Sheath length as a monitoring tool for calculating leaf growth in eelgrass (Zostera marina L.)
Gaeckle, J.L.; Short, F.T.; Ibarra-Obando, S.E.; Meling-López, A.E. (2006). Sheath length as a monitoring tool for calculating leaf growth in eelgrass (Zostera marina L.). Aquat. Bot. 84(3): 226-232. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2005.10.006
In: Aquatic Botany. Elsevier Science: Tokyo; Oxford; New York; London; Amsterdam. ISSN 0304-3770; e-ISSN 1879-1522, more
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| Keywords |
Biological production
Dimensions > Length
Flora > Weeds > Marine organisms > Seaweeds > Sea grass
Monitoring
Population functions > Growth
Zostera subg. Zostera marina Linnaeus, 1753 [WoRMS]
ANW, USA, New Hampshire [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
seagrass; growth; plastochrone; productivity sheath length; monitoring |
| Authors | | Top |
- Gaeckle, J.L.
- Short, F.T.
- Ibarra-Obando, S.E.
- Meling-López, A.E.
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| Abstract |
Recent advances have improved ease and accuracy in seagrass growth measurements. Despite these improvements, seagrass leaf growth can be difficult to measure effectively; current methods are destructive to the plants and require at least two site visits per growth period. We used the “previous growth” of Ibarra-Obando and Boudouresque [Ibarra-Obando, S.E., Boudouresque, C.F., 1994. An improvement of the Zieman leaf marking technique for Zostera marina growth and production assessment. Aquat. Bot. 47, 293–302.] to develop a relationship between sheath length and leaf growth in eelgrass, Zostera marina L., and we demonstrated that a simple, non-destructive method allows reliable calculation of eelgrass leaf growth (mg shoot−1 day−1) based on sheath length. We measured eelgrass sheath length and leaf growth for 18 months, from November 1999 to April 2001, at a site in Portsmouth Harbor on the border of New Hampshire and Maine, USA. Regression analyses showed a high coefficient of determination between sheath length and leaf growth, demonstrating that sheath length reliably reflected eelgrass leaf growth. We also showed that four seasonal measurements were sufficient to establish a significant relationship between sheath length and leaf growth. After a regression of sheath length and leaf growth has been established for a site, eelgrass sheath length can be measured in situ to accurately calculate leaf growth, eliminating both the need for destructive growth measurements and the need to mark and relocate plants. |
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