Effects of river water inflow on the growth, photosynthesis, and respiration of the tropical seagrass Halophila ovalis
-
Nadhirah Lamit
Nadhirah Lamit is a marine biologist, and she has spent more than five years studying tropical seagrasses. She did her postgraduate research on seagrass and the water conditions in Brunei estuary and was awarded a PhD in Biology by the Universiti Brunei Darussalam in 2020. Nadhirah is one of the few people to study seagrass diversity and distribution in Brunei. Her recent research includes updating the seagrass species checklist in Brunei and understanding the species-specificity of seagrass along environmental gradients.und Yasuaki Tanaka
Yasuaki Tanaka is a scientist in the biogeochemistry of coral reefs and estuaries. He has conducted many field expeditions and laboratory experiments over 15 years, and most of them aim to quantify carbon and nitrogen cycling through corals and benthic primary producers. His recent research interest is to evaluate the impact of land-use change on the downstream coastal ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles in tropical regions.
Abstract
To investigate the effects of river waters on estuarine seagrass, the tropical seagrass Halophila ovalis was collected at Brunei Bay, Borneo, and was cultured under laboratory conditions for 18 days. Three treatments were set up in the experiment: natural seawater with a salinity 30 (S30), estuarine river water with a salinity 10 (S10), and the intermediate water that was composed of the seawater and river water with a salinity 20 (S20). New leaf production, the average length of new leaves, rhizome elongation, and photosynthetic rate of H. ovalis were significantly higher in S20 than S10. Chlorophyll a (chl a) and carotenoid content in H. ovalis were significantly lower in S10 than S20 and S30. Though the tropical river waters could potentially cause both positive and negative effects on seagrass, the present results suggested that low salinity would be the most influential factor to hinder the growth and metabolism of H. ovalis, and the salinity threshold was observed between 10 and 20. These results suggested that H. ovalis may be able to extend its present distribution to the upper estuary at this study site in the future.
Funding source: Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Award Identifier / Grant number: CRGWG(013)/170601
About the authors

Nadhirah Lamit is a marine biologist, and she has spent more than five years studying tropical seagrasses. She did her postgraduate research on seagrass and the water conditions in Brunei estuary and was awarded a PhD in Biology by the Universiti Brunei Darussalam in 2020. Nadhirah is one of the few people to study seagrass diversity and distribution in Brunei. Her recent research includes updating the seagrass species checklist in Brunei and understanding the species-specificity of seagrass along environmental gradients.

Yasuaki Tanaka is a scientist in the biogeochemistry of coral reefs and estuaries. He has conducted many field expeditions and laboratory experiments over 15 years, and most of them aim to quantify carbon and nitrogen cycling through corals and benthic primary producers. His recent research interest is to evaluate the impact of land-use change on the downstream coastal ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles in tropical regions.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: This study was financially supported by the CRG grant at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (grant no. CRGWG(013)/170601).
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
References
Abril, G., Martinez, J.M., Artigas, L.F., Moreira-Turcq, P., Benedetti, M.F., Vidal, L., Meziane, T., Kim, J.H., Bernardes, M.C., Savoye, N., et al.. (2014). Amazon river carbon dioxide outgassing fuelled by wetlands. Nature 505: 395–398, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12797.Suche in Google Scholar
Alber, M. (2002). A conceptual model of estuarine freshwater inflow management. Estuaries 25: 1246–1261, https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02692222.Suche in Google Scholar
Beer, S. (1989). Photosynthesis and photorespiration of marine angiosperms. Aquat. Bot. 34: 153–166, https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(89)90054-5.Suche in Google Scholar
