Seagrass on the rocks: Posidonia oceanica settled on shallow-water hard substrata withstands wave stress beyond predictions

Montefalcone, Monica; Vacchi, Matteo; Carbone, Cristina; Cabella, Roberto; Schiaffino, Chiara Francesca; Elter, Franco Marco; Morri, Carla; Bianchi, Carlo Nike; Ferrari, Marco

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2016.06.024

Cited by 33 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…According to our results, root hair branching increases the real contact area about 50 times compared to the contact area of a single tubular root hair. The branching of P. oceanica root hairs is a pivotal mechanism for pad formation, and supports the hypothesis that adhesive root hairs may represent an adaptive trait to life in marine rocky habitats characterized by strong turbulent water movements (Badalamenti et al, 2015;Montefalcone et al, 2016). Interestingly, in terrestrial plants, root hair branching is reported to happen only under stress conditions (Yang et al, 2011;Bobrownyzky, 2015) or in mutant phenotypes (Engstrom et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…When not in contact with the substrate, root hair tips remain long and straight, but they quickly begin to branch after contact formation (Alagna et al, 2015;Badalamenti et al, 2015;Zenone et al, 2020). P. oceanica may thrive in habitats characterized by high hydrodynamism (Montefalcone et al, 2016) hence its anchorage system has to be highly efficient, especially in the early life stages, when seeds reach the recruitment sites and settlement occurs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Root Hair Adhesion in Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile Seedlings: A Numerical Modelling Approach

Zenone¹,

Filippov²,

Kovalev³

et al. 2020

Front. Mech. Eng.

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Animals and plants use adhesion to move, to anchor to a substrate, or to disperse seeds and fruits. Some plants developed a root pad as a common strategy to adhere to consolidated substrates. In the marine environment, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica attaches firmly to consolidated substrates via adhesive root hairs, forming a pad structure. We used novel morphological and ultrastructural data to develop a numerical model to study the dynamics of root hair adhesion during contact formation on rough consolidated substrates for this species. Morphological analysis, conducted using Scanning Electron Microscope, highlighted the role of root hair branching in pad formation. Transmission Electron Microscope microscopy allowed us to identify a glue-like substance at the pad/ substrate interface. The numerical model highlighted the role played by the cell wall's elasticity in pad formation and its importance in guaranteeing a firm adhesion. Furthermore, the effectiveness of these mechanisms was assessed at different simulated roughness levels. Increasing knowledge on the adhesion mechanism of seagrass to consolidated substrates could be pivotal in developing advanced seedling-based restoration protocols. The findings of this study could contribute to restoration activities planned to contrast seagrass regression. Transplanting initiatives using seedlings can now better address the search for suitable and low-impact ways to fix germinated plants to the substrate.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Root Hair Adhesion in Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile Seedlings: A Numerical Modelling Approach

Zenone¹,

Filippov²,

Kovalev³

et al. 2020

Front. Mech. Eng.

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“…These results coincide with the good adherence capacity shown by the P . oceanica root system to rocks and substrata covered by algae [ 31 , 32 , 56 , 57 ]. The anchorage capacity of the seeds grown in sand could be related to the different adherence strategies observed in the root hairs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This coincides with P . oceanica greater sexual recruitment success on sheltered and rocky surfaces than on sand [ 21 , 56 , 57 ]. The high branching that showed root hairs in all sediment types could also reinforce this hypothesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the sexual recruitment of one of the oldest and largest organisms on Earth, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica

2018

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The seagrass Posidonia oceanica is considered one of the oldest and largest living organisms on Earth. Notwithstanding, given the difficulty of monitoring its fruits and seeds in the field, the development of P. oceanica during its sexual recruitment is not completely understood. We studied the stages of development of P. oceanica seeds from their dispersion in the fruit interior to their settlement in sediment through histological, ultrastructural and mesocosm experiments. P. oceanica sexual recruitment can be divided into three main stages that focus on maximising photosynthesis and anchoring the seedlings to the sediment. In the first stage (fruit dispersion), seeds perform photosynthesis while being transported inside the fruit along the sea surface. In the second stage (seed adhesion), seeds develop adhesive microscopic hairs that cover the primary and secondary roots and favour seed adhesion to the substrate. In the last stage (seedling anchorage), roots attach the seedlings to the substrate by orienting them towards the direction of light to maximise photosynthesis. The adaptations observed in P. oceanica are similar to those in other seagrasses with non-dormant seeds and fruits with membranous pericarps, such as Thalassia sp. and Enhalus sp. These common strategies suggest a convergent evolution in such seagrasses in terms of sexual recruitment. Understanding the sexual recruitment of habitat-forming species such as seagrasses is necessary to adequately manage the ecosystems that they inhabit.

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“…Seafloor morphology, as well as geology (e.g. sand, rock), also play an important role in determining seascape heterogeneity (Montefalcone et al, 2016). At the A.…”

Section: Available Literature On Posidonia Oceanica Seascape Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Seascape ecology in Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows: Linking structure and ecological processes for management

Abadie

Pace

Gobert

et al. 2018

Ecological Indicators

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A B S T R A C TSeagrass meadows constitute marine habitats in shallow water temperate and tropical coastal areas worldwide that have a high ecological and economic importance. Amongst the 60 or so seagrass species, the endemic Mediterranean species Posidonia oceanica forms meadows that are arguably the most important shallow water coastal habitat in the region but which are subjected to high anthropogenic pressures. Because of the relatively large size of the plant, the meadows formed by this seagrass have high architectural and morphological complexity, which results in different morphotypes or seascapes. While numerous studies of P. oceanica architectural characteristics for continuous meadows of the seagrass are available, few works have addressed seascape ecological features and the influence of environmental factors (natural and anthropogenic) thereon. In the present review, we give an overview of P. oceanica meadow architectural and morphological characteristics and how these contribute to Mediterranean landscapes and seascapes. Studies addressing the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on morphometric features of different meadow types and landscape ecological characteristics of P. oceanica habitat are also reviewed, as well as their influence on ecosystem processes. Finally, by considering the available data and tools for seascape studies, we present a discussion on methods to assess seagrass seascapes within the framework of coastal management. Our review highlights several gaps in P. oceanica seascape ecology knowledge such as the lack of data on the spatial distribution of this engineer species, and the possibility to use modern techniques and procedures for analysing structural and ecosystemic data.

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Seagrass on the rocks: Posidonia oceanica settled on shallow-water hard substrata withstands wave stress beyond predictions

Cited by 33 publications

References 43 publications

Root Hair Adhesion in Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile Seedlings: A Numerical Modelling Approach

Root Hair Adhesion in Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile Seedlings: A Numerical Modelling Approach

Understanding the sexual recruitment of one of the oldest and largest organisms on Earth, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica

Seascape ecology in Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows: Linking structure and ecological processes for management

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