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Eelgrass Beds (Gen. Zostera Linnaeus, 1753) and the Related Specific Form of the Bottom Microrelief at the Southern Coast of Crimea (in the Black Sea)

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Abstract

Based on the results of monitoring, this paper presents data on the state of eelgrass beds (Zostera Linnaeus) distributed at depths of 5.5–10.5 m (up to 12 m) within the marine coastal waters of the Cape Martyan Nature Reserve (southern coast of Crimea, the Black Sea). In the autumn of 2020, fragments of eelgrass thickets (beds) showed signs of soil erosion, leading to significant exposure of underground roots and rhizomes of sea grasses and the development of abundant epiphyton on them. A specific form of the bottom microrelief was registered for the first time and the location of this bottom relief was associated with distribution of sea vegetation. Numerous micro-depressions in loose deposits at a depth of 10–15 cm were found; they were characterized by a regular rounded shape. The diameters of the micro-depressions were commensurate with the size of the beds, to which they were adjoined strictly on the north-western side. Micro-depressions were filled with temporary accumulations of unattached macroalgae. Further observations revealed the reversibility of this phenomenon. The causes of the microrelief (probably related to increased local hydrodynamics) and the probability of the potential impact of soft soils on the bottom vegetation are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nikitsky Botanical Gardens National Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 298648, Yalta, Russia

    S. Ye. Sadogurskiy, S. A. Sadogurskaya & T. V. Belich

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  1. S. Ye. Sadogurskiy
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  2. S. A. Sadogurskaya
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  3. T. V. Belich
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Correspondence to S. Ye. Sadogurskiy.

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Translated by I. Barsegova

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Sadogurskiy, S.Y., Sadogurskaya, S.A. & Belich, T.V. Eelgrass Beds (Gen. Zostera Linnaeus, 1753) and the Related Specific Form of the Bottom Microrelief at the Southern Coast of Crimea (in the Black Sea). Russ J Mar Biol 48, 297–301 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063074022040101

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