Beer, S., Bjork, M., Hellblom, F., and Axelsson, L. (2002). Inorganic carbon utilization in marine angiosperms (seagrasses). Funct. Plant Biol. 29: 349–354, https://doi.org/10.1071/pp01185.Suche in Google Scholar
Brodersen, K.E., Hammer, K.J., Schrameyer, V., Floytrup, A., Rasheed, M.A., Ralph, P.J., Kühl, M., and Pedersen, O. (2017). Sediment resuspension and deposition on seagrass leaves impedes internal plant aeration and promotes phytotoxic H2S intrusion. Front. Plant Sci. 8: 657, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.00657.Suche in Google Scholar
Chen, M. and Blankenship, R.E. (2011). Expanding the solar spectrum used by photosynthesis. Trends Plant Sci. 16: 427–431, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2011.03.011.Suche in Google Scholar
Collos, Y., Mornet, F., Sciandra, A., Waser, N., Larson, A., and Harrison, P.J. (1999). An optical method for the rapid measurement of micromolar concentrations of nitrate in marine phytoplankton cultures. J. Appl. Phycol. 11: 179–184, https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1008046023487.10.1023/A:1008046023487Suche in Google Scholar
Czerny, A.B. and Dunton, K.H. (1995). The effects of in situ light reduction on the growth of two subtropical seagrasses, Thalassia testudinum and Halodule wrightii. Estuaries 18: 418–427, https://doi.org/10.2307/1352324.Suche in Google Scholar
Fernández-Torquemada, Y., Durako, M.J., and Sánchez-Lizaso, J.L. (2005). Effects of salinity and possible interactions with temperature and pH on growth and photosynthesis of Halophila johnsonii Eiseman. Mar. Biol. 148: 251–260, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0075-5.Suche in Google Scholar
Fernández-Torquemada, Y. and Sánchez-Lizaso, J.L. (2005). Effects of salinity on leaf growth and survival of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 320: 57–63, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2004.12.019.Suche in Google Scholar
Fernández-Torquemada, Y. and Sánchez-Lizaso, J.L. 2011. Responses of two Mediterranean seagrasses to experimental changes in salinity. Hydrobologia 669: 21, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0644-1.Suche in Google Scholar
Hansen, H.P. and Koroleff, F. (1999). Determination of nutrients. In: Grasshoff, K., Kremling, K., and Ehrhardt, M. (Eds.). Methods of seawater analysis. John Wiley & Sons, Weinheim, pp. 159–228.10.1002/9783527613984.ch10Suche in Google Scholar
Hemminga, M.A. and Duarte, C.M. (2000). Seagrass ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.10.1017/CBO9780511525551Suche in Google Scholar
Jiang, Z.J., Huang, X.P., and Zhang, J.P. (2010). Effects of CO2 enrichment on photosynthesis, growth, and biochemical composition of seagrass Thalassia hemprichii (Ehrenb.) Aschers. J. Integr. Plant Biol. 52: 904–913, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7909.2010.00991.x.Suche in Google Scholar
Kahn, A.E. and Durako, M.J. (2008). Photophysiological responses of Halophila johnsonii to experimental hyposaline and hyper-CDOM conditions. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 367: 230–235, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2008.10.006.Suche in Google Scholar
Lamit, N. and Tanaka, Y. (2019). Species-specific distribution of intertidal seagrasses along environmental gradients in a tropical estuary (Brunei Bay, Borneo). Reg. Stud. Mar. Sci. 29: 100671, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2019.100671.Suche in Google Scholar
Lamit, N. and Tanaka, Y. (2020). Spatial and temporal variations in the physical and chemical water properties of a tropical estuary, Borneo. Manuscript submitted for publication.Suche in Google Scholar
Lamit, N., Tanaka, Y., and Majid, H.M.B.A. (2017). Seagrass diversity in Brunei Darussalam: first records of three species. Sci. Brun. 16: 48–52.10.46537/scibru.v16i2.65Suche in Google Scholar
La Nafie, Y.A., Carmen, B., Brun, F.G., Mashoreng, S., van Katwijk, M.M. and Bouma, T.J. (2013). Biomechanical response of two fast-growing tropical seagrass species subjected to in situ shading and sediment fertilization. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 446: 186–193, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2013.05.020.Suche in Google Scholar
Lee, K.S. and Dunton, K.H. (2000). Effects of nitrogen enrichment on biomass allocation, growth, and leaf morphology of the seagrass Thalassia testudinum. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 196: 39–48, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps196039.Suche in Google Scholar
