Nutrition of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa: Pulses of ammonium but not of phosphate are crucial to sustain the species growth

Abstract

We investigated the nutrient acquisition of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa and the importance of sediment to water column nutrient pulses, which regularly occur in coastal lagoons forced by incoming flood tides. Ammonium was preferentially taken up and accounted for 60–90% of the total daily N acquisition, whereas amino acid acquisition through belowground plant parts represented the second most important source of N, accounting 8–34%. The uptake of ammonium pulses increased dramatically the daily N acquisition from 9.5 mmol m−2 day−1 to 1.33 mmol m−2 day−1 at ambient nutrient concentrations, enabling the species to meet its N demand. Roots accounted for 96% of the total phosphate acquisition, with no evidence for P limitation. The ability of seagrasses to adapt to nutrient pulses may be an overlooked nutrition strategy common to many ecosystems where nutrient availability in the water column is low but nutrient pulses occur.