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How Population Decline Can Impact Genetic Diversity: a Case Study of Eelgrass (Zostera marina) in Morro Bay, California

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Abstract

Seagrass populations are in decline worldwide. Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), one of California’s native seagrasses, is no exception to this trend. In the last 8 years, the estuary in Morro Bay, California, has lost 95% of its eelgrass. Population bottlenecks like this one often result in severe reductions in genetic diversity; however, this is not always the case. The decline of eelgrass in Morro Bay provides an opportunity to better understand the effects of population decline on population genetics. Furthermore, the failure of recent restoration efforts necessitates a better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of the population. Previous research on eelgrass in California has demonstrated a link between population genetic diversity and eelgrass bed health, ecosystem functioning, and resilience to disturbance and extreme climatic events. The genetic diversity and population structure of Morro Bay eelgrass have not been assessed until this study. We also compare Morro Bay eelgrass to Bodega Bay eelgrass in Northern California. We conducted fragment length analysis of nine microsatellite loci on 133 Morro Bay samples, and 20 Bodega Bay samples. We found no population differentiation between the remaining beds in Morro Bay and no difference among samples growing at different tidal depths. Comparisons with Bodega Bay revealed that Morro Bay eelgrass contains three first-generation migrants from the north, but Morro Bay remains considerably genetically differentiated from Bodega Bay. Despite the precipitous loss of eelgrass in Morro Bay between 2008 and 2017, genetic diversity remains relatively high and comparable to other populations on the west coast.

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Acknowledgments

Funding was provided by the Cal Poly Wertman Scholarship, the San Luis Obispo Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Helen Sharsmith Grant, the American Society of Plant Taxonomists, and the Garden Club of America. Support also came from the Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department via the Frost Fund Undergraduate Research Program, College of Science and Mathematics College Based Fees, the Student Fee Initiative, and the Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities Grant Program. Support was provided by the Morro Bay National Estuary Program, California Fish and Wildlife, Merkel & Associates, Inc., and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. The authors also thank Ed Himelblau, Michael Black, Jay Stachowicz, Laura Reynolds, Jeanine Olsen, David Ward, Ellen Calcagno, Kyle Nessen, John Roser, Ryan Walter, and Jennifer O’Learly.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA

    Julia G. Harenčár, Greg A. Lutgen, Zac M. Taylor & Jennifer M. Yost

  2. Department of Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect Street, P.O. Box 208106, New Haven, CT, 06520-8106, USA

    Norah P. Saarman

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Harenčár, J.G., Lutgen, G.A., Taylor, Z.M. et al. How Population Decline Can Impact Genetic Diversity: a Case Study of Eelgrass (Zostera marina) in Morro Bay, California. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 2356–2367 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-018-0421-8

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