Lee, K.S., Park, S.R., and Kim, Y.K. (2007). Effects of irradiance, temperature, and nutrients on growth dynamics of seagrasses: a review. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 350(1–2): 144–175.10.1016/j.jembe.2007.06.016Suche in Google Scholar
Lichtenthaler, H.K., Prenzel, U., and Kuhn, G. (1982). Carotenoid composition of chlorophyll-carotenoid-proteins from radish chloroplasts. Z. Naturforsch. C Biosci. 37: 10–12, https://doi.org/10.1515/znc-1982-1-203.Suche in Google Scholar
Lirman, D. and Cropper, W.P. (2003). The influence of salinity on seagrass growth, survivorship, and distribution within Biscayne Bay, Florida: field, experimental, and modeling studies. Estuaries 26: 131–141, https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02691700.Suche in Google Scholar
Longstaff, B.J. and Dennison, W.C. (1999). Seagrass survival during pulsed turbidity events: the effects of light deprivation on the seagrasses Halodule pinifolia and Halophila ovalis. Aquat. Bot. 65: 105–121, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0304-3770(99)00035-2.Suche in Google Scholar
Marín-Guirao, L., Sandoval-Gil, J.M., Ruíz, J.M., and Sánchez-Lizaso, J.L. 2011. Photosynthesis, growth and survival of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica in response to simulated salinity increases in a laboratory mesocosm system. Estuar. Coast Shelf Sci. 92: 286–296, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2011.01.003.Suche in Google Scholar
Miyajima, T., Tanaka, Y., and Koike, I. (2005). Determining 15N enrichment of dissolved organic nitrogen in environmental waters by gas chromatography/ negativeion chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Determining 3(3): 164–17.10.4319/lom.2005.3.164Suche in Google Scholar
Ooi, J.L.S., Kendrick, G.A., Van Niel, K.P., and Affendi, Y.A. (2011). Knowledge gaps in tropical Southeast Asian seagrass systems. Estuar. Coast Shelf Sci. 92: 118–131, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2010.12.021.Suche in Google Scholar
Palmer, T.A., Montagna, P.A., Pollack, J.B., Kalke, R.D., and DeYoe, H.R. (2011). The role of freshwater inflow in lagoons, rivers, and bays. Hydrobiologia 667: 49–67, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0637-0.Suche in Google Scholar
Pedersen, M.F. (1995). Nitrogen limitation of photosynthesis and growth: comparison across aquatic plant communities in a Danish estuary (Roskilde Fjord). Ophelia 41: 261–272, https://doi.org/10.1080/00785236.1995.10422047.Suche in Google Scholar
Proum, S., Santos, J.H., Lim, L.H., and Marshall, D.J. (2018). Tidal and seasonal variation in carbonate chemistry, pH and salinity for a mineral-acidified tropical estuarine system. Reg. Stud. Mar. Sci. 17: 17–27, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2017.11.004.Suche in Google Scholar
Ralph, P.J. (1998). Photosynthetic responses of Halophila ovalis (R. Br.) Hook. f. to osmotic stress. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 227: 203–220, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-0981(97)00269-4.Suche in Google Scholar
Ritchie, R.J. (2006). Consistent sets of spectrophotometric chlorophyll equations for acetone, methanol and ethanol solvents. Photosynthesis Research 89(1): 27–41, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-0981(97)00269-4.Suche in Google Scholar
Seguro, I., García, C.M., Papaspyrou, S., Gálvez, J.A., García-Robledo, E., Navarro, G., Soria-Píriz, S., Aguilar, V., Lizano, O.G., Morales-Ramírez, A., et al.. (2015). Seasonal changes of the microplankton community along a tropical estuary. Reg. Stud. Mar. Sci. 2: 189–202, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2015.10.006.Suche in Google Scholar
Shafer, D.J., Kaldy, J.E., Sherman, T.D., and Marko, K.M. (2011). Effects of salinity on photosynthesis and respiration of the seagrass Zostera japonica: a comparison of two established populations in North America. Aquat. Bot. 95: 214–220, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2011.06.003.Suche in Google Scholar
Short, F.T. and Duarte, C.M. (2001). Methods for the measurement of seagrass growth and production. In: Short, F.T. and Coles, R.G. (Eds.), Global seagrass research methods. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 155–198.10.1016/B978-044450891-1/50009-8Suche in Google Scholar
