The growth and production of the leaves of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Forsk.) Aschers. from Aqaba, Jordan

Abstract

There is a negative linear relationship between the mean growth rate and mean leaf length in the seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Forsk.) Aschers. New leaves are produced at intervals of 4–12 days, with a mean of 8.1 days. The life-span of the leaf is 74 days, and the turnover of leaves is 1.54% day −1. The mean leaf production during the period 18 August 1979 to 4 January 1980 was 2.2 g dry weight m −2 day −1. The maximum production of marked leaves occurred in November, and was 3.23 g dry weight m −2 day −1.