Abstract
Sexual reproduction in seagrasses is essential to increase their resilience towards environmental stressors, but its phenology is still unknown in some regions, limiting our knowledge about the recovery capacity of these ecosystems. In this study, the flowering effort, reproductive phenology, seed production and ability of germination of Zostera noltei was studied for the first time in the Ria de Aveiro lagoon, Portugal. Flowering of Z. noltei in the Ria de Aveiro lasts from June to November, reaching a peak between July and August. All the meadows showed similar flowering effort and phenology over time. Comparing with other European populations, the flowering effort of Z. noltei in Ria de Aveiro lasted for a longer period, which could be related with the milder temperatures in summer and autumn and the great anthropogenic stress to which the meadows are subjected in the lagoon. The number of seeds produced and their ability of germination were similar among meadows and sampling periods, reaching levels similar to those of other European regions. Nevertheless, future studies are needed to determine the fate of the produced seeds in the field to have a better understanding about the natural recovery capacity of the species.
Highlights
Seagrasses are marine angiosperms that form extensive meadows worldwide, hosting a large number of aquatic organisms [1]
This study shows the first data on reproductive phenology of Zostera noltei in the Ria de Aveiro lagoon
Flowering effort and reproductive phenology were similar among meadows and over time, suggesting that all meadows evolved over the flowering period
Summary
Seagrasses are marine angiosperms that form extensive meadows worldwide, hosting a large number of aquatic organisms [1]. The main growth pattern of seagrasses is through asexual cloning of their rhizomes, but as angiosperms, they can reproduce sexually through the formation of flowers, fruits and seeds [2]. Seedling recruitment enhances their genetic diversity and, in consequence, strengthens the resistance and resilience of the seagrass meadows towards environmental stressors [8,9]. The existence of a persistent seedbank guarantees the survival of the seagrass meadows [14], facilitating their recovery after negative impacts [15]
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