Abstract
Annual and perennial populations commonly occur for the same submerged aquatic angiosperm species, yet relationships between population types and sediment characteristics are poorly understood. In the current study two Ruppia sinensis habitats with annual and perennial populations were surveyed in the Yellow River Delta (YRD). Biomass and seasonal seed bank size were used to evaluate population status and potential recruitment capacity. Sediment geochemical parameters including moisture, sulfide, Chl a, carbohydrate, OM, TOC, TN, and TP were measured to compare sediment nutrient composition and variability. The results revealed a higher biomass and larger seed bank in the annual R. sinensis population compared with the perennial population. The P levels in sediments between the two R. sinensis populations were similar; while the N level in the sediment of the annual population was significantly higher than the perennial population, which might support the recruitment of vegetative shoots when a large amount of seeds germinated during wet periods. The annual population exhibited greater resilience after habitat desiccation, with the population recovering rapidly once water appeared. The results of this study add to the knowledge of R. sinensis populations and their sediment geochemical characteristics, and can be used as a reference for Ruppia population conservation and management.
Highlights
The Yellow River Delta (YRD) is the broadest, and best conserved wetland ecosystem in temperate China (Han et al, 2006)
The results revealed a higher biomass and larger seed bank in the annual R. sinensis population compared with the perennial population
Similar to R. cirrhosa and R. maritima (Malea et al, 2004; Mannino and Graziano, 2014), annual and perennial traits occurred in the two R. sinensis populations in the YRD in the current study
Summary
The Yellow River Delta (YRD) is the broadest, and best conserved wetland ecosystem in temperate China (Han et al, 2006). Increasing anthropogenic activities, have resulted in the coastal wetlands of the YRD changing from natural wetlands to farmlands, and saltculture ponds (Yu et al, 2012). These changes result in diverse sediment characteristics. The topsoil of Deyeuxia angustifolia wetlands contains more labile fraction organic carbon than an upland forest and two farmlands in the Sanjiang Plain of northeast China (Zhang et al, 2006). Thalassia testudinum leaves are capable of inducing CaCO3 precipitation and increasing habitat sediment carbon storage (Enríquez and Schubert, 2014)
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