Ecotype-Specific and Correlated Seasonal Responses of Biomass Production, Non-Structural Carbohydrates, and Fatty Acids in Zostera marina

Special issue Aquatic Plant Biology 2023, 19 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables, supplementary materials https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/plants13030396/s1.-- Data Availability Statement: Data are contained within the article and Supplementary Materials

Seagrasses, which are marine flowering plants, provide numerous ecological services and goods. Zostera marina is the most widely distributed seagrass in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions. This study aimed to (i) examine seasonal trends and correlations between key seagrass traits such as biomass production and biochemical composition, and (ii) compare seasonal adaptation of two ecotypes of Z. marina exposed to similar environmental conditions on the west coast of Ireland. During summer, plants accumulated higher levels of energetic compounds and levels of unsaturated fatty acids (FAs) decreased. Conversely, the opposite trend was observed during colder months. These findings indicate a positive seasonal correlation between the production of non-structural carbohydrates and saturated fatty acids (SFAs), suggesting that seagrasses accumulate and utilize both energetic compounds simultaneously during favorable and unfavorable environmental conditions. The two ecotypes displayed differential seasonal responses by adjusting plant morphology and production, the utilization of energetic reserves, and modulating unsaturation levels of fatty acids in seagrass leaves. These results underscore the correlated seasonal responses of key compounds, capturing ecotype-specific environmental adaptations and ecological strategies, emphasizing the robust utility of these traits as a valuable eco-physiological tool

This research was funded by a Ph.D. Scholarship from the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Galway for Pedro Beca-Carretero. Pedro Beca-Carretero was also financed by a research grant from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Additionally, this research was in part supported by the project ‘BlueC-Investigating Ireland’s Blue Carbon Potential Through a Scientific, Socio-economic and Legislative approach (PBA/CC/21/03), funded by the Marine Institute and Environmental Protection Agency. Tomas Azcárate-García was funded by a Severo Ochoa FPI predoctoral grant (CEX2019-000928-S-20-1) awarded by the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation to the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM) of Barcelona (CEX2019-000928-S), as well as by the Erasmus+ program

Peer reviewed