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Feed-backs between genetic structure and perturbation-driven decline in seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows

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Abstract

We explored the relationships between perturbation-driven population decline and genetic/genotypic structure in the clonal seagrass Posidonia oceanica, subject to intensive meadow regression around four Mediterranean fish-farms, using seven specific microsatellites. Two meadows were randomly sampled (40 shoots) within 1,600 m2 at each site: the “impacted” station, 5–200 m from fish cages, and the “control” station, around 1,000 m downstream further away (considered a proxy of the pre-impact genetic structure at the site). Clonal richness (R), Simpson genotypic diversity (D*) and clonal sub-range (CR) were highly variable among sites. Nevertheless, the maximum distance at which clonal dispersal was detected, indicated by CR, was higher at impacted stations than at the respective control station (paired t-test: P < 0.05, N = 4). The mean number of alleles (Â) and the presence of rare alleles ( r) decreased at impacted stations (paired t-test: P < 0.05, and P < 0.02, respectively, N = 4). At a given perturbation level (quantified by the organic and nutrient loads), shoot mortality at the impacted stations significantly decreased with CR at control stations (R 2 = 0.86, P < 0.05). Seagrass mortality also increased with  (R 2 = 0.81, P < 0.10), R (R 2 = 0.96, P < 0.05) and D* (R 2 = 0.99, P < 0.01) at the control stations, probably because of the negative correlation between those parameters and CR. Therefore, the effects of clonal size structure on meadow resistance could play an important role on meadow survival. Large genotypes of P. oceanica meadows thus seem to resist better to fish farm-derived impacts than little ones. Clonal integration, foraging advantage or other size-related fitness traits could account for this effect.

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Acknowledgments

The present work has been financed by the MedVeg (Q5RS-2001-02456 of FP5) and thresholds (contract 003933-2 of FP 6) of the European Union. We are grateful to Rocío Santiago, Fernando Lázaro and Alberto Rabito for their assistance in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Ecología Litoral, Grupo de Oceanografía Interdisciplinar (G.O.I), IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), C/Miquel Marqués no 21, C.P. 07190, Esporles, Spain

    Elena Diaz-Almela, Núria Marbà & Carlos M. Duarte

  2. CCMAR, CIMAR – Laboratório Associado, F.C.M.A. – Univ. Algarve, Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Sophie Arnaud-Haond, Mirjam S. Vliet & Ester A. Serrão

  3. Dirección General de Pescas, Comunidad de las Islas Baleares, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Elvira Álvarez

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  1. Elena Diaz-Almela
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Correspondence to Elena Diaz-Almela.

 

 

Appendix Allelic frequencies of the seven loci at the four sites (C = Control station; I = Impacted station)
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Diaz-Almela, E., Arnaud-Haond, S., Vliet, M.S. et al. Feed-backs between genetic structure and perturbation-driven decline in seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows. Conserv Genet 8, 1377–1391 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9288-0

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