Factors influencing the growth of seagrass seedlings: A case study of Posidonia australis

Glasby, Tim M.; Taylor, Skye L.; Housefield, Graham P.

doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2014.09.003

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Additionally, seed size of the seedlings matters for morphological responses; this has been widely observed in terrestrial plants (e.g., Kennedy et al, 2004) and just in Posidonia australis seagrass seedlings (Glasby et al, 2014). This could be related with the positive relation found between starch and nutrient contents and seedling size (Delefosse et al, 2016).…”

Section: Seedling Responses To Increased Temperaturementioning

confidence: 76%

“…The findings of this study are the first data available on Enhalus seedling response to nutrients, and, as far as we know, is the first study among tropical seagrass seedlings. With the exception of a few studies on seedlings from temperate seagrasses in which no positive effects on physiology, growth, survival or photosynthetic potential were observed with nutrients (Glasby et al, 2014;Alexandre et al, 2018), most studies on nutrientenrichment effects have been done on adult stages of seagrasses with mixed results. For example, while nutrient enrichment often has an effect on seagrass tissue nutrient content (e.g., Ontoria et al, 2019;Viana et al, in prep), it does not always have a significant effect on leaf length, leaf width and seagrass production, as has been shown in Thalassia testudinum (Heck et al, 2000).…”

Section: Seedling Response To Increased Nutrientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Morphological and Physiological Responses of Enhalus acoroides Seedlings Under Varying Temperature and Nutrient Treatment

et al. 2020

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Seagrass meadows are declining globally. In Indonesia, 75% loss has been reported in the last 5 years. The decrease of the seagrass area is influenced by the simultaneous occurrence of many factors at the local and global scale, including nutrient enrichment and climate change. This study aims to find out how increasing temperature and nutrient enrichment affect the morphological, biochemical and physiological responses of Enhalus acoroides in the seedling phase, which has not previously been studied. To achieve these aims, a laboratory experiment of combined temperature and nutrient treatments was conducted using recently-germinated seedlings of E. acoroides. The results showed that the seedlings were tolerant to an extended exposure to the current ambient maximum temperature. Under higher temperature treatment, the seedlings were observed to increase in aboveground size traits (e.g., number of leaves, leaf length, biomass, and leaf area), as well as in belowground traits, such as root length. The results in this study also showed that the initial seed size matters for morphological responses. On the contrary, nutrient responses of seedlings were practically absent, suggesting they could rely on internal reserves. Interaction between both factors was limited, with the exception of low temperature and high nutrient treatment, in which the AG:BG ratio and leaf elongation rate increased. Fluorescence parameters were not influenced by any of the water treatments. The results in this study suggest that E. acoroides seedlings rely energetically in the reserves within the seedling and that increasing temperature might result in faster seedling development, although no interactions with other organisms were tested. This is of importance when studying the resilience capacity of this species and when restoration attempts are planned, as a faster root development would provide a faster stabilization in the sediment and the survival of the whole plant.

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Section: Seedling Responses To Increased Temperaturementioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Seedling Response To Increased Nutrientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and Physiological Responses of Enhalus acoroides Seedlings Under Varying Temperature and Nutrient Treatment

et al. 2020

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“…A binding site for an auxin response factor was detected in the Z. marina genome ( Olsen et al, 2016 ), suggesting that this class of hormones might be used by seagrasses. However, one study of Posidonia australis found mixed effects of auxins on seedling survival ( Glasby et al, 2015 ), and studies of Halophila decipiens and Cymodocea nodosa found no effect of auxin exposure on growth ( Munoz, 1995 ; Bird et al, 1998 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metatranscriptomics and Amplicon Sequencing Reveal Mutualisms in Seagrass Microbiomes

et al. 2018

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Terrestrial plants benefit from many well-understood mutualistic relationships with root- and leaf-associated microbiomes, but relatively little is known about these relationships for seagrass and other aquatic plants. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metatranscriptomics to assess potential mutualisms between microorganisms and the seagrasses Zostera marina and Zostera japonica collected from mixed beds in Netarts Bay, OR, United States. The phylogenetic composition of leaf-, root-, and water column-associated bacterial communities were strikingly different, but these communities were not significantly different between plant species. Many taxa present on leaves were related to organisms capable of consuming the common plant metabolic waste product methanol, and of producing agarases, which can limit the growth of epiphytic algae. Taxa present on roots were related to organisms capable of oxidizing toxic sulfur compounds and of fixing nitrogen. Metatranscriptomic sequencing identified expression of genes involved in all of these microbial metabolic processes at levels greater than typical water column bacterioplankton, and also identified expression of genes involved in denitrification and in bacterial synthesis of the plant growth hormone indole-3-acetate. These results provide the first evidence using metatranscriptomics that seagrass microbiomes carry out a broad range of functions that may benefit their hosts, and imply that microbe–plant mutualisms support the health and growth of aquatic plants.

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“…The creation of land-based nurseries to grow transplant propagules (e.g., [ 37 ]) should factor in the rate at which seedlings succumbed to burial stress. Thus, investment in a nursery system should determine at what age or size (e.g., [ 36 ]) seedlings become sufficiently robust to survive being transplanted into conditions that are subject to sedimentation. If seedlings can be cultivated to a large size equivalent to a ‘sprig’, then these transplant units are more likely to survive pulse burial events but not press burial events (>21 days).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…I have focussed on P . australis as it is a dominant seagrass across southern Australia, it is known to be susceptible to disturbance [ 36 ], and research groups are working to develop seagrass nurseries as restoration banks that include P . australis [ 37 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burial Duration and Frequency Influences Resilience of Differing Propagule Types in a Subtidal Seagrass, Posidonia australis

Campbell

2016

PLoS ONE

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Sedimentation that leads to periodic, and often prolonged, burial events is becoming more common on the world’s coastlines as human populations expand and create urbanised marine environments. Different seagrass species react differently to sediment burial but many species in the southern hemisphere are yet to be examined. How seagrasses react to burial has restoration implications. There is a need to critically assess seagrass transplant propagule responses to periodic (pulse) and prolonged (press) burial events before selecting the most appropriate species, transplant propagule, and transplant site. In my study, mesocosm experiments, coupled with field measurements were used to assess how sexual (seedlings) and vegetative (sprigs) propagules of Posidonia australis responded to pulse and press burial events. Seedlings were highly susceptible to burial (both pulse and press), with no survival at the end of the experimental period. In contrast, rhizome growth in vegetative propagules was stimulated by pulse burial, although press burial events resulted in mortality. The implication for Posidonia australis restoration efforts in areas where burial is periodic, was that vegetative propagules are optimal transplant units, in comparison to seedlings. Press burial however, renders a transplant site sub-optimal for both seedling and sprig transplants.

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Factors influencing the growth of seagrass seedlings: A case study of Posidonia australis

Cited by 15 publications

References 59 publications

Morphological and Physiological Responses of Enhalus acoroides Seedlings Under Varying Temperature and Nutrient Treatment

Morphological and Physiological Responses of Enhalus acoroides Seedlings Under Varying Temperature and Nutrient Treatment

Metatranscriptomics and Amplicon Sequencing Reveal Mutualisms in Seagrass Microbiomes

Burial Duration and Frequency Influences Resilience of Differing Propagule Types in a Subtidal Seagrass, Posidonia australis

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