Sediment loading and siltation affect seagrasses directly by burying shoots, and indirectly by attenuating light through resuspension. In the Indo-Pacific tropical region, Cymodocea serrulata is considered to be one of the species most tolerant to burial and light attenuation, because it is able to form its canopy in a higher position above the bottom, due to the presence of a long vertical rhizome. To test whether C. serrulata survives in shaded environments by forming a tall canopy (through elongation of the vertical rhizome), we compared variability of this species in vertical rhizome length among sites with different levels of siltation and sedimentation with morphological variability in C. rotundata , which is less tolerant to the stresses. Monitoring of environmental conditions, seagrass collection and morphological measurements of seagrasses were carried out in a meadow in Japan and three meadows in Thailand. C. serrulata and C. rotundata showed different types of among-site variation. To produce a tall canopy, C. serrulata elongated vertical rhizomes, whereas C. rotundata extended blades. Upward elongation of the vertical rhizome or blade was not observed in either species in sites with heavier siltation, suggesting upward elongation is not related to low light stress or sedimental burial. As a conspicuous morphological trait, roots on vertical rhizomes of C. serrulata were abundant at sites where sediment deposition and erosion occur frequently. Having abundant roots on vertical rhizomes is considered to be adaptive for stabilizing unsettled sediment.
Contents
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedMorphological variation in the tropical seagrasses, Cymodocea serrulata and C. rotundata, in response to sediment conditions and light attenuationLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedEffect of nitrogen and phosphorus on the development and differentiation of vegetative cells of Porphyra yezoensis on solid agar mediumLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedSusceptibility of macroalgae to herbivorous fishes at Rocas Atoll, BrazilLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedDistribution of three submersed macrophytes in coastal lagoons of the German Baltic Sea: comparison of laboratory and field dataLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedMesoscale dispersal of the introduced kelp Undaria pinnatifida attached to unstable substrataLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedVegetative and reproductive phenology of Zonaria tournefortii (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) in sublittoral populations off the Canary IslandsLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedAutogamic reproductive behavior and sex cell structure in Thalassiosira angulata (Bacillariophyta)LicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedPeyssonnelia imbricata sp. nov. (Peyssonneliaceae, Rhodophyta) from Puerto Rico, Caribbean SeaLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedCocconeis distans Gregory and Amphicocconeis debesi (Hustedt) De Stefano comb. nov. (Bacillariophyta), an intricate taxonomical historyLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedDecomposition of dead twigs of Avicennia officinalis and Rhizophora mucronata in a mangrove in southwestern IndiaLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedWorld seaweed resources. An authoritative reference systemLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedGlobal coastal changeLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedMeetingsLicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Publicly AvailableAcknowledgement volume 49 (2006)December 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedContents volume 49 (2006)LicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedAuthor index volume 49 (2006)LicensedDecember 7, 2006
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Requires Authentication UnlicensedGenus/Species index volume 49 (2006)LicensedDecember 7, 2006