (ca.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…'Ve expected the Laguna Madre population, with its favorable environment and dense concentration of seagrasses, to exhibit the highest degree of genetic diversity. 'Ye expected genetic differentiation (lllsr) among populations to be moderate to high, and follow a model of isolation by distance ('Vright,19<13) reflecting the distances involved (20-200 km), putath'e physical barriers, and presumably low dispersal capacity for H. wrightii pollen and seeds (Orth et al, 2006).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Structure of Halodule wrightii Populations from the Laguna Madre Region in the Western Gulf of Mexico

Larkin

Heideman

Parker

et al. 2008

goms

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Ecology of Seagrass Seeds and Seagrass Dispersal Processes

Cited by 77 publications

References 155 publications

Patterns and sources of variation in flowering, seed supply and seedling recruitment in surfgrass Phyllospadix torreyi

Patterns and sources of variation in flowering, seed supply and seedling recruitment in surfgrass Phyllospadix torreyi

A comparative assessment of approaches and outcomes for seagrass revegetation in Shark Bay and Florida Bay

Genetic Structure of Halodule wrightii Populations from the Laguna Madre Region in the Western Gulf of Mexico

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