Abstract
The wax and wane of the eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) population in Grevelingen lagoon (East Atlantic; The Netherlands) has been documented for over 25 years, together with quantitative and semi-quantitative data on environmental variables. The population expanded after the closure of the Grevelingen estuary in 1971, but declined from 4600 ha surface area in 1978 to less than 100 ha in 1993. There is little causal evidence which factors are responsible for the observed dynamics of the population. The incomplete picture emerging from the data is that of an extremely impoverished eelgrass population, living under constant oligo-mesotrophic marine conditions. Both the sexual and the vegetative modes of reproduction are severely stressed by environmental variables, most likely a combination of low temperatures, high salinity, low dissolved silicate and low ammonium concentrations. Survival of the population asks for the restoration of moderate estuarine conditions.
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