Nutrient cycling associated with the seagrass Halophila ovalis in the Swan–Canning Estuary based on seasonal variations in biomass and tissue nutrients

Abstract

AbstractHalophila ovalis occupies about 20% (461 ha) of the Swan–Canning Estuary. To assess the role of this plant in the biogeochemical cycling of the estuary, its biomass, nutrient dynamics and oxygen release from its roots to the sediment were investigated. This paper describes a conceptual model developed to extrapolate these findings to the whole estuary.The model follows changes in H. ovalis meadows in the Swan–Canning Estuary on a seasonal basis over an annual cycle. Total maximum seagrass biomass was estimated as 346 t dry weight (DW) in summer, declining in winter. In spring, although H. ovalis biomass did not increase, tissue nutrient concentrations were higher when external nutrient concentrations were high. From spring to summer, when external nutrient concentrations in the water column were severely depleted, shoot to root–rhizome biomass ratios changed from 1 : 1 in winter to 1 : 1·5 in summer. Plant tissue nutrients also decreased in root–rhizomes and increased in shoots, indicating an allocation of internal nutrient resources to the shoots for growth. Despite depletion of nitrogen in the water column, ammonium was still available in the sediment. Ammonium concentrations in the sediment porewater decreased in summer, suggesting H. ovalis meadows were a sink for ammonium. With an increase in biomass in summer, including the density of roots, oxygen release from H. ovalis roots subsequently increased. H. ovalis meadows act as a substantial sink for nutrients in the Swan–Canning Estuary in spring and summer. In winter, when there are large losses of plant biomass, H. ovalis meadows become a source of nutrients to the estuary. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.