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Interactions of light and organic matter under contrasting resource simulated environments: the importance of clonal traits in the seagrass Zostera noltii

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Book cover Eutrophication in Coastal Ecosystems

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 207))

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Abstract

Light reduction in the water column and enhanced organic matter (OM) load into the sediments are two main consequences of eutrophication in marine coastal areas. This study addresses the combined effects of light, OM, and clonal traits in the seagrass Zostera noltii. Large Z. noltii plants were grown in sand with or without the addition of OM and under two light levels (high light and low light). Whereas some complete plant replicates were grown under homogeneous light and/or OM conditions, other replicates were grown under contrasting light and/or OM levels between the apical and the distal parts of the same plant. The three-way factorial design (light, OM load, and apex position) allowed us to determine the harmful effect of light reduction and OM enrichment on the growth, photosynthetic performance, and biochemical composition of Z. noltii. The addition of OM to the sediment promoted a decrease, or even an inhibition, in net plant growth regardless of the light level when the whole plants were grown under homogeneous light conditions. However, the results differed when plants were grown under contrasting light and/or OM conditions between apical and distal parts. In this case, the harmful effect of OM load was alleviated when apical parts were grown under high light conditions. OM loads also negatively affected the photosynthetic performance, evaluated as leaf fluorescence. The results indicate the importance of clonal traits in the response of Z. noltii growth to light conditions and OM enrichment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología, Á rea de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

    Irene Olivé, M. Paz García-Sánchez, Fernando G. Brun, Juan J. Vergara & J. Lucas Pérez-Lloréns

  2. Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Korringaweg 7, 4401 NT, Yerseke, The Netherlands

    Fernando G. Brun

Authors
  1. Irene Olivé
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  2. M. Paz García-Sánchez
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  3. Fernando G. Brun
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  4. Juan J. Vergara
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  5. J. Lucas Pérez-Lloréns
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. DHI, Agern Allé 5, 2970, Hørsholm, Denmark

    J. H. Andersen

  2. GeoBiosphere Science Centre, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62, Lund, Sweden

    D. J. Conley

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Olivé, I., García-Sánchez, M.P., Brun, F.G., Vergara, J.J., Pérez-Lloréns, J.L. (2009). Interactions of light and organic matter under contrasting resource simulated environments: the importance of clonal traits in the seagrass Zostera noltii . In: Andersen, J.H., Conley, D.J. (eds) Eutrophication in Coastal Ecosystems. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 207. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3385-7_17

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