Growth and Reproduction of Ruppia maritima in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

McGovern, Tamara M.

doi:10.18785/goms.2702.02

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

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“…From December 2001 to September 2003 and from January 2005 to January 2012, we measured daytime community metabolism using short (3 to 5 h) field incubations with clear/dark BOD bottles and benthic chambers (Stutes et al 2007, Cebrian et al 2008, 2009, Antón et al 2009, 2011. For each site visit, 10 pairs of clear and dark benthic incubation chambers and 5 sets of clear and dark BOD bottles were randomly placed within the seagrass beds and incubated through solar noon (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional implications of changes in seagrass species composition in two shallow coastal lagoons

Christiaen¹,

Lehrter²,

Goff³

et al. 2016

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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While the consequences of losing seagrass meadows are well known, there is less information on the functional implications of changes in seagrass species composition. In this study, we use data from a long-term monitoring project in shallow lagoons on the Florida Gulf Coast to assess changes in the functional attributes of seagrass beds during a shift in seagrass species composition. We compare seagrass beds in 2 neighboring lagoons with different trends: one where the composition changed from 100% Halodule wrightii to a mixed bed with up to 60% Ruppia maritima, and one where the species composition remained unchanged. Our results indicate that the partial replacement of H. wrightii by R. maritima did not alter seagrass biomass m , benthic gross primary production, or benthic respiration. However, there was a small positive effect on benthic net primary production. While seagrass biomass m −2 declined at both sites, the emergence of R. maritima increased the amount of available habitat through rapid expansion. Overall, our data suggest that shifts between 2 seagrass species with similar morphology, but different ecological strategies, may have little impact on the ecosystem services of seagrass beds in shallow coastal lagoons.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%