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Seed Reserve Hot Spots for the Sub-Tropical Seagrass Halodule wrightii (Shoal Grass) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

  • Special Issue: Seagrasses Tribute to Susan Williams
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Abstract

Halodule wrightii (shoal grass) is a dioecious seagrass with a widespread tropical and subtropical distribution. Like all seagrass species, H. wrightii has the ability to expand asexually through rhizome elongation and to reproduce sexually through seed. To better understand H. wrightii sexual recruitment dynamics in the northern Gulf of Mexico, we investigated seed bank densities at 815 sites from south Texas to the Florida Panhandle. H. wrightii seed reserves were spatially variable across the region, with seed densities ranging from 0 to 5290 seeds m−2. Spatial analysis revealed clusters of high seed densities (“hot spots”) in Upper Laguna Madre, TX, and Santa Rosa Sound, FL, and clusters of low seed densities (“cold spots”) in Lower Laguna Madre and Aransas Bay, TX. Hot spots were dominated by H. wrightii, whereas cold spots were dominated by Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass). We frequently found intact seed coat halves, suggesting germination; however, we also encountered broken seed coat pieces, characteristic of seed predation. Genotypic surveys within and adjacent to seed hot spots revealed genetically diverse adult populations 6 years post seed bank sampling. Our data show that H. wrightii seed reserves are heterogeneous across the northern Gulf of Mexico and that the factors driving variation in seed bank density, viability, and germination remain poorly understood. Information on the spatial heterogeneity of H. wrightii seed densities has relevance for seagrass management, including targeting meadows with high levels of reproductive effort for protection or designation as marine reserves.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to K. Jackson and V. Congdon for their field support and collecting efforts in Texas. This study was funded by the Estuarine Reserves Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Grant No. NA11NOS4200082 to K.M.D. and K.H.D.), the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program (Contract No. 1610 to K.H.D.), the National Park Service (CESU Contract No. P16AC01794 to K.H.D.), and Texas General Land Office (Contract No.18-083-000-A592 to K.H.D.), and a Scholar Award from P.E.O. International to K.M.D.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Ocean Science and Engineering, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, The University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, MS, 39564, USA

    Kelly M. Darnell

  2. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    Bradley T. Furman

  3. Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, AL, 36528, USA

    Kenneth L. Heck Jr. & Dorothy Byron

  4. Soil and Water Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Laura Reynolds

  5. Marine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, TX, 78373, USA

    Kenneth H. Dunton

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  1. Kelly M. Darnell
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  5. Laura Reynolds
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Correspondence to Kelly M. Darnell.

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Communicated by Just Cebrian

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Darnell, K.M., Furman, B.T., Heck Jr., K.L. et al. Seed Reserve Hot Spots for the Sub-Tropical Seagrass Halodule wrightii (Shoal Grass) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts 44, 339–351 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00808-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00808-y

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