The influence of resource availability on flowering intensity in Zostera marina (L.)

Johnson, Andrew J.; Moore, Kenneth A.; Orth, Robert J.

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2017.02.002

Cited by 26 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Over the next few years, as the bed was in recovery, the reproductive output was increasing, with reproductive shoot densities reaching 53% of total shoot densities three years after the die-off event. This is higher than reported values for this species in the Chesapeake Bay [48,50] and North Carolina [51]. This increase in reproductive output during the first few years following a stressful event may be an adaptive strategy for this species, spending more resources on seed bank development to ensure survival.…”

Section: Resiliencycontrasting

confidence: 57%

Adaptations by Zostera marina Dominated Seagrass Meadows in Response to Water Quality and Climate Forcing

2018

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Global assessments of seagrass declines have documented accelerating rates of loss due to anthropogenic sediment and nutrient loadings, resulting in poor water quality. More recently, global temperature increases have emerged as additional major stressors. Seagrass changes in the Chesapeake Bay, USA provide important examples of not only the effects of human disturbance and climate forcing on seagrass loss, but also meadow recovery and resiliency. In the York River sub-tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, the meadows have been monitored intensively using annual aerial imagery, monthly transect surveys, and continuous water quality measurements. Here, Zostera marina has been demonstrating a shift in its historical growth patterns, with its biomass peaking earlier in the growing season and summer declines beginning earlier. We found an increasing trend in the length of the most stressful high temperature summer period, increasing by 22 days since 1950. Over the past 20 years, Z. marina’s abundance has exhibited periods of decline followed by recovery, with recovery years associated with greater spring water clarity and less time spent at water temperatures > 28 °C. Although human disturbance and climatic factors have been altering these seagrass meadows, resilience has been evident by an increase in reproductive output and regrowth from Z. marina seedlings following declines, as well as expansions of Ruppia maritima into areas previously dominated by Z. marina.

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Section: Resiliencycontrasting

confidence: 57%

Adaptations by Zostera marina Dominated Seagrass Meadows in Response to Water Quality and Climate Forcing

2018

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“…Within Chesapeake Bay, Z. marina exhibits significant variability in growth and reproduction with the seasons and over small spatial scales (<5 km; Johnson, Moore, & Orth, ; Orth & Moore, ; Shields, Moore, & Parrish, ). Biomass of Z. marina peaks in the spring and early summer declines dramatically during warm summer months, partially recovers during the fall, and once again senesces in the winter (Moore, Wilcox, & Orth, ; Orth & Moore, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of sexual reproduction in the maintenance of established Zostera marina meadows

2020

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1. For clonal plants, the role of sexual reproduction in the maintenance of populations can vary widely. Some species are dependent on repeated seedling recruitment. For other species, interactions between adults and seedlings within existing populations can affect seedling survival and limit sexual reproduction in existing populations. Genetic studies of seagrass populations increasingly suggest sexual reproduction is important for the resilience and stability of their populations, but as of yet little observational data support these findings. Because seagrass populations provide important ecosystem services and are threatened with increasing anthropogenic impacts, understanding their reliance on sexual reproduction is evolutionarily and ecologically important. 2. The goals of this study were to determine (a) whether seedlings of a marine angiosperm, Zostera marina, establish and recruit within existing Z. marina meadows and (b) whether interactions between seedlings and surrounding adult shoots influence the survival of established seedlings. To meet these goals, surveys estimated seedling establishment and tracked seedling survival within multiple populations. Manipulative experiments then tested the impact of neighbouring adult shoots on seedling survival and the overall trajectory of experimental plots with and without sexual reproduction. 3. A 3-year survey identified established seedlings within Z. marina meadows each year. Additionally, concurrent seed addition experiments indicated seed supply could influence seedling establishment rates. A survey tracking the survival of tagged seedlings, as well as the height and density of surrounding adult shoots, showed adult shoots may negatively impact seedling survival. Experiments then demonstrated that seedlings without neighbouring shoots survived longer than those with neighbouring shoots. Lastly, two transplant garden experiments comparing the survival of plots with and without seeds highlighted that seedling recruitment is likely most important to maintain bottom cover where disturbances generate gaps in the adult population.4. Synthesis. This study demonstrates that seedlings do establish within existing seagrass meadows, and that some survive to recruit into the adult population. Competition with existing vegetation, however, can be a factor compromising seedling survival. Sexual reproduction may thus most likely occur in, This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. on the periphery of the denser portions of meadows or below a critical depth or disturbance threshold (Olesen, Karuse-Jensen, & Christensen, 2017). The high seedling mortality rates in existing meadows are attributed to competition with adult Z. marina shoots. These results suggest sexual reproduction is important for colonization of Z. marina populations but may not be generally important for the maintenance of existing perennial mea...

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“…While Z. marina can be highly plastic (e.g., Backman, 1991;Johnson et al, 2017;Ruesink, 2018), genotypes also show heritable variation in physiological traits (e.g., Hughes et al, 2009;Tomas et al, 2011), including response to light limitation (Salo et al, 2015). Two field transplant experiments directly testing for microgeographic adaptation across the depth gradient in Z. marina show mixed results.…”

Section: Temperate Seagrass Zostera Marinamentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Adaptation in Marine Foundation Species at Microgeographic Scales

Hays

Hanley

Hughes

et al. 2021

The Biological Bulletin

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Nearshore foundation species in coastal and estuarine systems (e.g., salt marsh grasses, mangroves, seagrasses, corals) drive the ecological functions of ecosystems and entire biomes by creating physical structure that alters local abiotic conditions and influences species interactions and composition. The resilience of foundation species and the ecosystem functions they provide depends on their phenotypic and genetic responses to spatial and temporal shifts in environmental conditions. In this review, we explore what is known about the causes and consequences of adaptive genetic differentiation in marine foundation species over spatial scales shorter than dispersal capabilities (i.e., microgeographic scales). We describe the strength of coupling field and laboratory experiments with population genetic techniques to illuminate patterns of local adaptation, and we illustrate this approach by using several foundation species. Among the major themes that emerge from our review include (1) adaptive differentiation of marine foundation species repeatedly evolves along vertical (i.e., elevation or depth) gradients, and (2) mating system and phenology may facilitate this differentiation. Microgeographic adaptation is an understudied mechanism potentially underpinning the resilience of many sessile marine species, and this evolutionary mechanism likely has particularly important consequences for the ecosystem functions provided by foundation species.

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The influence of resource availability on flowering intensity in Zostera marina (L.)

Cited by 26 publications

References 60 publications

Adaptations by Zostera marina Dominated Seagrass Meadows in Response to Water Quality and Climate Forcing

Adaptations by Zostera marina Dominated Seagrass Meadows in Response to Water Quality and Climate Forcing

The role of sexual reproduction in the maintenance of established Zostera marina meadows

Local Adaptation in Marine Foundation Species at Microgeographic Scales

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