Seasonal variations in leaf growth of Cymodocea serrulata in subtropical seagrass meadows
2018
Yamada, H. (Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Nagasaki, Nagasaki (Japan)) | Nakamoto, K. | Hayakawa, J. | Kawamura, T. | Kon, K. | Shimabukuro, H. | Fukuoka, K.
We estimated the leaf growth of the tropical-subtropical seagrass species Cymodocea serrulata using the conventional leaf-marking method in a subtropical seagrass bed on Ishigaki Island, southern Japan, which is near the northern distributional limit of this species. This survey was conducted over an annual cycle at two sites. The deep site was located in a dense meadow in the subtidal zone. The shallow site was located around the lowest part of the intertidal zone, forming a tide pool during ebb tides of the spring tide, which was considered to approximate the upper depth limit of C. serrulata. The relationships between temperature and shoot weight, and the number of leaves per shoot were significantly influenced by site, resulting in a lower biomass in the shallow site. Leaf growth and shoot length increased with temperature without any spatial variation. Leaf growth and the number of leaves per shoot particularly declined during periods of low temperature in both sites. These results suggest that leaf growth and phenology of C. serrulata in this subtropical area are largely regulated by temperature.
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