Simon, C., Gall, E.A., Levavasseur, G., and Deslandes, E. (1999). Effects of short-term variations of salinity and temperature on the photosynthetic response of the red alga Grateloupia doryphora from Brittany (France). Bot. Mar. 42: 437–440, https://doi.org/10.1515/bot.1999.050.Suche in Google Scholar
Takahashi, A., Kumagai, T.O., Kanamori, H., Fujinami, H., Hiyama, T., and Hara, M. (2017). Impact of tropical deforestation and forest degradation on precipitation over Borneo island. J. Hydrometeorol. 18: 2907–2922, https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-17-0008.1.Suche in Google Scholar
Takahashi, M., Noonan, S.H.C., Fabricius, K.E., and Collier, C.J. (2016). The effects of long-term in situ CO2 enrichment on tropical seagrass communities at volcanic vents. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 73: 876–886, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsv157.Suche in Google Scholar
Thorhaug, A., Richardson, A.D., and Berlyn, G.P. (2006). Spectral reflectance of Thalassia testudinum (Hydrocharitaceae) seagrass: low salinity effects. Am. J. Bot. 93: 110–117, https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.93.1.110.Suche in Google Scholar
Touchette, B.W. (2007). Seagrass-salinity interactions: physiological mechanisms used by submersed marine angiosperms for a life at sea. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 350: 194–215, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2007.05.037.Suche in Google Scholar
Udy, J.W. and Dennison, W.C. (1997). Growth and physiological responses of three seagrass species to elevated sediment nutrients in Moreton Bay, Australia. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 217: 253–277, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-0981(97)00060-9.Suche in Google Scholar
van Katwijk, M.M., Schmitz, G.H.W., Gasseling, A.P., and Van Avesaath, P.H. (1999). Effects of salinity and nutrient load and their interaction on Zostera marina. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 190: 155–165, https://doi.org/10.3354/meps190155.Suche in Google Scholar
© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- In this issue
- Physiology and ecology
- Flow cytometric measurements as a proxy for sporulation intensity in the cultured macroalga Ulva (Chlorophyta)
- Effects of river water inflow on the growth, photosynthesis, and respiration of the tropical seagrass Halophila ovalis
- Diversity and composition of algal epiphytes on the Mediterranean seagrass Cymodocea nodosa: a scale-based study
- Abundance of a recently discovered Alaskan rhodolith bed in a shallow, seagrass-dominated lagoon
- Two red macroalgae newly introduced into New Zealand: Pachymeniopsis lanceolata (K. Okamura) Y. Yamada ex S. Kawabata and Fushitsunagia catenata Filloramo et G. W. Saunders
- Taxonomy/phylogeny and biogeography
- Molecular data reveals two new species of Hypnea (Cystocloniaceae, Rhodophyta) from India: Hypnea indica sp. nov. and Hypnea bullata sp. nov.
- Morphological and molecular characterization of Gambierdiscus caribaeus (Dinophyceae), with a confirmation of its occurrence in the Colombian Caribbean Tayrona National Natural Park
- Erratum
- Erratum to: The effects of phosphate on physiological responses and carbohydrate production in Ulva fasciata (Chlorophyta) from upwelling and non-upwelling site
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- In this issue
- Physiology and ecology
- Flow cytometric measurements as a proxy for sporulation intensity in the cultured macroalga Ulva (Chlorophyta)
- Effects of river water inflow on the growth, photosynthesis, and respiration of the tropical seagrass Halophila ovalis
- Diversity and composition of algal epiphytes on the Mediterranean seagrass Cymodocea nodosa: a scale-based study
- Abundance of a recently discovered Alaskan rhodolith bed in a shallow, seagrass-dominated lagoon
- Two red macroalgae newly introduced into New Zealand: Pachymeniopsis lanceolata (K. Okamura) Y. Yamada ex S. Kawabata and Fushitsunagia catenata Filloramo et G. W. Saunders
- Taxonomy/phylogeny and biogeography
- Molecular data reveals two new species of Hypnea (Cystocloniaceae, Rhodophyta) from India: Hypnea indica sp. nov. and Hypnea bullata sp. nov.
- Morphological and molecular characterization of Gambierdiscus caribaeus (Dinophyceae), with a confirmation of its occurrence in the Colombian Caribbean Tayrona National Natural Park
- Erratum
- Erratum to: The effects of phosphate on physiological responses and carbohydrate production in Ulva fasciata (Chlorophyta) from upwelling and non-upwelling site